Why multi-cloud, AI and Zero Trust will become business necessities in 2025

Multi-cloud for enhanced risk mitigation and regulatory compliance

As we hurtle towards the end of 2024, it is time to start considering what technology trends will lead in the year ahead. In 2025, we see three dominant trends: multi and hybrid cloud strategies, the increasing adoption and use of AI, and Zero Trust practices being implemented in the enterprise. In this blog, we explore each of these trends in more detail.

According to Gartner, by 2025 the cloud will be the key driver for business innovation, and Gartner estimates that over 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms. In fact, multi cloud and hybrid cloud environments are a trend that will continue to grow in the year ahead. According to Forbes and Gartner, by 2025, 85% of large-sized companies will have a multi-cloud strategy. That’s because organisations recognise the importance of leveraging multiple cloud providers as well as on-premises infrastructure to optimise performance, enhance redundancy, and mitigate risks.

Enterprises are embracing multi cloud strategies to reduce reliance on a single provider, strengthen resilience, mitigate service outages, and avoid risks associated with vendor lock-in. This approach provides flexibility, enhances data redundancy, and ensures compliance with various regulatory requirements, particularly with the NIS2 Directive, which came into force in October 2024, and DORA, which will come into force in January 2025.

That said, navigating a multi cloud strategy is technically challenging for some and requires intense planning. However, enterprises with good practices and modern infrastructure can embrace multi cloud without huge technical investment.

Embracing a multi cloud strategy for greater agility and lower costs

In today’s highly competitive environment, organisations aren’t as concerned as they have been in the past when considering where their applications and data should run. Now they are more concerned that the required SLAs are met around availability, performance, security, cost and speed of provisioning.

Here at Northdoor, we regularly help enterprises design the right cloud infrastructure and build the necessary management processes around it to ensure they have the agility they need without breaking the bank.

More AI for the workplace

While there has certainly been a lot of hype around GenAI since it bust on the scene in 2022, there is no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising workplaces by automating routine tasks, sharpening decision-making, and delivering highly personalised user experiences. Tools like AI-powered chatbots, predictive analytics, and generative AI significantly increase efficiency, drive innovation, and boost employee productivity.  As a result, there’s a rapid drive to adopt AI across a broad range of business divisions:

• Businesses are developing applications that add AI capabilities to provide superior functionality and advanced personalisation
• Employees are using AI tools for research and productivity purposes
• Developers are leveraging AI-powered code assistants to code faster and meet challenging production deadlines
• Companies are building their own AI for internal use cases and commercial purposes.

In fact, end users are pushing for AI services and demanding more from their IT teams. And as we have seen this year, all the major vendors are investing heavily in this area because of the innovation and efficiencies it offers from a productivity perspective. Without a doubt, we will see accelerated adoption of these technologies in the coming year, but with the caveat that any technology is implemented in a controlled and strategic manner. Enterprises will be looking for AI with guardrails and the ability to control AI application risk in 2025.

Zero Trust for enterprises

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) is set to become the cornerstone of cybersecurity strategies in 2025. The principle of “never trust, always verify” will be widely implemented across organisations to counter increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Here at Northdoor, we are seeing massive demand for the Zero Trust security model, which is becoming essential. This approach ensures that every access request is authenticated, regardless of its origin. It prioritises verification over outdated perimeter-based defences. It demands continuous authentication and stringent access controls for every user, device, and application. This proactive stance effectively minimises the risk of data breaches in today’s complex and distributed IT environments.

Like multi cloud strategies, enterprises that have maintained and modernised their environments are finding the Zero Trust model a natural evolution of their IT environment. That said, it does require user education, which can slow down the rollout of Zero Trust solutions. We now live in a world where every user, user’s device and application are effectively an attack vector. Therefore, using Zero Trust makes sense, with limited downsides and a much more robust security stance for the enterprise.

 Challenges with a Zero Trust approach

That said, Zero Trust does require an overhaul of existing security frameworks, which can be technically challenging and time-consuming. Likewise integrating various security measures and ensuring they work seamlessly together is a significant task. Shifting from traditional security models to Zero Trust often meets resistance within organisations. Employees and management might view the increased security measures as obstacles to productivity.  Likewise, many organisations still rely on outdated infrastructure that isn’t compatible with Zero Trust principles. Upgrading these systems or finding workarounds can be costly and complex.

Despite these challenges, the benefits of Zero Trust in enhancing security and reducing the risk of breaches make it a worthwhile investment for many organisations. If you are considering adopting Zero Trust in your organisation, we can provide a free assessment of your existing cyber security systems and practices. We’ll show you how our Zero Trust vision can protect your users, devices, networks and critical data assets.

These are just three trends that we see on the horizon in 2025.  From advanced technologies like AI, to Zero Trust architectures and multi cloud, these trends are set to redefine best practices for enhanced efficiency, productivity, security, and scalability.  However, a word of caution, it is worth noting that trends often overlap, and organisations will need to take a holistic view of their IT estate when considering the digital environment they need to implement in the year ahead.