Technology is woven into the very fabric of our daily lives. We use it to shop, work, entertain and have fun. But the interwoven nature of technology doesn’t come without cost. Although there are undeniable benefits to technology, there are still many hurdles to overcome. Hindsight is 20/20, but instilling forward thinking can be more difficult.
What Are Current IT Issues?
Technology is ever-present, and while there have been successes, there have also been setbacks. Despite those hurdles, we are still facing an era of unprecedented growth and innovation. Let’s take a look at the main issues facing technology in 2025.
Quantum Computing Moves From Idea to Reality
Quantum computing is expected to take center stage this year, so much that the United Nations has dubbed 2025 as The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. A recent Forbes article revealed that major tech companies such as Google and Microsoft have made advances in quantum processing with plans to upscale their quantum computing efforts.
IBM recently revealed their IBM Quantum System Two, a modular system that is aimed at extending the scaling capabilities of quantum computing. The new system runs fifty-six times faster than the first iteration. Combined with the cloud-native era, quantum computing is positioned to take us to new heights.
Gartner predicts that quantum computing will also start becoming more secure with post-quantum cryptography, a cryptographic method used to protect against potential threats.
Generative AI Becomes Widespread
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) took the world by storm in 2023. ChatGPT gave the world utilization of AI at no cost. This innovative technology can do many things that were previously only possible as a means of human output. ChatGPT can write your resume, answer customer queries, create lesson plans, develop code and even provide the makings of a passable essay. But organizations are just starting to understand the implications for our workforce and how it can best be applied to business operations.
The challenge here is knowing where to start. Fortunately, the GTIA AI Advisory Council has released two Quick Start Guides to help MSPs with AI implementation. Check out AI Best Practices for MSPs: Developing Usage Policies and Guidelines and AI Best Practices for MSPs: How to Use a Custom LLM Writing Engine.
What’s next for AI in 2025? According to Gartner, it’s agentic AI. Agentic AI refers to software programs that are designed to independently make decisions and take actions to achieve specific goals. Gartner predicts that by 2029, agentic AI will automatically resolve 80% of common customer service issues without human intervention, leading to a 30% reduction in operational costs.
By 2029, agentic AI will autonomously resolve 80% of common customer service issues without human intervention, leading to a 30% reduction in operational costs, according to Gartner.
Energy-Efficient Computing
Gone are the days of overconsumption and turning a blind eye towards the way our technology use is impacting the planet. Using technology in a socially responsible manner will no longer be seen as a luxury, but a requirement. In fact, Gartner shows that energy-efficient computing ranks among the top ten trends for 2025. Gartner recognizes that computer-intensive applications are likely to be amongst the biggest contributors to an inflated carbon footprint. Using less energy will certainly be a focus throughout 2025.
What can you expect to see as far as energy-efficient technology? The tech industry’s carbon footprint is on the rise. Inflated data storage, big tech processing power and the ever-growing need for data centers are huge contributors to a collected greenhouse gas emission rate of approximately 3% worldwide. To help combat the impact, companies can expect to see trends such as decarbonizing of supply chains, green software development and optimizing data centers for greater efficiency and reduced energy waste.
Platform Engineering Takes the Lead
Platform engineering is an emerging discipline that provides more self-service options for software engineers. In our current state, software developers are struggling to keep up with a rapid deployment schedule and the increasing complexity of their environments. With platform engineering, software developers no longer bear the full burden of anticipating the needs of the entire application lifecycle.
Alternatively, platform engineering reduces the complexity of software development and aligns applications to needs. Platform engineering is anticipated to provide business value by creating reusable tools and functionality for the software development process. Gartner predicts that 80% of enterprises will have platform teams by 2026.
AI Trust, Risk, Security Move to the Forefront
AI is no passing hype. Recent statistics show that 77% of companies are either actively using AI or exploring it, a drastic jump from 35% in 2023. Even with increased usage, there is still a fair amount of distrust, risk and security gaps that will need to be addressed. Pew Research shows that only 17% of U.S. adults expect AI to have a positive impact on the United States in the coming years. To truly raise trust in AI, we’ll need greater security measures and risk mitigation.
AI trust is further diminished by the spread of disinformation, raising concerns about the propagation of false and harmful content. Gartner predicts that 50% of enterprises will adopt products, services or features to address disinformation security use cases by 2028. Companies will be faced with validating authenticity as we further explore AI.
Spatial Computing Makes New Strides
Referred to as the new AI frontier by the World Economic Forum, spatial computing is swiftly making the lane change from sci-fi theory into reality. Spatial computing is expected to explode as advances in technology allow for the realization of spatial-computing applications. With a variety of business and personal applications, spatial computing is expected to revolutionize how we interact with technology.
Enabling new user experiences in the metaverse, spatial computing has the potential to usher us into the next era of user-based technology. Gartner predicts that one out of five people will have an immersive experience using spatial computing on a weekly basis.
Technical Debt Will Take a Back Seat to Technical Wellness
In years past, technical debt has reared its ugly head, creating problems that are a direct result of previous shortcuts. In 2025, organizations will make the move from debt to wellness. With advancements in multi-cloud and hybrid environments, businesses will embrace more agility, paving the way for technical wellness. Moving forward, architecture will continue to be tailor made which has the power to limit future issues.
Gartner believes hybrid computing to be the perfect approach to solving technical debt, allowing for system creation that harnesses the strengths of each technology. VP analyst, Soyeb Barot says “The hybrid setup enables the business to scale efficiently, optimize costs and maintain flexibility.”
Edge AI and Ambient Invisible Intelligence Will Change the Game
Next-gen applications will only be possible with edge AI. This term refers to the partnership between edge computing and AI where processes take place outside of data centers and are conducted on devices closer to their data origination. Reduced latency, seamless experiences and greater access make edge AI one of the most exciting technologies that should be watched in 2025.
Poised as another valuable application, ambient invisible intelligence (AII) is the use of low-cost sensors and tags to communicate the location and status of physical objects. Used in conjunction with edge AI, AII is expected to help solve immediate problems to improve efficiency and reduce costs through 2028.
Cyber Resilience Takes the Lead Over Avoidance
A cyberattack takes place once every 39 seconds. And 76% of breaches are caused by human error. As cyber incidents move from anticipated to inevitable, organizations will move towards embracing cyber resilience over avoidance. Cyber resilience involves building a security-first culture that no longer encourages demonizing of reporting and instead embraces more robust disaster recovery and preparedness measures to ensure that your organization can withstand an attack when it inevitably does occur.
>> Learn about GTIA Cybersecurity Programs.
IT Talent Still Fails to Meet Demand
There remains an IT skills gap as we head into 2025. As with years past, education and upskilling hasn’t kept pace with the rate of innovation in organizations who are choosing digital transformation over stagnation. So how can companies keep up? The challenge, as always, lies in our ability to provide a workforce pipeline that aligns with business needs. Organizations in 2025 will need to provide the necessary educational and upskilling pathways to ensure we have the skills to manage future challenges, those in 2025 and beyond.
What is the Solution to IT-Related Problems?
Clearly there isn’t one singular answer to the technological issues we face. The path to get there isn’t a straight line. But as we continue into 2025 and beyond, technology has a prominent role to play in how we work, how we play and how we live. Tech organizations will need to approach these challenges with a responsible mindset to ensure we continue to grow and innovate while keeping users safe.
