Ever questioned why some businesses stay ahead with innovation, efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction? Is it because they invest in the latest technologies immediately when they emerge? Evolution in tech is a never-ending cycle and businesses are keeping pace to stay in the lead. In fact, businesses are increasing their tech expenditure, according to Gartner’s forecast. Spending on IT worldwide will be $5.43 trillion in 2025, up 7.9% from 2024.
New tech helps businesses embrace changing trends to bring convenience to customers. When trends arise, they reshape how companies function, deliver value to consumers, and increase growth potential. And it’s critical to support the transition while fostering growth, efficiency, and better customer engagement with minimal headaches.
That’s where adapting new technologies takes center stage. Before embracing technological shifts, however, understanding them is crucial to future-proof your business. This post highlights the top tech trends in business to watch out for in 2025 and beyond.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Becomes Widespread
There’s widespread use of AI in business, with 80% of organizations using it in at least one business function. The use of this rising tech has moved beyond basic automation to assistants with capabilities to determine needs and streamline work. What’s powering this advancement? Generative AI, which runs on large language models (LLMs). Using LLMs, DALL-E and ChatGPT (examples of genAI tools), analyze, classify, generate, translate and summarize large text volumes.
These platforms can even create visual concepts using code and interact with users through conversational chats. When prompted, ChatGPT and other AI tools streamline creative tasks and data processing, which translates to improved productivity.
Another AI-enabled tech companies are integrating in operations is agentic AI. While genAI focuses on content (text, code, and images) creation using prompts, agentic AI or AI agents function autonomously. What agentic AI does is make decisions, take actions, and self-correct to achieve specific goals with minimal human input.
Think about how AI-enabled chatbots are helping with customized recommendations, better customer support, and even the route optimization running ride-sharing apps. As they become autonomous and proactive, businesses enjoy better efficiencies, decision making, lower operational fees, and customer experiences.
Enhanced Cybersecurity Practices
Relying on tech to steer your business into the future is a good thing. But with it, cyber threats targeting critical company infrastructures have advanced. Currently, organizations face AI-generated fileless malware and deepfake phishing, which are scalable and hard-to-detect. Stricter rules for data protection and maintaining digital trust are also pushing for enhanced IT systems security. And throughout the year, we expect to see cybersecurity advancing beyond firewalls and anti-viruses.
Firms will embrace threat detection systems that are AI and machine learning driven. These systems can monitor and evaluate network traffic, user behavior, and endpoints or data points to recognize unusual activities and prevent threats. Zero-trust architecture will be widespread too as businesses tighten their access control measures. This ‘never trust, always verify’ approach assumes no one or device is trustworthy by default.
To build zero trust security, companies perform continuous verification of users before granting access to resources. Even if access has been granted before, teams must be validated regularly to lower risks. This security model also requires all devices to undergo verification constantly. Your business can strengthen its zero-trust system by having an asset inventory.
Device tracking using laptop inventory management, for example, identifies which tools are available for use, those that require repair, and the ones you’re retiring. Then, through continuous monitoring of the inventory, your organization can manage device security, ensuring compliance and regular patching to protect against attacks. Other security measures companies will adopt include automated incident response, behavioral biometrics, blockchain, and cloud security.
5G Network Boosts Connectivity
Today’s businesses want to track new insights to make data-driven decisions in how they provide new services and gain a competitive edge. While AI can offer the results, it requires a network that supports higher data speeds and reduces network delays. And that’s what 5G connectivity is doing. It’s making data collection and analysis for business better, more efficient.
Having low network delays of 10 milliseconds (sub-10ms latency), 5G broadband also makes real-time communication possible for industries like logistics that require timely data to enhance efficiencies.
This advanced network also extends to remote regions through its low-earth orbit or LEO satellites. This fosters global connections- a win for ventures planning to expand their customer base. Entrepreneurs seeking ways to integrate augmented reality (AR) for improved customer interactions and to train employees, this network offers the solution. 5G, thanks to its low latency and higher bandwidth, supports effortless and real-time engagements needed for augmented reality. These are just a few examples of how advanced networks create tools for future growth.
A business ready to adjust to new realities enabled by technology has a bright future. However, it’s crucial to remain curious and willing to learn about shifting trends, while having human value as top priority to ensure tech revolution powers your business.
Apart from 5G connectivity, AI, and advanced cybersecurity, other trends disrupting businesses are cloud and quantum computing, digital payments, immersive tech (augmented and virtual reality), and tech sustainability.
