According to Forrester’s 2025 technology and security predictions, a significant shift is anticipated in how organisations manage their technical debt, with 75% of technology decision-makers expecting their technical debt to escalate to moderate or high levels by 2026. This increase is largely attributed to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, which are complicating IT environments.
To address this growing challenge, Forrester predicts that tech leaders will triple their adoption of AI for IT operations (AIOps) platforms by 2025. AIOps platforms are designed to provide contextually aware data that enhances human judgment, automates incident remediation, and ultimately improves business outcomes. However, the successful implementation of AIOps will require IT leaders to also invest in cultivating the right organisational culture, data management practices, architecture, and security measures to foster business growth.
Forrester's predictions highlight several key trends and challenges that technology and security leaders will face in the coming year:
- Private Cloud Growth: Major public cloud providers are expected to increase their investments in private cloud solutions, although new entrants may struggle to compete with established players like VMware due to recent pricing and bundling changes.
- AI ROI Challenges: Many enterprises focused on achieving a return on investment (ROI) from AI initiatives may scale back their investments prematurely, as leaders are beginning to realise that the ROI from AI will take longer to materialise than initially anticipated. This impatience could hinder long-term benefits.
- Regulatory Developments: The European Union is poised to issue its first fine under the EU AI Act in 2025, targeting a provider of a general-purpose AI model for non-compliance. This act applies to all entities operating within the EU or supplying AI systems to the EU, regardless of their headquarters.
Sharyn Leaver, Forrester's chief research officer, noted, “In 2024, technology and security leaders ran pilots across their enterprises to explore innovative applications of AI, but not all AI initiatives yielded the intended business outcomes. While this bold experimentation will continue in 2025, leaders will also focus heavily on putting the lessons learned into practice to ensure that their investments deliver true business value."
As organisations prepare for these challenges, the insights from Forrester's predictions will be crucial for navigating the complexities of the evolving technological landscape.
