2025 Predictions

Another year is coming to a close, and leaders across industries are now laser focused on the year ahead. We’ve gathered key predictions from some of our executives, drawing on their expertise and experience to help you navigate 2025 with confidence.?

From mergers and acquisitions to AI's impact on business transformation and how organizations can adapt to meet the demands of the evolving threat landscape, we’re gazing into our crystal ball ??.

Let’s dive in!

Revitalized M&A activity in 2025: Unlocking consolidation and private equity opportunities – Alex Triplett , COO/CFO?

The M&A landscape will be active in 2025, leading to increased consolidation across industries and a pick up in private equity activity.?

The M&A landscape will be active in 2025 for several reasons. First, there is significant pent-up demand from both buyers and sellers that will inevitably be addressed. In private equity, there's a large pool of capital that must be deployed, either buying or investing in businesses, while sellers — both venture capitalists and private equity firms — are looking for exit opportunities.

Additionally, companies that tried to pursue exits in the past but were blocked by federal regulatory hurdles — particularly in deals with large tech companies — may find it easier to do so in 2025, with the forthcoming changes being signaled in Washington. This may help to unlock more opportunities for consolidation across industries.?

Moreover, many small to medium size companies that once had significant cash reserves from the ZIRP era investment cycle may now face the reality that their financial cushion is eroding, which will force them to act — either by acquiring others or seeking strategic alternatives. If interest rates continue to decline, it will become easier for private equity backed companies to pursue acquisitions or raise debt at lower costs.

In short, markets are becoming reasonably healthier, uncertainty is diminishing with the US election concluded, and we’re emerging from a long period of pent-up demand post-pandemic. The floodgates are about to open.?

AI evolution and SaaS transformation: Navigating market maturity and regulatory complexity in 2025 – Andy Boyd , CPO

Market refinement will feel like an AI "bubble burst" but reveal opportunities for business leaders

Some leaders have predicted that 2025 will be the year that the AI bubble will burst. In 2025, the perceived "AI bubble burst" won’t represent a collapse in AI use, but rather an evolution in which business leaders will shift their focus from broad innovation and experimentation to targeted strategies based on realized results from initial AI exploration. In the past few years, many organizations have been exploring AI often without defined business goals. As these projects reach their natural limits, the landscape will narrow to favor solutions with realized impact. This refinement could resemble a bursting bubble but may actually signal a deeper market maturity. As businesses consolidate around high-value, practical AI applications, we’ll see truly transformative uses emerge. This shift will drive a new era of meaningful, results-driven AI, where fewer projects mean sharper focus and sustained innovation across industries.

The SaaS market will evolve through AI-driven innovation and compliance

Looking toward the year ahead, the SaaS industry will be defined by three critical imperatives: adopting AI, upskilling in AI, and navigating increasing regulatory complexity. To stay relevant in the future, SaaS providers must leverage AI to both build great products and also a foundational method to how teams work — to deliver smarter, differentiated products and services. Additionally, Product leaders will need to revisit their organizational structures, ensuring they have the right expertise — individuals who understand how to use and apply AI — to meet the demands of this evolving landscape. At the same time, organizations must be aware of the changing risk and regulatory landscape. Evolving compliance and cloud regulations will demand a proactive approach to managing risks, including areas of data security, AI regulation and intellectual property concerns. Ultimately, success in 2025 and beyond will hinge on the ability to align technology and people investments with shifting market realities, all while maintaining a proactive approach toward the risk landscape.??

Adapting to the future of cybersecurity: Layered attacks and changing perceptions of data security – Doug Kersten , CISO

?Layered attacks will force a re-evaluation of security strategies

In 2025, we’ll see cyberattacks become even more sophisticated, with layered attacks targeting multiple vulnerabilities simultaneously, rather than focusing on a single point of failure. For example, attackers might infiltrate a supplier’s system, deploy ransomware, and exfiltrate data — all while planting backdoors for future access. This evolving threat landscape will pose a significant challenge for organizations that rely too heavily on one layer of defense while neglecting others. Companies and individuals will need to re-evaluate their security measures, ensuring that each layer of defense — whether it’s network security, application security, or endpoint protection — is effective. Those relying on just one layer will need to make adjustments quickly to avoid falling victim to an attack that could permanently affect an organization’s technical resilience.

The perception of personal data will fundamentally change?

With major incidents like the National Public Data breach — which compromised billions of individuals’ sensitive information — becoming more common, it’s no longer reasonable to assume that your personal data is not compromised. Moving forward, individuals and organizations will need to operate with the expectation that personal data is already compromised by others. The focus will shift from solely preventing breaches to limiting attackers' movement within networks to prevent additional data loss, and even though the data maintained may have been compromised elsewhere, organizations will need to make sure the data they are responsible for is not compromised as well. This approach will involve organizations requiring employees to lock down sensitive accounts, applying layered security controls and closely monitoring access to prevent unauthorized lateral movement to protect their most critical data.

Now that you’ve heard from our team, what do you see on the horizon in the new year? What predictions would you add? Share them with us in the comments!