Crystal Ball 2025: Need to streamline data management more extreme than ever

Streamlining data management will be a key priority as AI adoption accelerates in 2025. The volume and complexity of data also is growing exponentially along with this development.

As data management becomes more daunting for industrial companies, especially as they prioritize AI applications and digital transformation initiatives, we’ll see them turn to OT data fabrics to streamline thousands of IT and OT connections and make data more accessible and actionable throughout the business.

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OT data fabrics are capable of ingesting diverse data that connects people, machinery, plants, logistics, and IT systems across the enterprise, so data can more easily scale to unlock the potential of new business opportunities, like AI, well into the future.

Data management will become a competitive advantage in 2025

With the need for companies to be increasingly resilient and efficient amid economic uncertainties, data has emerged as a key tool to gain a competitive edge. When companies harness their data, they can find optimization opportunities they may not otherwise recognize and support a more agile and resilient organization.

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The importance of this became clear during COVID-19 supply chain challenges, and the supply chain challenges we often still see today following extreme weather events and geopolitical and U.S. uncertainty. In 2025, companies will prioritize data management tools that mitigate data complexity and siloes, instead making it easier to extract value from their data amid a changing global economic landscape.

Cybersecurity will be a top priority in data connectivity architecture

Connection points across IT and OT data are critical for industrial companies to be able to take advantage of new opportunities like AI and make data-driven decisions based on a holistic view of the business.

However, point-to-point connections, of which industrial companies typically have thousands, are often chaotic and complex, making them difficult to maintain and secure.

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As the cyberthreat landscape continues to expand, data connection points are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation from bad actors.

In 2025, engaging with technology providers that prioritize secure development principles and compliance with cybersecurity standards will be a top priority for industrial companies.

By facilitating fewer connection points between IT and OT data, OT data fabrics will also be favored for their more secure and efficient industrial data management capabilities.