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IT Trends You Need to Know (May 2025 Edition)

Total Communications
6 min read

Between buzzwords, big shifts, and real pressure to get IT decisions right, it’s easy to lose track of what actually matters. Here’s our take on five trends that business and IT leaders should keep their eyes on in 2025—plus one emerging technology that’s about to change everything.

1. AI That’s Actually Useful (and Secure)

AI can do a lot, but most organizations aren’t trying to build chatbots or overhaul operations—they just want tools that save time and reduce busywork.

Where we’re seeing traction:

  • Microsoft Copilot: Meeting recaps, email summaries, and drafting

  • Cisco AI: Real-time threat detection that speeds up response

  • Workflow Automation: Ticketing and notifications

AI doesn’t need to be disruptive. It just needs to be secure, well-implemented, and tied to business value.

2. Ransomware Planning - More Than Just Backups

Ransomware is still one of the biggest risks facing mid-sized businesses and the public sector—and yet, many backup plans are never tested until it’s too late.

What your plan should include:

  • Immutable backups stored in a secure location

  • Clear, tested recovery protocols for apps, data, and devices

  • Cyber insurance compliance (including proof of controls)

  • Real-time monitoring of endpoints and networks

If your recovery plan is a Word doc no one’s looked at in months, it’s time to rethink it.

3. Cloud Optimization Over Cloud Expansion

Almost every organization has “moved to the cloud” in some way. But now the focus is shifting to doing it smarter—cutting waste, increasing uptime, and tightening cost controls.

Where clients are zeroing in:

  • Rightsizing resources for performance vs. cost

  • AI-assisted monitoring and scaling

  • Managing hybrid infrastructure across multiple providers

  • Getting a handle on total cloud spend with FinOps strategies

The question isn’t “Should we move to cloud?” It’s “Are we managing what we’ve already moved?”

4. Security for a Perimeterless World

Your employees work from everywhere. Your apps live in multiple places. Your data is moving constantly. That’s why security can’t stop at the firewall anymore.

What’s working in 2025:

  • Zero Trust strategies (trust nothing, verify everything)

  • Endpoint protection that follows your people

  • Real-time threat detection and response

  • Alignment with CISA/NIST for public sector compliance

Security isn’t a tool—it’s a framework. And it needs to adapt with your business.

5. Right-Sizing IT Teams with Strategic Support

With pressure to deliver more and hiring harder than ever, blending in-house teams with outside experts is becoming the new norm.

Where co-managed IT fits:

  • 24/7 support to backstop internal staff

  • Specialized support for security, M365, or infrastructure projects

  • Offloading reactive tasks so internal teams can focus on strategy

  • Better SLAs without adding headcount

It’s not “outsourcing.” It’s building the right bench.

...And What’s Next? Agentic AI

Agentic AI goes beyond tools that assist humans—it’s about AI systems that can act independently, making decisions and initiating actions on their own.

Think less chatbot, more digital employee.

Why it matters:

  • Gartner named Agentic AI a top strategic trend for 2025

  • Companies like Salesforce are already testing it to handle routine service workflows

  • It will challenge how we think about software licensing, staffing, and automation

We’re not there yet—but it’s coming fast. And knowing how to prepare today can give your business an edge when it hits.

 

Want help making sense of what’s real and what’s noise?

That’s where we come in. Total works with organizations across the Northeast to help you prioritize what matters—whether it’s securing your data, modernizing infrastructure, or mapping out what’s next.

Let’s talk strategy.