Trends in infrastructure and operations: Gartner’s predictions for 2025

7 minutes reading
16/01/25

The year has kicked off with momentum, as organizations enter a strategic phase where various departments begin implementing the plans and budgets defined for the period. Specifically, in the information technology sector, staying ahead of trends in infrastructure and keeping track of market shifts is critical to ensuring your IT capabilities are prepared to meet a wide range of corporate demands.

This is precisely why paying attention to predictions shared by leading analysts and research institutions, such as Gartner, is essential. These forecasts provide invaluable insights that help IT leaders make well-informed strategic decisions to keep their organizations at the forefront of innovation.

However, before looking ahead, it’s important to understand what shaped the market during the last cycle. Broadly speaking, 2024 was a year of rapid technological evolution. Companies worldwide ramped up efforts to adapt their operations to meet the growing demands of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

In parallel, pursuing alternative energy solutions to power Data Centers — now increasingly critical to supporting these new technologies— gained traction. In this context, initiatives such as renewable energy self-production emerged as a significant trend, driven not only by concerns over potential energy crises but also by a growing commitment to sustainable practices.

Against this backdrop, Gartner’s predictions for 2025 act as an indispensable compass. These trends are set to not only optimize operations but also align IT objectives with broader business goals, ensuring that IT infrastructure continues to play a central role in modern organizations. Here’s what to expect:

#1. Revirtualization and devirtualization

One of the key infrastructure and operations (I&O) trends identified by Gartner for 2025 is the movement toward revirtualization and devirtualization. This shift is a response to changes in vendor-specific solution licensing, which have compelled IT teams to reassess their technological choices. As a result, many organizations are opting to migrate to public cloud platforms, explore distributed cloud options, or even revert to private cloud environments.

This trend extends beyond merely switching hypervisors. It encompasses the adoption of technologies like hyperconvergence, containerization, and even devirtualization—where abstraction layers are removed to simplify operations.

According to Gartner analysts, capitalizing on this trend requires IT leaders to conduct a thorough inventory of existing virtualization deployments and their interdependencies. This assessment will enable organizations to identify skill gaps within their I&O teams and plan targeted training initiatives to meet the demands of emerging technological architectures.

This strategic approach regarding trends in infrastructure offers more than just cost optimization—it also enhances operational flexibility and scalability. As companies aim to maximize the value of their infrastructures, revirtualization and devirtualization are solidifying their roles as essential strategies to keep pace with rapid shifts in the global market.

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#2. Security behaviour and culture programs

The growing sophistication and diversity of cyberattacks have necessitated a more holistic approach to enterprise security. Within this context, one of the most relevant Gartner’s predictions for 2025 is the implementation of Security Behavior and Culture Programs (SBCPs).

These programs go beyond technological solutions, focusing instead on fostering behavioural and cultural changes across the organization. The aim is to minimize security incidents caused by improper employee actions, such as using weak passwords, clicking on suspicious links, or failing to comply with internal policies.

SBCPs create an environment where employees are more likely to adopt and effectively use the security controls in place, reducing risks and optimizing resources dedicated to cybersecurity. According to Gartner, these programs enhance adherence to corporate security practices and positively impact organizational culture, aligning all company levels with security best practices.

For I&O leaders, this trend offers an opportunity to transform employees into allies in the fight against cyber threats, fostering a more resilient organization equipped to face future challenges.


READ ALSO: Data Center Security: integrating physical and cyber solutions extends network protection


#3. Cyberstorage

The exponential growth of data generated by companies has introduced the challenge of protecting it against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. In this context, increased investment in cyberstorage emerges as one of Gartner’s key predictions for 2025.

Cyberstorage leverages an innovative approach to data storage by fragmenting data into pieces distributed across multiple locations. These fragments are reassembled instantly when needed, making storage more secure and resilient against attacks such as ransomware. Furthermore, it can be implemented as a dedicated solution, a feature integrated into native data storage platforms, or a collection of independent products that enhance the cybersecurity capabilities of existing systems.

According to Gartner, adopting cyberstorage requires a thorough analysis of risks associated with data breaches or disruptions and the rising costs of regulatory compliance and insurance. For I&O leaders, this means building a strong business case to justify the investment, emphasizing benefits such as regulatory compliance, reduced security incident expenses, and improved operational resilience.

As data becomes organizations’ most valuable asset, cyberstorage stands out as an essential tool for ensuring its protection and availability in an increasingly complex technological landscape.

#4. Liquid cooling

The rising demand for advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning has significantly increased the need for computational capacity. This surge in the use of high-performance GPUs and CPUs has brought with it a key challenge: the efficient management of the heat generated by these components. In this context, liquid cooling for Data Centers emerges as one of Gartner’s main predictions for 2025.

This technology, which includes methods such as rear-door heat exchangers, immersion cooling, and direct-to-chip cooling, provides an efficient alternative to traditional air cooling. By bringing the cooling process closer to heat sources, liquid-cooled infrastructure meets the thermal requirements of next-generation chips and enables their deployment in edge computing environments, where space and resources are often constrained.

Although currently viewed as a niche solution, Gartner predicts that liquid cooling will see widespread adoption as new technological cycles demand higher computational density.

For I&O leaders, this trend represents an opportunity to implement technologies that optimize operational efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of Data Center operations, aligning with sustainability demands.


READ ALSO: High-efficiency cooling in Data Centers: maximizing energy efficiency


#5. Intelligent applications

The rise of generative artificial intelligence has unveiled the potential for applications to operate more intelligently and adaptively. As a result, Gartner has identified intelligent applications as one of the key infrastructure and operations (I&O) trends for 2025.

These applications are designed to adapt to the context and intent of their users, reducing digital friction and optimizing interactions between human operators and the system. For instance, by understanding user behaviour and integrating real-time data through connected APIs, intelligent applications can deliver highly personalized and efficient experiences. Additionally, they can autonomously perform certain functions, aligning with both system and user objectives.

For I&O leaders, intelligent applications offer the promise of reducing the need for manual interventions, streamlining processes, and freeing up valuable resources for more strategic initiatives. This trend also enhances companies’ ability to differentiate themselves in a competitive market by delivering experiences that meet the increasing expectations of customers and partners.

Adopting intelligent applications will be a critical differentiator for organizations aiming to maximize operational efficiency and turn technology interaction into a strategic asset.


READ ALSO: Talent shortage in Data Centers: how to overcome the lack of skilled professionals


#6. Optimized infrastructure

As the role of IT infrastructure becomes increasingly strategic, organizations are prioritizing solutions tailored to specific use cases. This growing adoption of what Gartner calls optimized infrastructure is one of the key predictions for 2025.

Optimized infrastructure involves aligning technology decisions directly with business objectives, employing an outcome-driven approach. This means that infrastructure choices must be accessible not only to technical teams but also to business leaders, such as unit executives and C-level stakeholders.

This alignment is supported by the implementation of platform engineering practices, which integrate operational and strategic needs into a unified framework.

According to Gartner, this trend will enable I&O teams to secure stronger support and approval from corporate leadership, leading to more efficient investments and improved long-term outcomes. For organizations, optimized infrastructure represents an opportunity to build highly functional, scalable, and above all, strategic technology environments essential for organizational success.

“These trends provide leaders with the opportunity to identify future skill needs and gain insights to meet implementation requirements,” explained Jeffrey Hewitt, Gartner Vice President Analyst. “They offer the necessary differentiation for companies to achieve optimal benefits from their Infrastructure and Operations operations in 2025,” he concluded.


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