Veeam Software’s Vision for Technology in 2025

Veeam’s senior global and regional executives have shared their insights into the top technology trends expected to dominate the Data Resilience landscape in 2025. These perspectives cover a broad range of critical developments, from regulatory pressures and ransomware evolution to cloud architecture and resilience strategies, all pointing to the growing complexity of managing data in an increasingly interconnected world.

One of the key focal points in 2025 will be the implications of the NIS2 directive, which aims to strengthen cybersecurity across the EU’s critical national infrastructure. While regulators are providing organizations with time to achieve compliance—some even extending their deadlines—the first significant penalties for noncompliance are expected by the end of 2025. Drawing parallels with the early enforcement of GDPR, it’s anticipated that regulators will seek to make an example of noncompliant organizations, sending a clear message about the importance of resilience in critical sectors. As geopolitical tensions persist, the EU will likely prioritize showcasing its commitment to cybersecurity by enforcing the NIS2 regulations with vigor.

The threat landscape will continue to evolve, with ransomware taking on new and more insidious forms. Ransomware-as-a-Distraction is predicted to rise, with attackers using encryption to divert attention while carrying out more sophisticated operations, such as compromising data integrity or stealing sensitive information. A worrying trend is the increasing likelihood of attackers bypassing encryption altogether, opting instead for direct data exfiltration followed by ransom demands. Even more concerning are potential attacks aimed at corrupting healthy datasets, rendering them unusable and creating catastrophic consequences for data-driven organizations. To combat these threats, multi-layered detection systems and robust data resilience strategies will be critical.

The growing demand for advanced data management and analytics capabilities will spur the rise of the Cloud Data Lakehouse in 2025. This architecture combines the scalability of data lakes with the structured management of data warehouses, offering a unified platform for storing, managing, and analyzing vast datasets. Key drivers behind this trend include the need to remain cost-efficient and scalable while preparing for AI and machine learning applications and adhering to stricter data regulations. Enterprises aiming to become more data-centric will increasingly adopt the Data Lakehouse model as a foundation for their digital transformation.

As organizations shift their focus from cybersecurity to broader cyber resilience, the concept of “Resilience Drills” will gain significant traction. Similar to fire drills, these exercises will simulate ransomware attacks and other cyber threats, testing an organization’s ability to respond and recover effectively. Resilience drills will not only involve IT teams but also executive leadership, ensuring that recovery strategies are cohesive, agile, and well-practiced. As cyber threats grow in sophistication, these drills will become a cornerstone of proactive resilience planning.

Geopolitical pressures and evolving regulations will also drive a renewed focus on data sovereignty and portability. Enterprises will face increasing scrutiny over where their data resides, leading to greater demand for sovereign clouds—localized cloud environments designed to ensure data remains within specific jurisdictions. This shift will highlight the complexities of data portability across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Organizations will need to address challenges related to moving data securely and sustainably while accounting for related datasets like backups or training data for AI models. Achieving compliance and minimizing risks in this context will require thoughtful, integrated strategies that balance flexibility with regulatory obligations.

Overall, the trends forecasted for 2025 reflect a rapidly changing digital landscape where resilience, adaptability, and compliance will be paramount. Organizations will need to adopt forward-thinking strategies, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and practices to navigate the complex challenges of data resilience and cybersecurity in the years ahead.