A heads up for 2025: 10 data management trends to keep your eye on
Welcome to 2025. So, what are the emerging data management trends that will frame up the future? Yours, and ours.
We’ve all become ever more reliant on data for decision-making, strategic planning and operational efficiency. These are some of the trends that will change and improve how we manage information in our businesses.
1. Data fabric architecture is (still) hot to trot
The concept of data fabric was first floated in the early 2010s (and Forrester made the term official in 2013), but it didn’t gain real traction until around 2018.
This year (and beyond), it’s expected that data fabric architectures will continue to rise in popularity. In its Top Trends in Data & Analytics (D&A) through 2030, Gartner predicts that by 2027, “30% of enterprises will use data ecosystems enhanced with elements of data fabric supporting composable application architecture to achieve a significant competitive advantage.”
Data fabric is a completely new approach to data management. It integrates disparate data sources across on-premises and cloud environments into a single cohesive framework.
What will adopting a data fabric architecture mean for you? With a unified view of your data, you can streamline how you access, manage, and analyse it. Both data governance and decision-making will be easier as your stakeholders can easily get their hands on real-time data. As you expand – and your data siloes do likewise – data fabric will make sure you can maintain transparency of all of your organisational data.
2. Cloud data management is here to stay?
First up, we need to say that, in all honesty, the shift towards any cloud-based solution can no longer be called a trend. It’s a fundamental, done-and-dusted change in how today’s businesses approach data storage and management.
We all know that businesses have moved away in droves from traditional on-premises solutions in favour of scalable, flexible cloud environments. (As of 2021, O’Reilly Media reported that cloud adoption by businesses, from SMEs to mega-enterprises, was already over 90%.)
So, when it comes to cloud data management solutions, what’s in it for you? Try the big three: accessibility, collaboration, and cost-efficiency. You’ll be able to leverage the best features of multiple cloud services, support data redundancy and disaster recovery, and also tick all the boxes for scalability, flexibility, and cost savings. Best of all, you can choose the best services for your needs – while avoiding vendor lock-in. Not to forget, you’ll be able to support dynamic workloads and drive innovation.
3. Data governance and compliance will just get tougher
As data privacy regulations tighten even further, effective data governance is flagged as a critical priority for organisations around the world.
To comply with regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA, the pressure will be on to implement robust governance frameworks. This includes defining clear policies for how you access, use, and protect your data while also maintaining transparency with your stakeholders regarding your data practices.
What does this mean for you? You’ll need to invest in tools and technologies that will automate your compliance reporting and track the lineage of your data. The role of Data Stewardship will become more prominent, so it’s likely you’ll need to designate responsibility to someone in the business for overseeing data quality and compliance.
It’s also worth noting the larger governance picture: Gartner says that “current data governance practices are often too rigid and insensitive to the business context. By 2027, for example, 60% of organizations will fail to realise the anticipated value of their AI use cases due to incohesive data governance frameworks.”.
4. Real-time data processing for real-time decisions
The rise in demand for real-time data processing is another trend to watch for as businesses increasingly seek to make on-the-spot decisions.
In The Wall Street Journal’s article ‘In an On-Demand World, Real-Time Data Is ‘Becoming an Expectation’, AWS’s VP of Messaging and Streaming, says, “Anything outside of using real-time data can frustrate end consumers and feel unnatural. Having real-time data always available is becoming an expectation for customers. It’s the world we’re living in.”
As for your business? Be on the lookout for technologies such as stream processing and event-driven architecture. These will allow you to analyse data as it arrives so you can respond quickly to changing market conditions and consumer behaviour. Another bonus is that real-time analytics can improve the customer experience. You can delight them by acting and reacting more quickly and making personalised recommendations to ramp up both engagement and loyalty.
Are you in the finance, healthcare, or e-commerce industry? Then, you’ll find real-time analytics particularly beneficial for fraud detection and patient monitoring.
5. Decentralised data management makes its move
With the rise of blockchain technology, decentralised data management is gaining momentum. This approach enhances data security and integrity by allowing multiple parties in your organisation to access and verify data – without relying on a central authority.
So, how is this helpful? If you’re in an industry where consumers turn to you for trust and transparency (think finance, healthcare, and supply chain management), then decentralisation is particularly beneficial. It also helps you reduce the risk of data breaches and ensure that your private information remains…private.
6. Emerging data privacy and security enhancements
So, how is this helpful? If you’re in an industry where consumers turn to you for trust and transparency (think finance, healthcare, and supply chain management), then decentralisation is particularly beneficial. It also helps you reduce the risk of data breaches and ensure that your private information remains…private.
7. Data is no longer a byproduct but a standalone product
The view of data is changing from a byproduct of a business’s operations to a product in its own right – or, in techspeak, Data as a Product (DaaP).
How will DaaP impact you? The DaaP approach encourages you and your team to treat your data with the same care and strategy as your most valued (and valuable) products and services. By focusing on the quality, usability, and customer value of your data, you can create new revenue streams and, again, enhance the customer experience. A DaaP approach also fosters accountability and ownership within your teams as the value of the business’s data is in their hands.
8. Sustainability in data management will become a thing
As awareness of environmental issues rises, many organisations are being pushed to how sustainable their data management practices are. Considerations that come into play include optimising data storage to reduce energy consumption and prioritising eco-conscious operations by adopting cloud solutions.
How can you do your bit? Talk to your data centre about how they manage energy consumption, utilise renewable energy sources, and apply practices that reduce the carbon footprint of data storage and processing. (Any data centre worth its salt will have this information at their fingertips). Also, consider the lifecycle of your data – from creation to disposal. Does it align with your sustainability goals?
9. Data democratisation, self-service data platforms, and data literacy programmes
As we all increasingly focus on the trend of making data accessible to all employees (regardless of their technical expertise), there will also be more demand for user-friendly analytics platforms and self-service tools. Obviously, training programs will be essential to allow your employees to make confident data-driven decisions.
What will this mean for you? If you aim to foster self-sufficiency in a data-driven culture, then you need to plan to investigate self-service platforms that allow your non-technical users to access, analyse, and visualise data. All without turning to an already under-the-pump IT department for support. And back it up with data literacy programs so your employees can read, understand, and communicate data effectively.
10. AI and Machine Learning integration
No list of trends is complete without a very large nod to Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). And yes, it’s a pretty fair bet that every trends list for this year will include both – and with good reason.
In the context of what this will mean for you, AI and ML are transforming data management practices by eliminating time-consuming processes involved in data classification, cleaning, linking, and analysis and replacing them with automation. If your team never again have to analyse a large dataset, they’ll thank you for it.
You can also look forward to using AI to forecast market trends and customer behaviour with uncanny precision – so, in turn, your marketing team can use their talents to develop more targeted and effective marketing strategies.
And with AI, you can finally convert those large volumes of data that have been left to languish into actionable insights and drive predictive analytics. For example, AI algorithms can identify patterns in vast datasets, so you can anticipate trends and make those data-driven decisions pronto. AI can also personalise data experiences for your users so they can find what they need more easily – and reduce errors.
Overall? What does this all mean?
So, given these trends, what will 2025 look like? The data management landscape this year will be typified by a blend of technological advancements, regulatory compliance, and a strong emphasis on security and sustainability. In many ways – no big surprises.
Those organisations (and we sincerely trust you will be one of them) that proactively adapt to these trends will be in a much better position to turn their data into a strategic asset to fuel growth and innovation.
