The year 2024 has proven to be a pivotal juncture in the world of technology. From generative AI to quantum advancements, we witnessed breakthroughs that were once dismissed as science fiction. In this rapidly changing landscape, companies of all sizes are striving to stay ahead, investing in research, developing new products, and reimagining how technology can shape a more efficient, inclusive future.
In this special year-end feature, we’ve compiled expert opinions from the leaders who are at the forefront of innovation—visionaries steering the tech industry’s biggest names. Their insights reflect a compelling mix of caution and optimism, acknowledging both the steep challenges and the boundless opportunities that define emerging technology.
1.

Peter Marelas, Field Chief Technology Officer, APJ New Relic:
“Observability stands to gain immensely from AI-driven automation. Currently, identifying and resolving issues within complex systems relies heavily on skilled humans to analyse patterns and isolate root causes—a time-consuming process with combinatorial levels of complexity. With AI, observability can shift toward intelligent automation, where AI systems explore the space of hypothetical outcomes, using historical data and prior experiences to guide problem-solving, and eventually take corrective actions independently to mitigate and resolve them.
This will streamline incident response, reducing reliance on human intuition and enable faster response and resolution. As this transition unfolds, new roles will emerge that provide oversight and optimise AI-driven automation to strengthen and improve its utility.”
2.

Liat Hayun, VP of product and research, Tenable Cloud Security:
“As breaches become more frequent, post-breach costs will rise, pushing businesses to think critically about what data has been compromised and rethink their recovery strategies. The average cost of a data breach rose to almost $5 million in 2024 – a 10% increase YoY – but the true damage lies in downtime, reputational damages and regulatory fines, particularly in cloud-heavy industries.
In 2025, businesses will pivot toward more robust post-breach playbooks, focusing on rapid incident response, data visibility, better containment protocols, and enhanced forensic capabilities to minimise fallout. This shift signals a broader evolution in cybersecurity, with organisations embracing a more balanced approach that prioritises both breach prevention and effective recovery.”
3.

Raj K Gopalakrishnan, CEO & Co-Founder, KOGO.ai:
“2025 will mark a transformative year for AI, with BFSI, defence, and healthcare leading the charge in AI adoption. These industries will prioritise scalable, secure, and outcome-driven solutions. On-prem deployments will take centre stage, especially in regulated environments where data sovereignty and compliance are critical.
In BFSI, AI will be indispensable for fraud detection, risk management, and personalised customer experiences, all while meeting stringent regulatory requirements. Defence and government services will leverage AI for threat detection, surveillance, and operational automation, emphasising secure, sovereign solutions. In healthcare, AI will play a pivotal role in diagnostics, patient monitoring, and streamlining operations, ensuring sensitive patient data remains protected.”
4.

Sandeep Agarwal, MD & Global CTO, Visionet Systems:
“As we wrap up 2024, AI has rapidly moved from promise to reality, with scaled deployments bringing significant impact across industries and specific use cases in healthcare, manufacturing, and finance. However, it brings with it the responsibility for ethical deployment of AI and governance within the boardroom discussions, while the governments of different nations are at work with their new policies for equitable adoption.
This year, cybersecurity also caught the limelight, with 68% of organizations giving more priority to the safety of AI. As we step into 2025, we hope to team up with organizations all over the world to realize the full potential of artificial intelligence and to contribute to a better tomorrow for all.”
5.

Sandeep Bhambure, Vice President and Managing Director, India & SAARC, Veeam Software:
“Evolving regulatory requirements in India like Digital Personal Data Protection Act and geopolitical pressures will force enterprises to re-think where their cloud data really ‘sits’. Expect an increased focus on data residency, ensuring data stays within specific national or regional borders. As part of this shift, we’ll see more demand for sovereign clouds – localized cloud environments that keep data within specific jurisdictions to support compliance and mitigate risk.
This, in turn, will highlight the need for data portability across hybrid environments. Enterprises might find out too late in the game that moving data between clouds isn’t easy. They’ll also need to consider ‘related’ data like backups or Large Language Model (LLM) training data, where those are being kept, and what risk is present.”
6.

Gretchen Tinnerman, Vice President and Leader, Kyndryl U.S. Telecommunications – Media & Entertainment, and Technology (TMT):
“In 2025, telecommunications companies will deepen partnerships with enterprises already advancing the field of artificial intelligence, including Generative-AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) and some Machine Learning based on graphic processing units (GPUs). It’s a match that makes sense, as telecommunications firms bring to the table a deep understanding of the network infrastructure that’s critical for integrating advanced technologies into existing systems. Consider the role of GPUs in enhancing data processing at the edge. By integrating GPUs, telecommunications firms stand to offer faster, more reliable services, including ultra-low latency streaming and real-time analytics.”