What drives the economy in 2025? AI, sustainability, efficiency improvement – what are the topics that will continue to make transformations in companies necessary in 2025? In our 5-part interview series, our experts from the fields of Transformation of Business, Digital, Sustainability, AI , and Work share their assessments.
"Currently, there are enormous opportunities, especially in terms of increasing efficiency and productivity to enhance competitiveness."
Sven Kreimendahl, Associate Partner & Senior Advisor Transformation of IT bei Campana & Schott
CS: Sven, in your more than 16 years at CS, you have witnessed numerous technological trends. Looking ahead to 2025, which technological developments do you believe will be the key drivers of digital transformation that companies should keep an eye on?
Sven Kreimendahl: In my opinion, the technological developments driving digital transformation in 2025 are clearly artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the cloud, as well as standardization and automation. These technologies play a central role in optimizing processes, developing new business models, and promoting sustainability.
CS: This sounds like there is a broad scope of action for companies, both on a technical, procedural, and organizational level. What challenges and opportunities do you see for organizations that want to implement their digital transformation strategies in 2025?
Sven Kreimendahl: Companies face the challenge of adapting more quickly to market changes. Integrating new innovations into existing ecosystems, addressing the skills shortage, and ensuring cybersecurity and data protection are just some of the key challenges. At the same time, there are opportunities, particularly in increasing efficiency and productivity to enhance competitiveness. In my view, two major success factors revolve around managing the increase in customer satisfaction through personalized services on one hand and the standardization of IT core services for cost optimization on the other, all of this in an agile manner.
CS: Earlier, you mentioned AI as one of the most influential technology drivers for 2025. This is hardly surprising, as nearly all our clients are currently exploring questions related to artificial intelligence. What role does AI play in digital transformation? And how can companies make the most of these technologies?
Sven Kreimendahl: The use of artificial intelligence can potentially address the skills shortage and increase the pace of change within companies during digital transformation. It is crucial to streamline core IT and primarily utilize cloud services before implementing AI services through IT. Standardization followed by automation will also contribute to cost efficiency. The future of IT needs to be reimagined, as business and IT will merge through the use of AI, with stable and secure cloud services forming the foundation.
Just as eventful as the end of 2024 was, 2025 has already started. Topics such as digitalization including AI, increasing sustainability or searching for efficiency improvement potentials on one hand but also crises, supply bottlenecks, and political uncertainties on the other hand continue to reflect the comprehensive transformations and disruptions that companies are currently operating within.
With government elections in the USA as well as those still pending here in Germany, the framework conditions for economic activities in Germany, the EU, and the world are being redefined. Resilience, agility, and innovation seem to remain core competencies that can secure companies' competitiveness.
We are interested in which challenges and trends will move companies this year. Read about it in our 5-part interview series with opinions from our experts from the fields of Transformation of Business, Digital, Sustainability, AI, and Work.
Next publication: Part 5 – Sustainable Transformation
For further reading:
Part 1 – Business Transformation
Part 2 – AI Transformation
Part 3 – Work Transformation
