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2025 is likely to see the intensification of emerging business continuity (BC) trends in such areas as cybercrime, weather, geopolitical tensions, and the promise and perils of AI. However, it’s important to note that the fundamental components of a sound BC program will remain the same.
[Related on MHA Consulting: A BC Consultant’s View of the Risks of Generative AI]
The Enduring Value of Core BC Methodologies
At MHA Consulting, we have a built-in resistance to the idea of getting wrapped up in trends. Smart business continuity planning requires the implementation of a handful of basic concepts and strategies that have been very consistent over the years. These include such tried-and-true concepts as identifying and protecting your critical business processes, eliminating single points of failure, and focusing on impacts to operations rather than the causes of disruptions.
There’s a good reason the core concepts of BC have remained consistent over the years: they work. They have been proven effective in event after event. When they are disregarded, they are routinely proven by negative means: companies that ignore them regularly suffer severe impacts from the disruptions they experience.
Top BC Trends for 2025
As long as we keep the above points in mind, there is much to be gained from looking at current and emerging BC trends. Here are some of the trends we at MHA anticipate will shape events in 2025, along with notes on how organizations and BC practitioners might need to respond.
The hybrid and work from home models will cement their place in global business life
Organizations need to continue reworking their BC plans to adapt to the new reality. As office footprints shrink, companies will need to work out whether and where remote employees will go to work if a disruption prevents them from working at home.
Natural disasters will continue to grow more frequent and intense
Organizations in vulnerable areas need to prioritize assessing the hardness of their facilities. Also critical is ensuring a backup power supply with adequate fuel.
Cyberattacks will grow more pervasive and sophisticated
The days of the Nigerian prince emails will look increasingly quaint as criminal and state-sponsored cyberattacks make increasing use of bots and advanced social engineering techniques. Organizations should make every effort to find alternatives to vulnerable legacy software. They should also prioritize staff training and institute consequences for employees who repeatedly click on unsafe links.
AI will increasingly be a force for bad
Cybercriminals will make rising use of AI to copy people’s voices and craft phishing emails and deepfakes, increasing their ability to victimize people. Companies that use AI tools to process data will run the risk of that data’s escaping from their control. BC practitioners will need to keep abreast of these threats and educate their organizations about them.
AI will increasingly be a force for good
AI will help with many aspects of BC including devising BC exercises and providing easy access to the information in BC standards. For those who use them, AI-assisted IT disaster recovery tools will make disaster response faster and more effective. AI has the potential to help BC professionals keep pace in our rapidly evolving threat environment.
Societal unrest will intensify
Elections and political disputes will lead to increased social unrest. The potential impacts of such unrest can range from the inability of staff to reach a facility to a toll on workers’ mental health. BC practitioners should think carefully about these impacts and plan accordingly.
Geopolitical tensions will persist
The current high level of tensions between nations and their surrogates looks set to continue, whether in the form of trade wars, information wars, or more overt types of conflict. Such tensions can have negative impacts ranging from the disruption of supply chains to state-sponsored cyberattacks. Organizations should pay particular attention to the resilience of their international supply chains and those of their critical suppliers. Prudent companies will arrange for backup providers of critical resources that currently come from vulnerable areas.
The practice of BC will see increased use of program management software
The trend of companies moving from the use of Word and Excel to manage their BC programs to specialized BC software tools will continue as understanding of the capabilities of these tools becomes more widespread. Larger and more complex organizations that are still managing their programs manually might consider the benefits of using a platform such as BCMMetrics (created by MHA Consulting CEO Michael Herrera and used every day by MHA consultants).
By staying ahead of these trends, organizations and BC practitioners can better navigate the challenges of 2025, ensuring resilience in an increasingly dynamic and unpredictable environment.
Threats Evolve but the Key BC Concepts Don’t Change
If you’re keeping track, you will have noticed that most of the trends cited above describe evolving threats. Relatively few pertain to changes in how companies conduct business continuity. Those that do address the practice of BC are about achieving gains in efficiency rather than changes in fundamental concepts.
This brings us back to the point made in the beginning: Even in the face of the changes described above, the core concepts of BC methodology endure. Thoughtful BC practitioners would be well-advised to take note of important trends—but to dedicate the majority of their time and energy to ensuring that their plans and strategies are in accord with BC’s tried-and-true concepts and methodologies.
The Challenges and Opportunities of 2025
2025 promises to bring both challenges and opportunities for organizations and BC practitioners. From the rise of AI-driven threats to the persistent realities of natural disasters and geopolitical tensions, staying informed and adaptable will be key to maintaining resilience.
However, the most critical factor remains the consistent application of proven BC principles. By blending awareness of emerging trends with a steadfast commitment to these core methodologies, organizations can build a robust foundation to face the uncertainties of the future.
Further Reading
- Home to Stay? Adapting to the Next Permanent Workplace
- Home Alone: When Disasters Affect Staff Who Are Working Remotely
- Rumors of War: Protecting Yourself from State-Sponsored Cyberattacks
- Weathering the Storm: Achieving Resilience in an Age of Extreme Weather
- A Realist’s Guide to How AI Can Help with Business Continuity
- A BC Consultant’s View of the Risks of Generative AI
- You Have to Kick the Tires: Protecting Yourself Against Supply-Chain Catastrophes
Richard Long
Richard Long is one of MHA’s practice team leaders for Technology and Disaster Recovery related engagements. He has been responsible for the successful execution of MHA business continuity and disaster recovery engagements in industries such as Energy & Utilities, Government Services, Healthcare, Insurance, Risk Management, Travel & Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Education. Prior to joining MHA, Richard held Senior IT Director positions at PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) and Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT) and has been a senior leader across all disciplines of IT. He has successfully led international and domestic disaster recovery, technology assessment, crisis management and risk mitigation engagements.
