Dr. Vineet Bansal, CIO, Surya Roshni Ltd.
Five Trends Shaping the Future
In 2025, enterprises are undergoing rapid transformation driven by five key technology trends. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is enabling smarter operations, optimizing everything from energy consumption to manufacturing processes. Edge computing is revolutionizing real-time decision-making, particularly in industrial settings where local data processing enhances speed and safety.
Cybersecurity has taken a proactive turn, with AI-powered defenses and Zero Trust models becoming standard in both IT and operational systems. Sustainability is also now a strategic advantage with organizations are leveraging digital twins, blockchain, and green IT solutions to meet their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets. At the same time, cloud-native and composable architectures are giving businesses the agility to innovate faster and scale globally. Last but not the least, CIOs have moved beyond infrastructure management to become growth enablers. They now guide digital culture, influence strategic decisions, and lead sustainability and innovation initiatives across the enterprise.
Security by Design and Shared Responsibility
Cybersecurity is now treated as a core business strategy. It is addressed at the executive level, woven into enterprise risk planning, and reinforced with continuous, role-specific employee training. Phishing simulations and cyber drills improve awareness and response capabilities.
Enterprises now embed security from the ground up—adopting a “secure by design” philosophy. AI and automation help detect threats and automate incident responses. In manufacturing, automation ensures system uptime through seamless patching and compliance. Zero Trust models are the norm, with strict identity and access controls, micro-segmentation, and continuous monitoring of users and vendors. This integrated approach ensures that cybersecurity is not just a technology function, but a shared responsibility embraced across the organization.
A New Era of Leadership Collaboration
In today’s enterprise, the roles of CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and DPOs are converging to build secure, innovative, and agile organizations. The CIO acts as a strategic business architect, aligning AI and tech with business goals. The CTO drives innovation and partners with R&D to develop future-ready offerings. The CISO is now a board-level risk advisor, leading business continuity and compliance efforts. Meanwhile, the DPO ensures data practices are lawful, ethical, and unbiased—particularly critical in AI and IoT applications.
While collaboration between these roles is vital, the DPO must remain independent to ensure regulatory compliance. Together, this leadership core balances innovation, security, and trust in a data-driven world.
