2025 is already shaping up to be a battleground for cybersecurity. With global cybercrime costs projected to reach USD 10.5T, by year’s end, the stakes have never been higher. Cybercriminals are getting smarter, using AI-driven tactics and large-scale exploits to target critical sectors. From government breaches to hospital data leaks and a surge in phishing scams, recent attacks highlight the growing financial and operational toll of cyber threats.
As cyber threats intensify, the demand for stronger defences, top-tier cybersecurity talent, and global collaboration has never been more urgent.
Here’s a look at the recent cyber developments that are shaping 2025.
Click here to download “Cyber Lessons from the Frontlines” as a PDF.
Major Security Breaches: A Costly Wake-Up Call
Cyberattacks are becoming more targeted, disruptive, and costly – impacting governments and organisations worldwide.
In Singapore, mobile wallet fraud is surging, with phishing tactics causing USD 8.9K in losses – 80% linked to Apple Pay. In the UK, security flaws in government IT systems have exposed sensitive data and infrastructure. South Africa’s government-run weather service (SAWS) was also forced offline, disrupting a critical resource for airlines, farmers, and emergency responders. Across the Atlantic, a data breach at a Georgia hospital compromised 120,000 patient records, while BayMark Health Services, the largest addiction treatment provider in the US, alerted patients to a similar breach.
What steps are governments, tech providers, and enterprises taking to protect themselves, critical infrastructure, and individuals?
Protecting Critical Infrastructure: The Digital Backbone
As global connectivity expands, securing critical infrastructure is paramount to sustaining growth, stability, and public trust.
Undersea cables, which carry much of the world’s internet traffic, are a major focus. While tech giants like Amazon, Meta, and Google are expanding these networks to boost global data speed and reliability, the need for protection is just as urgent – prompting the EU to invest nearly a billion dollars in securing them against emerging threats.
Governments and tech providers alike are stepping up. The European Commission has introduced a cybersecurity blueprint to strengthen crisis coordination, rapid response, and information sharing. Meanwhile, Microsoft is investing USD 700M in Poland’s cloud and AI infrastructure, working with the Polish National Defense to enhance cybersecurity through AI-driven strategies.
Quantifying Cyber Risk: Standardised Threat Assessment
As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, so must our ability to detect, measure, and respond to them.
A major shift in cybersecurity is underway – one that prioritises standardised threat assessment and coordinated defense.
The UK is leading the charge with a new cyber monitoring centre that will introduce a “Richter Scale” for cyberattacks, ranking threats much like earthquake magnitudes. Emerging countries are also joining in; Vietnam is strengthening its cyber defences with a new intelligence-sharing platform designed to improve coordination between the government and private sector.
By quantifying cyber risks and enhancing intelligence-sharing, these efforts are shaping global cybersecurity norms, improving response times, and building a more resilient digital ecosystem.
Beyond Defence: Proactive Measures to Combat AI-Driven Cybercrime
Cyber threats evolve faster than defences can keep up – a single click on a malicious email can lead to a breach in just 72 minutes.
With AI making cyberattacks more sophisticated, governments are taking an active role in cyber law enforcement.
Indonesia set up a cyber patrol to monitor and regulate harmful online content while also working to create a safer digital space for children. Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos are cooperating to curb cross-border scams through intelligence sharing and joint enforcement efforts.
Building Trust Online: Digital Identity Solutions
Governments are moving beyond enforcement to strengthen security with digital identity frameworks.
The EU is leading this shift with large-scale pilots for digital identity wallets, designed to offer citizens a secure, seamless way to verify credentials for services, transactions, and age-restricted content. By 2026, each EU member state will issue its own wallet, built on unified technical standards to ensure cross-border interoperability and stronger cybersecurity.
Digital identity wallets mark a major shift in data security, giving citizens greater control over their information while strengthening online trust. By securing identity verification, governments are reducing fraud and identity theft, creating a safer digital landscape.
Closing the Gap: Global Cyber Education Push
Cybersecurity education is no longer just for IT teams – it’s essential at every level, from executives to employees, to build long-term resilience.
Again, governments and tech giants alike are stepping up to bridge the skills gap and enhance cyber awareness.
Singapore is leading by example with a cyber-resilience training program for board directors, ensuring corporate leaders understand cyber risk management. AWS is investing USD 6.35M to support cybersecurity education in the UK, and Microsoft is expanding its global training efforts. The company has partnered with Kazakhstan to strengthen public sector cybersecurity and has committed to training one million South Africans in AI and cybersecurity by 2026.
The Path Forward: A Collective Responsibility
The cybersecurity landscape underscores a crucial truth: resilience can’t be built in isolation. Governments, businesses, and individuals must move past reactive measures and adopt a collective, intelligence-driven approach. As threats grow more sophisticated, so must our commitment to collaboration, vigilance, and proactive defence.
In an increasingly interconnected world, securing the digital landscape is not just necessary – it’s a shared responsibility.
India’s digital economy is on a meteoric rise, expected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2025. This surge in digital activity is fuelling the rapid expansion of its data centre market, positioning the country as a global player. With a projected market value of USD 4.5 billion by 2025, India’s data centre industry is set to surpass traditional regional hubs like Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
This growth is driven by factors such as the proliferation of smartphones, internet connectivity, and digital services, generating massive amounts of data that need storage and processing. Government initiatives like Digital India and the National e-Governance Plan have promoted digitalisation, while favourable market conditions, including cost-effective infrastructure, skilled talent, and a large domestic market, make India an attractive destination for data centre investments.
As companies continue to invest, India is solidifying its role as a critical hub for Asia’s digital revolution, driving economic development and creating new opportunities for innovation and job creation.
What is Fuelling India’s Data Centre Growth?
India’s data centre industry is experiencing rapid growth in 2024, driven by a combination of strategic advantages and increasing demand. The country’s abundance of land and skilled workforce are key factors contributing to this boom.
- Digitisation push. The digital revolution is fueling the need for more sophisticated data centre infrastructure. The rise of social media, online gaming, and streaming apps has created a surge in demand for faster networks, better data storage options, and increased data centre services.
- Internet and mobile penetration. With 1.1 billion mobile phone subscribers, Indians use an average of 8.3 GB of data per month. As more people come online, businesses need to expand their data infrastructure to handle increased traffic, enhance service delivery, and support a growing digital economy.
- Increasing tech adoption. India’s AI market is projected to reach around USD 17 billion by 2027. As businesses integrate AI, IoT, cloud, and other technologies, data centres will become instrumental in supporting the vast computational and storage requirements.
- Government & regulatory measures. Apart from India being one of the world’s largest data consumption economies, government initiatives have also accelerated the ‘data based’ environment in the country. Additionally, states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu have implemented favourable real estate policies that reduce the costs of setting up data centres.
A Growing Network of Hubs
India’s data centre landscape is rapidly evolving, with major cities and emerging hotspots vying for a piece of the pie.
Mumbai-Navi Mumbai remains the undisputed leader, boasting a combined 39 data centres. Its strategic location with excellent submarine cable connectivity to Europe and Southeast Asia makes it a prime destination for global and domestic players.
Bangalore, India’s IT capital, is not far behind with 29 data centres. The city’s thriving tech ecosystem and skilled talent pool make it an attractive option for businesses looking to set up data centres.
Chennai, located on the east coast, has emerged as a crucial hub with 17 data centres. Its proximity to Southeast Asia and growing digital economy make it a strategic location. The Delhi-NCR region also plays a significant role, with 27 data centres serving the capital and surrounding areas.
Smaller cities like Pune, Jaipur, and Patna are rapidly emerging as data centre hotspots. As businesses seek to serve a growing but distributed user base across India, these cities offer more cost-effective options. Additionally, the rise of edge data centres in these smaller cities is further decentralising the data centre landscape.
A Competitive Market
India ranks 13th globally in the number of operational data centres, with 138 facilities in operation and an additional 45 expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Key initiatives include:
- AWS. AWS is investing USD 12.7 billion to establish four new data centres over the next two years.
- Meta. Meta is set to build a small data centre, potentially focused on cache with a 10-20 MW capacity.
- AdaniConnex. In partnership with EdgeConneX, AdaniConnex aims to develop a 1 GW network of hyperscale data centres over the next decade, all powered by 100% renewable energy.
- Google. Google is set to build an 80-storey data centre by 2025 and is in advanced talks to acquire a 22.5-acre land parcel for its first captive data centre.
- NTT. NTT is investing USD 241 million in a data campus, which will feature three data centres.
Data Centres: Driving Digital India’s Success
The Digital India initiative has transformed government services through improved online infrastructure and increased connectivity. Data centres play a pivotal role in supporting this vision by managing, storing, and processing the vast amounts of data that power essential services like Aadhaar and BharatNet.
Aadhaar, India’s biometric ID system, relies heavily on data centres to store and process biometric information, enabling seamless identification and authentication. BharatNet, the government’s ambitious project to connect rural areas with high-speed internet, also depends on data centres to provide the necessary infrastructure and support.
The impact of data centres on India’s digital transformation is far-reaching. Here are some key areas where data centres have made a significant contribution:
- Enabling Remote Work and Education. Data centres have been instrumental in supporting the surge in remote work and online learning during the pandemic. By providing the necessary infrastructure and connectivity, data centres have ensured business continuity and uninterrupted education.
- Fostering Start-Up Innovation. Data centres provide the essential infrastructure for start-ups to thrive. By offering reliable and scalable computing resources, data centres enable rapid growth and innovation, contributing to the expansion of India’s SaaS market.
- Supporting Government Services. Data centres underpin key government initiatives, including e-governance platforms and digital identity systems. They enhance the accessibility, transparency, and efficiency of government services, bridging the urban-rural divide and improving public service delivery.
Securing India’s Data Centre Future
Data centres are the backbone of India’s digital transformation, fuelling economic growth, government services, innovation, remote work, and technological progress. The Indian government’s ambitious plan to invest over USD 1 billion in hyperscale data centres over the next five years underscores the country’s commitment to building a robust digital infrastructure.
To secure the long-term success of India’s data centre industry, alignment with global standards and strategic investment are crucial. Prioritising reliability, efficiency, and sustainability will attract global providers and position India as a prime destination for digital infrastructure investments. Addressing challenges like legacy upgrades, modernisation, and cybersecurity risks will require collaboration across stakeholders, with government support and technological innovation playing key roles.
A unified effort from central and state governments is vital to enhance competitiveness. By fostering a favourable regulatory environment and offering incentives, the government can accelerate the development of world-class data centres. As India advances digitally, data centres will be instrumental in driving economic growth, improving quality of life, and solidifying India’s status as a global digital leader.
For many organisations migrating to cloud, the opportunity to run workloads from energy-efficient cloud data centres is a significant advantage. However, carbon emissions can vary from one country to another and if left unmonitored, will gradually increase over time as cloud use grows. This issue will become increasingly important as we move into the era of compute-intensive AI and the burden of cloud on natural resources will shift further into the spotlight.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that data centres are responsible for up to 1.5% of global electricity use and 1% of GHG emissions. Cloud providers have recognised this and are committed to change. Between 2025 and 2030, all hyperscalers – AWS, Azure, Google, and Oracle included – expect to power their global cloud operations entirely with renewable sources.
Chasing the Sun
Cloud providers are shifting their sights from simply matching electricity use with renewable power purchase agreements (PPA) to the more ambitious goal of operating 24/7 on carbon-free sources. A defining characteristic of renewables though is intermittency, with production levels fluctuating based on the availability of sunlight and wind. Leading cloud providers are using AI to dynamically distribute compute workloads throughout the day to regions with lower carbon intensity. Workloads that are processed with solar power during daylight can be shifted to nearby regions with abundant wind energy at night.
Addressing Water Scarcity
Many of the largest cloud data centres are situated in sunny locations to take advantage of solar power and proximity to population centres. Unfortunately, this often means that they are also in areas where water is scarce. While liquid-cooled facilities are energy efficient, local communities are concerned on the strain on water sources. Data centre operators are now committing to reduce consumption and restore water supplies. Simple measures, such as expanding humidity (below 20% RH) and temperature tolerances (above 30°C) in server rooms have helped companies like Meta to cut wastage. Similarly, Google has increased their reliance on non-potable sources, such as grey water and sea water.
From Waste to Worth
Data centre operators have identified innovative ways to reuse the excess heat generated by their computing equipment. Some have used it to heat adjacent swimming pools while others have warmed rooms that house vertical farms. Although these initiatives currently have little impact on the environmental impact of cloud, they suggest a future where waste is significantly reduced.
Greening the Grid
The giant facilities that cloud providers use to house their computing infrastructure are also set to change. Building materials and construction account for an astonishing 11% of global carbon emissions. The use of recycled materials in concrete and investing in greener methods of manufacturing steel are approaches the construction industry are attempting to lessen their impact. Smaller data centres have been 3D printed to accelerate construction and use recyclable printing concrete. While this approach may not be suitable for hyperscale facilities, it holds potential for smaller edge locations.
Rethinking Hardware Management
Cloud providers rely on their scale to provide fast, resilient, and cost-effective computing. In many cases, simply replacing malfunctioning or obsolete equipment would achieve these goals better than performing maintenance. However, the relentless growth of e-waste is putting pressure on cloud providers to participate in the circular economy. Microsoft, for example, has launched three Circular Centres to repurpose cloud equipment. During the pilot of their Amsterdam centre, it achieved 83% reuse and 17% recycling of critical parts. The lifecycle of equipment in the cloud is largely hidden but environmentally conscious users will start demanding greater transparency.
Recommendations
Organisations should be aware of their cloud-derived scope 3 emissions and consider broader environmental issues around water use and recycling. Here are the steps that can be taken immediately:
- Monitor GreenOps. Cloud providers are adding GreenOps tools, such as the AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool, to help organisations measure the environmental impact of their cloud operations. Understanding the relationship between cloud use and emissions is the first step towards sustainable cloud operations.
- Adopt Cloud FinOps for Quick ROI. Eliminating wasted cloud resources not only cuts costs but also reduces electricity-related emissions. Tools such as CloudVerse provide visibility into cloud spend, identifies unused instances, and helps to optimise cloud operations.
- Take a Holistic View. Cloud providers are being forced to improve transparency and reduce their environmental impact by their biggest customers. Getting educated on the actions that cloud partners are taking to minimise emissions, water use, and waste to landfill is crucial. In most cases, dedicated cloud providers should reduce waste rather than offset it.
- Enable Remote Workforce. Cloud-enabled security and networking solutions, such as SASE, allow employees to work securely from remote locations and reduce their transportation emissions. With a SASE deployed in the cloud, routine management tasks can be performed by IT remotely rather than at the branch, further reducing transportation emissions.
November has seen uncertainties in the technology market with news of layoffs and hiring freezes from big names in the industry – Meta, Amazon, Salesforce, and Apple to name a few. These have impacted thousands of people globally, leaving tech talent with one common question, ‘What next?’
While the current situation and economic trends may seem grim, it is not all bad news for tech workers. It is true that people strategies in the sector may be impacted, but there are still plenty of opportunities for tech experts in the industry.
Here is what Ecosystm Analysts say about what’s next for technology workers.
Today, we are seeing two quite conflicting signals in the market: Tech vendors are laying off staff; and IT teams in businesses are struggling to hire the people they need.
At Ecosystm, we still expect a healthy growth in tech spend in 2023 and 2024 regardless of economic conditions. Businesses will be increasing their spend on security and data governance to limit their exposure to cyber-attacks; they will spend on automation to help teams grow productivity with current or lower headcount; they will continue their cloud investments to simplify their technology architectures, increase resilience, and to drive business agility. Security, cloud, data management and analytics, automation, and digital developers will all continue to see employment opportunities.
If this is the case, then why are tech vendors laying off headcount?
The slowdown in the American economy is a big reason. Tech providers that are laying of staff are heavily exposed to the American market.
- Salesforce – 68% Americas
- Facebook – 44% North America
- Genesys – around 60% in North America
Much of the messaging that these providers are giving is it is not that business is performing poorly – it is that growth is slowing down from the fast pace that many were witnessing when digital strategies accelerated.
Some of these tech providers might also be using the opportunity to “trim the fat” from their business – using the opportunity to get rid of the 2-3% of staff or teams that are underperforming. Interestingly, many of the people that are being laid off are from in or around the sales organisation. In some cases, tech providers are trimming products or services from their business and associated product, marketing, and technical staff are also being laid off.
While the majority of the impact is being felt in North America, there are certainly some people being laid off in Asia Pacific too. Particularly in companies where the development is done in Asia (India, China, ASEAN, etc.), there will be some impact when products or services are discontinued.
While it is not all bad news for tech talent, there is undoubtedly some nervousness. So this is what you should think about:
Change your immediate priorities. Ecosystm research found that 40% of digital/IT talent were looking to change employers in 2023. Nearly 60% of them were also thinking of changes in terms of where they live and their career.
This may not be the right time to voluntarily change your job. Job profiles and industry requirements should guide your decision – by February 2023, a clearer image of the job market will emerge. Till then, upskill and get those certifications to stay relevant!
Be prepared for contract roles. With a huge pool of highly skilled technologists on the hunt for new opportunities, smaller technology providers and start-ups have a cause to celebrate. They have faced the challenge of getting the right talent largely because of their inability to match the remunerations offered by large tech firms.
These companies may still not be able to match the benefits offered by the large tech firms – but they provide opportunities to expand your portfolio, industry expertise, and experience in emerging technologies. This will see a change in job profiles. It is expected that more contractual roles will open up for the technology industry. You will have more opportunities to explore the option of working on short-term assignments and consulting projects – sometimes on multiple projects and with multiple clients at the same time.
Think about switching sides. The fact remains that digital and technology upgrades continue to be organisational priorities, across all industries. As organisations continue on their digital journeys, they have an immense potential to address their skills gap now with the availability of highly skilled talent. In a recently conducted Ecosystm roundtable, CIOs reported that new graduates have been demanding salaries as high as USD 200,000 per annum! Even banks and consultancies – typically the top paying businesses – have been finding it hard to afford these skills! These industries may well benefit from the layoffs.
If you look at technology job listings, we see no signs of the demand abating!
