WSO2 pitches its predictions for the coming year.
Asanka Abeysinghe, CTO, WSO2
This year, platform engineering made significant strides, with organisations trying to build more scalable and efficient systems. Kubernetes continued its rapid adoption as the standard for container orchestration, simplifying deployments across various environments.
Large language models (LLMs) became a major trend, with many companies eager to integrate them into every aspect of their operations, sometimes stretching their practical applications.
In 2025, businesses will focus more on value creation by building strong business capabilities and continuing their digital modernisation. Core technologies like API management, integration, and identity and access management will be widely adopted to enhance operations and security. Companies will also prioritise improving developer productivity through internal developer platforms (IDPs) and leveraging SaaS commodity services while striving to create unique differentiators.
Additionally, agentic AI powered by small language models (SLMs) will drive the development of more autonomous systems, with AI strategies increasingly led by Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) to align with business goals. Hybrid cloud strategies will advance through cloud repatriation and greater Kubernetes adoption, providing enhanced flexibility.
Furthermore, advancements in post-quantum computing will begin to address complex computational challenges, ensuring stronger security and performance as quantum technologies evolve.
Christopher Davey, Vice President & General Manager – API Management, WSO2
Technology Area: API management
The growing integration of third-party services and data through APIs, alongside the shift to multi-cloud, hybrid, and cloud-native container-based deployments, is reshaping the API management landscape. These trends drive the need for centralised management across varied gateways and vendors, as well as advanced integration capabilities and enhanced security measures. Additionally, the increasing number of APIs and the expanded use of external cloud services and data, such as AI, are prompting organisations to adopt more comprehensive and specialised API governance across design, security, and runtime.
This expanding complexity amplifies risks related to security, compliance, data governance and cost, requiring greater visibility and control throughout the API lifecycle. As API management evolves, it must ensure stability, flexibility, and full integration with core capabilities, such as integration, identity, and access management, which are essential for secure and compliant integration of diverse services. In 2025, these trends will continue, with an increasing focus on emerging technologies like quantum computing and the associated benefits and risks. API platforms will need to keep pace, delivering native support for evolving standards and scalability to meet the demands of highly automated, cloud-native environments.
Geethika Cooray – Vice President and General Manager IAM Business Unit, WSO2
Technology Area: IAM/CIAM
In 2024, we witnessed IAM solutions maturing in areas of access control, transforming into enablers of exceptional digital experiences. The rapid adoption of passwordless authentication, decentralised identity, and AI-driven capabilities has redefined how organisations safeguard both security and user convenience.
Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate further innovation as digital ecosystems expand. The convergence of identity and customer experience will push enterprises to embrace Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) platforms that deliver seamless, secure journeys, converging areas such as access management, identity verification and customer data platforms.
Regulatory shifts will also drive organisations to adopt privacy-first IAM frameworks, aligning with growing consumer demands for transparency and control. In this landscape, IAM will no longer be a backend process—it will be a strategic advantage, directly influencing brand trust and loyalty.
Mifan Careem – Senior Vice President & Chief Solutions Officer, WSO2
Technology Area: Healthcare
Healthcare took centre stage from 2020 – 2023 in response to the global pandemic. Interoperability, data access, virtual visits and telemedicine became essential, life-saving technologies, demonstrating the powerful impact of of tech and software in healthcare and wellbeing.
Our prediction is that 2025 and beyond will shift focus towards customer (patient/member) experience, developer productivity, and competing in the digital age. This also indicates many organisations moving from pure tech enabled companies to tech companies. We also envision a multitude of startups trying to solve hard healthcare problems using software and tech.
Customer experience involves providing seamless access to one’s data across networks via interoperability and providing a frictionless IAM experience via cross network CIAM. Enhancing developer productivity and launching better digital products will rely on the use of more powerful underlying technology, robust software frameworks, GenAI, and internal developer platforms.
Kanchana Wickremasinghe – Vice President & General Manager Choreo Business Unit, WSO2
Technology Area: Internal Developer Platform
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a crucial role in internal developer platforms (IDPs), enabling the automation of routine tasks, predicting developer behaviour, and providing personalised recommendations.
IDPs will prioritise developer experience, providing features like personalised onboarding, tailored workflows, and real-time feedback. This will lead to improved developer satisfaction, reduced turnover, and increased productivity.
Selvaratnam Uthaiyashankar – Senior Vice President & General Manager – Integration, WSO2
Technology Area: Integration
2024 saw integration vendors incorporate more GenAI capabilities into their products to improve ease of use and enhance the overall development experience, which we expect to continue into 2025 and beyond.
More vendors will add AI-powered features such as natural language-based code generation, test case generation, automatic documentation creation, and support to build GenAI apps. With advancements in GenAI, people will be able to implement exciting new scenarios in integration-focused use cases, such as intelligent document processing, and intelligent process automation.
In addition to the AI-related trends, we see growing momentum of event-driven architecture, which requires event-driven and event-stream integrations.
We also expect to see vendors either add or strengthen, their capabilities for EDI / B2B integrations.
