From the rise of AI to the fall of copper, it’s been quite a year for tech…
2025 has certainly been a wild ride for technology. The past 12 months have played out like a superhero blockbuster, with the positive aspects of tech (like sustainability and innovation) donning their capes to tackle the evils of ever-evolving cybercrime.
From AI’s continued dominance to the final farewell of copper landlines – that 2027 deadline will be here before you know it – this year has been a transformative one for technology and the businesses that rely on it. So, as we prepare to say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in 2026, let’s dive into four of the most game-changing tech moments that have shaped the past 12 months.
The AI takeover
The biggest tech milestone of 2025 has got to be the world’s continued fascination with AI. With endless possibilities and constant innovations, Artificial Intelligence is changing the way today’s businesses are run, especially with growing innovations in IT support. In fact, according to McKinsey & Company’s 2025 AI survey, 62% of respondents say they are experimenting with AI agents, and 64% say AI is enabling their innovation.
However, there are continued reservations about AI’s rocket-fast progress too. With AI images, videos, voice notes and more now possible with alarming accuracy, many are worried about what this means for data protection. Here at Atom, we welcome innovation but will always focus on a talk-first human approach, championing connections between people above all else.
The digitalisation of phone networks
The UK is racing towards an entirely digital phone network, doing away with the analogue copper wire network which has been used for decades. By 31st January 2027, BT Openreach aim to have entirely switched out the legacy copper network for a full fibre network, which offers greater speed and reliability. It also means moving to a digital, IP-based network, impacting not just landlines but also alarms, CCTV, fax machines (they used to be a big thing, kids), door entry and more.
This level of change (impacting over 2 million businesses) doesn’t happen overnight, and much of the work has been underway in 2025. In fact, PTSN (Public Switch Telephone Network) connections are now officially categorised as ‘end of life’ technology, as of December 2025. It’s vital that businesses get prepared to ensure minimal disruption when we finally wave goodbye to analogue.
Ever-evolving cybercrime
Cybercrime has made 2025’s tech journey a bumpy one, causing every innovation to be met with reservations about how these technological advancements might be used against us by hackers and threat actors. Approximately 612,000 UK businesses and 61,000 UK charities experienced a cybersecurity breach or attack in 2025, according to the Government’s official Cyber Security Breaches Survey, and the forms these attacks take are evolving rapidly.
From AI powered phishing to deepfake scams involving video and voice, data theft attempts are becoming harder to detect, resulting in a surge in ransomware targets on SME remote networks.
Now more than ever, businesses need to make incident response automation their resolution to reduce breach impacts and recovery times. At Atom, we utilise market-leading solutions like Check Point to help our clients identify threats, pre-empt attacks and protect data.
A renewed focus on sustainability
Between the Covid crisis and the cost-of-living crisis, it felt like the climate crisis took a backseat there for a minute, but protecting the environment should still be priority number one if businesses want to be part of a future we can all enjoy. In 2025, decisive action has been taken to promote tech sustainability.
This includes a growing awareness around the handling of e-waste, something society is producing more of than ever before. At Atom, we’ve partnered with BornGood to repurpose, recycle, resell or donate old or unwanted IT equipment for effective use. This is helping to create more sustainable solutions for businesses wish to upgrade their hardware without it costing the Earth.
In 2026, prioritise securing high quality cybersecurity services for your business, delivered by a team you can trust. Get in touch with Atom today.
