Navigating 2025: Top observability trends to watch

2025 just started, but we are already seeing key trends to watch for in this fast-paced, modern, containerized world. From the increasing sophistication of cyber threats to the need for streamlined developer workflows, it can be hard to keep up on the latest trends.

To give you a leg up on where we are headed, we checked in with our observability, platform engineering, and security experts to get their insights. Read on to find out what’s on these SMEs minds when it comes to observability and the tech space overall in the coming year.

Kicking things off, Chronosphere’s Senior Leader for Infrastructure and Platform Engineering, Jacob Rosenberg, shares his thoughts on areas he watches closely:

Last year was the year of efficiency for much of the tech space and that trend is expected to continue. We saw a lot of investment in tech a few years ago when there were zero-interest rates. But once the honeymoon was over and those rates increased, companies buckled down and became more discerning about what they invest in and why. I see that as something that’s going to continue throughout 2025.

Here’s the 2025 good-news prediction: While the belt tightening did result in a lot of layoffs, there is actually a bit of a silver lining in areas of the technology-consuming enterprise space. I’m seeing tons of people who are great engineers and leaders moving into sectors that previously couldn’t afford top-tier engineering talent. The promise of cloud native technology, better development environments, and more mature tooling is motivating technology investments among enterprises, and they are grabbing up the engineering talent needed to execute.

This one may be more of a hope than a prediction: We are already seeing the shift-left trend in security and many other areas of IT, and now it’s time for observability to catch up. This year I hope to see a trend where observability becomes part of the design of an application — rather than retrofitting afterwards. This means engineers need to start thinking about the metrics, data, and observability they need to do that while they’re building, not after the fact.

Think of it this way: we’re already doing test-driven development. Isn’t it time to start observability-driven development?

The evolution from technology as a cost center to technology as a value creator is nearly done. There are vanishingly few companies that still think of tech as just a cost that they don’t want to have to deal with, or as something they want to minimize. 

Guess what that means? A universal and increasing demand for genuinely great technology! Companies just can’t run their business without high-quality technology anymore.

It’s no surprise where Harlin Lipman’s predictions are centered. As Head of Information Security at Chronosphere, Harlin is thinking one step ahead of cyber threats and what organizations will do this year to stay secure. 

Here are the top 5 security areas of focus Harlin says organizations should be thinking about this year:

Data is the lifeblood of any organization, but it’s only valuable if it’s accurate and secure. Data is also a prime target for the bad guys. The ability to understand and monitor your data in real-time is crucial for detecting and responding to security threats. 

Investing in data quality and integrity strengthens your security foundation.

Security isn’t just IT’s responsibility; it’s everyone’s responsibility. Break down the silos and foster open communication between different teams. 

When everyone understands their role in security, the whole organization benefits.

CISOs are facing unprecedented challenges. They need a full seat at the executive table to effectively advocate for security investments and ensure their organizations are prepared to face these evolving threats. 

It’s time to recognize the critical role CISOs play in protecting our businesses and give them the support they need to succeed.

The threat landscape is constantly evolving, with AI-powered attacks and nation-state cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated. 

We must stay one step ahead by investing in cutting-edge security technologies and staying informed about the latest threats.

Don’t wait for a breach to happen; be proactive in identifying and addressing potential areas of weakness. Regularly assess your security maturity and take steps to strengthen your defenses. 

Tabletop exercises, as an example, are a valuable tool for preparing for the worst and ensuring that everyone knows what to do in a crisis.

Bill Hineline thinks it’s time to stop building heroes and focus on good observability practices instead. As Field CTO at Chronosphere and a former Director of Observability at United Airlines, Bill has seen what happens when problems arise and teams rely on a single individual. It’s bad for the organization and heroes alike. 

In Bill’s own words:

“In the coming year, organizations are going to start paying even more attention to cost-control as they scale their environments. In the process, they will need to stop building heroes in IT and dev teams. Why? There’s always one person in an organization who winds up solving all the problems — these are the developers who know the code so well that they get called in every time there’s a problem.”

The “hero model” is a huge risk for organizations as they scale when  organizations don’t have the appropriate observability practices in place. Without clear insights to simplify problem identification, leaders continue to build these hero environments where they are depending on the same people all the time.

With systems becoming increasingly complex, and growing at exponential scale, observability’s importance in the enterprise continues to rise. Along with it, the category continues to evolve. Today’s hottest trend is likely to be tomorrow’s old news. What do you think? Let us know (scroll down to find our socials.) And look for us to continue the discussion this time next year as we comment on the latest and what’s driving success in the category.