2024 Data analytics trends: key business insights for 2025

In our recent webinar, we shared the biggest highlights, trends, and most common customer projects from 2024. Click on the thumbnail below to access the recording, alternatively, enjoy the summary below.

The reality of AI adoption

"72% of organisations claim they've adopted AI, but what does that really mean?" asks Andy Patrick. "Most are using basic tools like ChatGPT as a productivity aid - what we call the 'genius co-worker' phase."

Our joint research with BARC (Business Application Research Center) last year categorised UK organisations' AI maturity into three distinct levels:

Ad-hoc (most common)

• Driven by fear of missing out rather than strategy
• Broad use of general AI tools for office productivity
• Limited connection to business objectives

Standard 

• Built on confidence gained from early AI experiments
• Focus shifts to specific business problems
• More structured approach to data and outcomes

Strategic (the goal)

• AI initiatives firmly connected to business objectives
• Strong focus on data trust and governance
• Clear ROI from targeted use cases

To read the full BARC article, click here. 

"I really like seeing these success stories in the news," notes Patrick. "From Amazon's delivery predictions to BuzzFeed's content creation and Netflix's personalisation; these examples show how AI can make things faster, smarter, and more profitable when implemented thoughtfully."

A key development for 2025 is the growing importance of data trust scores. "This framework helps organisations assess their data's readiness for AI applications across six key principles: diversity, timeliness, accuracy, security, discoverability, and machine consumability. It's giving businesses a practical way to measure and improve their AI readiness."

Key data platform updates 

"2024 saw major shifts in how vendors approach data and AI," notes Alex Walker. Here are top 2024 highlights:

Qlik:

• Qlik Talend Cloud: unified data integration and management
• Enhanced AI capabilities in Cloud Analytics
• Qlik Answers for plug-and-play unstructured data analysis

Other vendors:

• Microsoft Fabric bringing databases, CI/CD and domain management into OneLake
• Google's Gemini AI powering BigQuery and LookML
• Snowflake launching hybrid tables for both transactional and analytical workloads, plus Cortex for LLM, search and analysis
• Jedox AI offering improved visualisation with natural language features

Wider industry:

"We're seeing a clear move towards consumption-based pricing across the industry," Walker adds. "It's no longer about user numbers, but how much data you're processing."

Two other major industry shifts: widespread AI integration across all platforms, and growing adoption of Iceberg tables for handling high-volume data at scale.

Spotlight: NOVUS AI for hospitality

Following our Tahola acquisition, we've strengthened our industry-specific offerings. "NOVUS AI provides end-to-end data solutions for hospitality businesses," explains Walker. "It's about delivering immediate value while maintaining flexibility for future needs."

If you'd like to learn more, check out our upcoming webinar on NOVUS AI:

Where UK businesses are investing in 2025

"The landscape has shifted significantly from the AI hype of 2024," shares Chris Lofthouse. "Based on our 250 UK customers and current project pipeline, we're seeing a much more practical approach to data investments."

Optimising for growth:

• Modern data warehouses are becoming the norm as businesses build scalable foundations
• No-code and low-code platforms are helping teams do more with limited resources
• Data quality and governance are taking centre stage in board-level discussions

Driving competitive edge:

• AutoML adoption is accelerating, particularly for businesses wanting to forecast in uncertain markets
• Write-back capabilities are proving crucial for agile planning in volatile conditions
• Real-time data integration (15-minute refresh rates) is becoming a standard expectation, not a 'nice to have'

"What we're seeing in 2025 is AI and ML adoption undergoing a reality check," notes Lofthouse. "Businesses have moved beyond the 'AI everywhere' mindset. They're now focused on practical implementations that deliver immediate value while building for the future."

Based on Ometis's January 2025 webinar featuring Andy Patrick (Managing Director), Alex Walker (Operations Director), and Chris Lofthouse (Commercial Director). Webinar hosted by Neil Thorne, Head of Origination.

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