CyberNorth’s lead for Cyber and Fintech, Jon Holden, was lucky enough to attend the Google Cloud Next 25 event in Las Vegas in April. Check out his blog below on his highlights, what he learned and his new friend, Susan.
“Just landed back in the UK from my first Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas and I’m absolutely shattered.
But what an experience.
Next ’25 was packed with energy, ideas and some genuinely exciting moves in the security space. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the launch of Google Unified Security—an AI-powered platform that brings together threat intel, security operations, cloud security, and secure enterprise browsing into one unified view.
For anyone responsible for securing complex environments (especially in regulated sectors like financial services), that’s a huge step forward.
The real headline, though, is Gemini—Google’s AI now embedded across their security suite. From incident summarisation to automated investigation and response, Gemini looks set to transform how security teams operate, especially when you’re up against limited resources and rising threat complexity.
The new Gemini in Security agents—now part of Chronicle, Mandiant and SCC really push this idea of semi-autonomous SecOps into a reality. Less manual effort, more intelligence, faster action, that’s the kind of shift we need to stay ahead.
What’s also exciting is what this means for SMEs in the UK where budgets are tight but cyber risks are very real. With AI-driven platforms like this becoming more accessible, smaller businesses now have the opportunity to access the kind of security capabilities that were once reserved for large enterprises. It’s a game-changer for levelling the playing field in cyber defence.
Finally, a massive thank you to my new best friend, Susan, from Google. She truly made the trip for me. From start to finish, her support, insights and sense of humour made it unforgettable.
Despite the jet lag, I’m heading back inspired, caffeinated and ready to bring some of this energy to the UK cyber scene.”
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