CTERA has released its 2025 State of Data and Cloud Strategy Survey Report, revealing evolving priorities among IT and cybersecurity leaders.
The survey indicates that a notable 57% of these professionals are prioritising artificial intelligence (AI) for the coming year, highlighting a growing enthusiasm for integrating AI alongside critical focus areas such as cybersecurity, which 80% of respondents identified as a key priority, and cost optimisation at 61%.
The report also emphasised the pervasive and damaging nature of ransomware attacks. Every organisation surveyed reported experiencing a ransomware incident within the past two years. Alarmingly, 17% of organisations suffered at least partial data loss, while 10% paid the ransom. Additionally, 14% of respondents were unsure how their attack was ultimately resolved, underscoring that many organisations remain unprepared to fully recover and restore their vital data despite increased awareness of the threat.
Other significant findings include the early stages of AI adoption, with 70% of IT and security leaders indicating they have implemented partial AI-based assistance, while a further 27% are in pilot phases. This suggests that most organisations are preparing for broader AI integration, even if it is not yet a primary focus. Despite this progress, there is a disconnect between AI ambitions and organisational readiness; 64% of respondents are being pressured by investors to deploy AI to enhance customer experience, and similar percentages aim to improve predictive intelligence and query accuracy. However, only 10% are actively addressing skills gaps, which could impede their ability to meet these objectives.
Compliance and security concerns also pose significant challenges. As organisations roll out AI tools, 67% cite regulatory and compliance issues as the biggest obstacle, followed by data security risks such as exposure or misuse at 57%. Other concerns include data silos limiting AI access (45%) and the costs associated with implementation and ongoing maintenance (44%).
The survey further revealed a strategic shift towards cloud-first approaches, with 61% of IT and security leaders prioritising cloud technologies over private data centres. Among executive levels, 26% of C-level leaders strongly favour the cloud, compared to just 11% of vice-presidents and 9% of directors. This indicates a consensus at the top but suggests more cautious adoption across organisational tiers.
“Enterprises are navigating an evolving landscape of IT priorities, trying to balance immediate cybersecurity needs with forward-looking AI strategies. We understand these challenges very well. CTERA’s Intelligent Data Platform offers a path to robust ransomware resilience, streamlined cloud storage deployment, and seamless cloud migration, aligning with both strategic leadership priorities and operational execution,” said Cheryle Cushion, SVP of Marketing at CTERA.
