In meetings with customers, peers, and industry experts over the last several months, it’s apparent that the industry is in the midst of another seismic shift. In an effort to better understand what keeps leaders up at night, and make sense of hype versus reality, we surveyed 300 senior IT and security leaders across global enterprises.
The result is CTERA’s 2025 State of Data and Cloud Strategy report, which provides a snapshot of today’s priorities and challenges. Here’s what we found.
Cybersecurity is a Top Priority for a Reason
Our research found that 80% of leaders noted security was their top focus for 2025. And they are right to be concerned. Every survey respondent indicated their company had experienced a ransomware attack in the past two years. The damage is significant. We found that 17% suffered permanent data loss, 10% paid the ransom, and 14% were unsure how their incidents were resolved.
This highlights the importance of having multiple layers of defense to keep the organization as secure as possible while also having rapid recovery capabilities in place for a worst-case scenario.
Cost Optimization Remains A Priority
Following closely behind security, cost optimization ranked as a high priority for 61% of respondents. As organizations face economic pressures and expanding IT demands, the need to maximize value from infrastructure and cloud investments is top of mind. Leaders are looking for ways to streamline operations without sacrificing resilience or agility.
AI is a High Priority, but Readiness Is Lagging
While 57% of IT and security leaders rank strategic AI as one of their top priorities for 2025, The signals indicate that organizations are preparing for wider integrations. Most organizations are in the early stages of deployment, with 70% reporting partial rollouts of LLM-based tools, and an additional 27% are still in the testing phase.
Top Concerns for AI Deployments
As organizations push forward, the challenges surrounding AI implementation are coming into sharper focus. Compliance and regulatory concerns lead the list (67%), followed by security risks such as data exposure (57%), siloed data limiting accessibility (45%), and the cost of implementation and maintenance (44%).
A Strategic Path Forward
The research shows that while AI, cloud, and cybersecurity are all top-of-mind, success ultimately hinges on a strong foundation. Organizations require platforms that enable secure, scalable infrastructure with built-in governance and accessible data across every environment. Leaders are navigating increasingly complex environments where investment alone isn’t enough. Best practices suggest that the strategy should align with its execution.
At CTERA, we’re committed to helping organizations close these readiness gaps with intelligent, secure data services. To see how your organization compares, and where to focus next, download the full 2025 State of Data and Cloud Strategy report.
