AI investments rise but data readiness remains low, study reveals

Nasuni has announced the results of its recent global study focusing on trends in artificial intelligence (AI), data management, and cybersecurity, shedding light on significant issues faced by enterprises in these domains.

The research, titled "The Era of Hybrid Cloud Storage 2025", involves responses from over 1,000 IT purchasing decision-makers located in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the DACH region, which comprises Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A key revelation of the study is that while AI investment is a top spending priority for nearly half of the businesses surveyed, only 20% of the companies perceive their data as being ready for AI applications.

David Grant, President at Nasuni, emphasised the challenges faced by organisations. "Organisations are making AI a top priority and significantly ramping up their investments, but what we are finding is they are not always taking the critical steps necessary to ensure success when it comes to data management," Grant stated. "A modern approach that unifies, organises, and makes unstructured data accessible is needed to reliably and securely harness AI, enabling teams to navigate the complexities of AI deployment confidently."

The report indicates that data migration presents a substantial obstacle, with 96% of respondents experiencing challenges in this area, impacting the execution of AI initiatives. Furthermore, a misalignment in investment priorities is apparent. While nearly 50% regard AI as their main spending target for the coming 18 months, merely a third plan to allocate resources towards necessary cloud data management.

Only 20% of respondents agree that their company's data is organised, accessible, and prepared for AI endeavours. This disorganisation is reportedly hindering the business value that can be extracted from data and AI implementations.

Security remains a pressing issue, even with the shift towards AI. About 34% of respondents express concerns regarding data security and privacy in the context of AI deployment. The adoption of a hybrid cloud model is highlighted as a significant strategy for risk mitigation. Organisations not planning to implement such a model are more likely to face data security and privacy issues, according to 51% of the participants.

The findings also point out that larger companies face greater challenges due to increasing data complexity as they scale. Without a unified strategy for file data storage and management, there is a risk of losing out on AI-driven efficiencies and competitive advantages.

Despite expectations of cost reductions from AI initiatives by 46% of organisations, the study reveals that only 27% of AI projects yield accurately measurable return on investment. This underscores the critical role of cloud infrastructure in supporting AI developments.