Cloud security has moved from the back room to the boardroom. It shapes how companies manage risk, earn trust, and keep operations running when the stakes are highest. From compliance and culture to innovation and resilience, the question is no longer whether cloud security matters but rather how to protect data at all times, in every scenario.
To find out what 692,834 technology leaders in the US’ opinions were about cloud security, we utilized AI-driven audience profiling to synthesize insights from online discussions for a full year, ending September 15, 2025, to a high statistical confidence level. Their views reveal what technology leaders value most, where they see challenges, and how they expect the next wave of innovation to reshape security in the cloud.
What Is Your Top Priority When Evaluating A Cloud Storage Provider?
36% of technology leaders say that data protection is a high priority when evaluating a cloud storage provider
Priorities differ when evaluating providers:
For technology leaders in our audience choosing a cloud storage provider, security is the first thing on their minds. Data protection comes out on top, with 36% rating it a high priority and a 5% moderate one. That’s no surprise, given that 82% of breaches in 2023 involved data in the cloud. Compliance isn’t far behind, with 22% calling it a high priority, 8% moderate, and 2% low, showing how much regulation shapes every decision in this space.
Scalability, chosen as a high priority by 8%, moderate by 2%, and low by 1% of our audience, is about keeping options open so systems can flex as the business grows. Ease of integration, at 3% high, 5% moderate, and 2% low, is a reminder that even the best tools need to play nicely with what’s already in place. And cost efficiency, at 1% high, 3% moderate, and 1% low, proves that while budgets set the guardrails, security and compliance steer the wheel.
What Factor Most Influences Your Decision To Adopt A New Cloud Storage Solution?
50% of technology leaders are most influenced by security certifications when deciding to adopt a new cloud storage solution
The decision to adopt new solutions has specific markers:
Technology leaders are divided on the most influential factor in deciding to adopt a new cloud storage solution. 50% of our audience leans on security certifications, while 24% say it’s not certifications that influence them most. That split connects neatly to the 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, which found that cloud computing skills are the second biggest shortfall on security teams. For some, certifications fill that gap, acting as proof that a provider can be trusted.
For 24%, the focus shifts to customer support, where real-time guidance makes the difference. Vendor reputation lands at just 2%, showing that badges and backing matter more than brand names. Customization, with no opinions at all, signals that flexibility is secondary when core security and support are on the line.
How Do You Prefer To Manage Data Encryption?
26% of technology leaders prefer a provider-managed data encryption model
The locking mechanism only matters if you trust the keyholder:
Technology leaders show mixed leanings in how they prefer to manage data encryption. A provider-managed model edges forward, with 26% of our audience preferring it, while 35% have no preference. That’s a sign that many trust providers to take the lead without needing to specify. Hybrid approaches follow, with 18% choosing them and 4% showing no preference, reflecting interest in splitting the responsibility when the fit is right.
Customer-managed keys draw just 5%, with 9% no preference, pointing to the operational lift that comes with running keys in-house. Automated encryption stands at only 3%, showing curiosity but little real traction.
Research on cloud encryption strategies underlines why. Protection is only as strong as the key management behind it, making provider-managed and hybrid models feel more practical than niche extremes.
What Drives Your Long-Term Cloud Storage Strategy?
Cost reduction is a strong and moderate driver in long-term cloud strategy for 34% of technology leaders
Long game factors matter more than quick wins:
In our audience, long-term cloud strategy is driven by a mix of practical and forward-looking priorities. Cost reduction stands out with 17% of technology leaders calling it a strong driver and another 17% moderate, showing that efficiency still sets the baseline.
Innovation pulls nearly as much weight, with 18% strong and 16% potential, showing how the cloud is seen as a springboard for fresh ideas. Security resilience motivates 16% strongly and 2% moderately, while business growth drives 12% strongly and 1% moderately.
Compliance needs drew no opinions expressed, suggesting regulation may be less top-of-mind even if it lingers in the background of decision-making.
Industry commentary reinforces this point. Long-term data storage is notoriously tricky, with formats changing, hardware aging, and even century-long contracts depending on a provider’s survival. That context helps explain why leaders are spreading their bets rather than leaning on a single driver.
How Do You Evaluate Cloud Storage Security Risk?
74% of technology leaders say threat intelligence reports are essential in evaluating cloud storage security risk
One key risk factor stands out:
Threat intelligence reports dominate cloud storage security risk evaluation, with 74% of technology leaders calling them essential and another 5% important. The reason is clear. IBM’s X-Force 2025 Threat Intelligence Index found an 84% rise in infostealers delivered via phishing emails per week in 2024 compared with 2023, showing just how quickly attacks evolve. Leaders value reports that capture those changes in real time, because static measures struggle to keep pace.
Other tools still matter, but they carry different weight. Internal assessments, with 3% essential and 7% important, reflect a need to cross-check external feeds against a company’s own environment. Vendor transparency stands at 4% essential and 1% important, signalling that trust is part of the calculation but rarely decisive.
Third-party reviews, judged essential by 3% yet unreliable by 2%, hinting at the limited credibility of outside validation. Regular audits, rated important by 2%, remain a baseline for compliance rather than a driver of security strategy.
What Type Of Cloud Security Support Is Most Valuable?
Proactive monitoring is a strongly valuable type of cloud security support for 21% of technology leaders
Defense works best when it’s pre-emptive:
The most valuable form of cloud security support is proactive monitoring, with 17% of technology leaders calling it strongly valuable, 21% seeing it as potentially valuable, and 3% saying its value is uncertain.
This focus ties in with research on proactive threat monitoring and detection using security information and event management, or SIEM. Cloud-native platforms like Microsoft Sentinel combine log analytics, WAF protections, and automated response, turning monitoring into an active defense rather than a passive check.
Staff training sits close behind, viewed as strongly valuable by 17% and potentially valuable by 16%, confirming that people remain a decisive layer of defense. Incident response training carries weight too, considered strongly valuable by 16% and potentially valuable by 7%, showing how preparation shapes confidence.
By contrast, 24/7 technical support is marked as strongly valuable by only 4% of our audience, highlighting that round-the-clock coverage is secondary to having the right systems and skills in place.
What Cloud Storage Challenges Concern You The Most?
56% of technology leaders say that data breaches are a major cloud storage concern
Cloud storage has one predominant challenge:
The challenge of cloud storage that towers above the rest is data breaches, with 56% of technology leaders calling them a major concern, and another 17% see them as a potential concern. That fear is backed by hard numbers. IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report found the global average cost of a breach at $4.4 million, even after a 9% drop thanks to faster detection and containment.
Insider threats are the next concern, with 10% major and 6% potential, reminding us that danger often comes from within. Downtime risk follows, with 4% seeing it as a major concern and 3% as potential, highlighting the cost of lost availability.
Compliance issues match downtime at 4% major, a quieter but still pressing risk in regulated sectors. Limited visibility, on the other hand, draws no opinions at all, a signal that leaders may see it less as a separate challenge and more as something already baked into every other risk they face.
How Do You Measure The Success Of A Cloud Storage Solution?
36% of technology leaders measure cloud storage solution success by cost optimization
Only a handful of metrics mark success:
For most technology leaders in our audience, measuring success in cloud storage is about cost optimization. 36% report strongly positive results, and 19% see moderate gains, with only 2% viewing it negatively. Efficiency is the first lens they use to measure value.
Compliance tells a different story. Just 3% rate a strong compliance posture as moderately positive, and 24% remain neutral. That neutrality stands out given that compliance means aligning systems with laws and regulations, where failure can trigger fines under frameworks such as the GDPR.
Other measures sit further back. Improved customer trust is reported as strongly positive by 1% and moderately positive by 10%, with 3% neutral, suggesting storage choices rarely move the trust needle. Reduced downtime is seen as moderately positive by only 1%, highlighting that reliability is expected more than rewarded. Faster performance receives no direct opinions, likely because it is so deeply assumed that leaders don’t call it out separately.
How Do You Prefer To Stay Updated On Cloud Security Best Practices?
33% of technology leaders prefer to do independent research to stay updated on cloud security best practices
Leaders largely prefer to learn the playbook for themselves:
Technology leaders prefer to stay updated on cloud security best practices through independent research, with 33% of our audience choosing proactive learning and 32% opting for selective learning. Independent research is essential, and resources like CISA’s Cybersecurity Best Practices provide the kind of guidance leaders use when taking responsibility for their security posture.
Webinars come next, with 14% engaging proactively and 10% selectively, showing that they’re useful for structured bursts of upskilling. Peer networks account for 4% proactive learning, and industry conferences also 4%, offering exchange and perspective, even if fewer leaders rely on them.
Vendor resources register only 2% proactive and 1% selective. Leaders know vendor material can inform, but they prefer sources that aren’t shaped by sales priorities.
What Industry Are You In?
34% of technology leaders using cloud storage solutions are definitely in the technology industry
Some sectors have integrated cloud storage solutions more than others:
Technology is the industry that our audience operates in the most, with 34% definitely in the sector and another 8% who might be. That dominance reflects the broader market, where global cloud infrastructure service spending grew more than $20 billion, or 25%, compared to the second quarter of 2024. It’s the industry at the center of cloud investment and innovation.
Retail accounts for smaller numbers, with 7% definitely in, 3% who might be, 7% who might not be, and 5% definitely not. Tight margins and legacy systems often slow wider adoption here. Healthcare shows 8% definitely in and 4% who might be, though 4% might not be, pointing to the regulatory hurdles that can stall progress.
Manufacturing is even more cautious, with just 1% definitely in and 2% who might be, while 6% might not be and 4% definitely not, a sign of conservative budgets and reliance on long-standing operational systems. Finance closes out the picture with 2% definitely in and 5% who might be, reflecting interest but movement that is tempered by compliance frameworks.
What Is The Most Important Cloud Storage Feature For Business Continuity?
77% of technology leaders are uncertain about the importance of being disaster recovery-ready
Technology leaders are unsure about what’s most important:
The most important cloud storage feature for business continuity is disaster recovery readiness. However, perhaps not in the most expected way. Just 6% of our audience view it as critical, while a whopping 77% are uncertain about its importance, and 1% say it is not critical. That uncertainty stands out given the cost of disruption, with studies showing downtime can drain mid-sized companies by more than $300,000 on average for every hour offline, and push losses into the millions for large enterprises.
That uncertainty underlines why recovery must be positioned as a strategic capability rather than a technical add-on. Peterson emphasizes: “Chosen vendors and solutions must advance your recovery policies and procedures in step with your business strategy. The true test of cloud security is not just how data is protected, but how quickly operations resume when pressure is at its peak.”
System monitoring is considered critical by 1% and uncertain by 6%, showing it plays a supporting role in spotting issues before they escalate. Faster data restoration, with 5% uncertain and 2% not critical, reflects its importance once a failure has already occurred.
Automated backup, rated uncertain by 2%, highlights that even basic safeguards are not overlooked in continuity planning.
What Do You See As The Greatest Barrier To Cloud Storage Adoption?
Compliance challenges don't pose a major barrier to cloud storage adoption for 33% of technology leaders
Every move to the cloud comes with hurdles:
The greatest barrier to cloud storage adoption for technology leaders is compliance. 9% see it as a major barrier while 33% say it is not, a split that reflects how unevenly regulation shapes adoption. Cloud adoption is complicated by data sovereignty and governance, since organizations don’t always fully control where or how their data is replicated or accessed, especially when it spans multiple jurisdictions.
Complexity of migration is the next barrier, with 7% of our audience viewing it as major and 32% not, showing how technical and organizational hurdles still weigh heavily for some but not all. Cost concerns are lower on the list, with 3% seeing them as major and 14% not, suggesting price matters less than execution.
Trust in providers barely registers, with 1% noting it is not a barrier, while lack of skilled staff also sits at 1%, reflecting a confidence that vendor maturity and in-house expertise are keeping pace.
How Do You Align Cloud Security With Business Goals?
Security culture building is essential for aligning cloud security with business goals for 53% of technology leaders
Clear opinions on alignment are recorded:
Technology leaders align cloud security with business goals in a way that ties into research showing that true alignment depends on building a security-first culture backed by leadership and accountability as much as by technical controls. This helps to explain the different approaches our audience takes.
Security culture building leads the way, with 53% seeing it as essential, 21% as potential, and 5% as doubtful. The numbers show that most leaders view a security-first mindset as the foundation, where employees share responsibility and leadership sets the tone.
That emphasis on culture is echoed by Robert Hayes, Channel Director of Infrascale, who sees alignment as a leadership priority: “Security certifications are the proof point, but partnerships are what turn those standards into outcomes. Organizations want vendors that don’t just meet a baseline but work with them to apply policies, refine processes, and ensure resilience across every environment.”
Policy enforcement comes next, with 9% calling it essential, showing how consistent rules help reinforce culture in practice. Regular board updates are rated as a potential alignment by 6% and doubtful by 2%, pointing to the visibility leadership provides when security is treated as a business priority.
Clear KPIs, rated essential by 4%, underline how measurement makes alignment tangible. Strategic investments are essential for just 2%, but they matter because funding and resources are what turn cultural priorities into protection on the ground.
What Area In Cloud Security Do You Expect The Most Innovation From?
30% of technology leaders say they’re neutral about compliance solutions being the next big area of cloud storage innovation
Leaders are still looking for the next big breakthrough:
Innovation in cloud security is expected across several fronts, but neutral opinions across the board point to recognition of potential without a clear consensus on where breakthroughs will land first. That uncertainty makes sense when 55% of organizations say cloud environments are harder to secure than on-premises, and the average enterprise now runs 85 SaaS apps alongside a sprawl of monitoring and key management tools. Complexity itself is the pressure point, and it explains why leaders are looking for innovation everywhere at once.
Compliance solutions lead at 30%, highlighting the need for smarter governance across multi-cloud setups. Artificial intelligence follows at 24%, reflecting its role in enhancing detection and response. Threat detection at 22% shows demand for sharper, faster visibility into risks.
Zero trust models, at 17%, point to continued focus on tightening access across distributed systems. Automation tools, at 7%, highlight the push to streamline processes and reduce tool overload.
Which City Are You Based In?
17% of technology leaders are confirmed to be based in San Francisco
Leaders are based across the US, with some areas more heavily populated than others:
Our audience clusters in the major US tech hub cities, with San Francisco and Austin leading the way. San Francisco has the highest confirmed share at 17%, with 27% possible and only 1% denied.
Austin follows closely, with 13% confirmed and 29% possible, reflecting its rapid growth as a tech hub. CBRE’s Scoring Tech Talent report shows why. Austin has climbed into the Top Five North American tech markets, cementing its place as a magnet for cloud and security talent.
New York shows a smaller presence, with 1% confirmed and 3% possible, while Seattle accounts for 1% possible. Together, the data points to an audience concentrated in established and rising tech centers, with Austin joining San Francisco at the top of the map.
Nearly 700,000 technology leaders make one thing clear: cloud security has become central to how business is done. Their perspectives show where progress is being made and where innovation is expected next. The path forward is one where security and strategy move in lockstep.
Methodology
Sourced using Artios from an independent sample of 692,834 United States technology leaders’ opinions across X, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, and BlueSky. Responses are collected within a 95% confidence interval and 4% margin of error. Results are derived from opinions expressed online, not actual questions answered by people in the sample.
About the representative sample:
- 46% of US technology leaders are between the ages of 45 and 64.
- 53% identify as female and 47% as male.
- 56% earn between $200,000 and $500,000 annually.
