Only a fifth of companies confident their data is AI ready

A new survey, of 1,000 purchasing decision makers across the US, UK, France, and DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) regions, reveals that while AI investment is the top spending priority for nearly half of businesses, only one-fifth of surveyed companies feel confident their data is AI-ready.

The research from Nasuni finds 96 per cent of respondents say they face challenges migrating their file data, creating a major roadblock for AI initiatives. There's also a misalignment in investment priorities, while nearly half of respondents cite AI as their top spending priority over the next 18 months, only a third will invest in the necessary cloud data management.

Disorganized data is still plaguing businesses too, with only 20 percent of respondents strongly agreeing that their data is structured, accessible, and ready for AI initiatives. Despite the shift towards AI, concerns around data security and privacy remain a challenge when it comes to implementing AI initiatives (34 percent).

Adopting a hybrid cloud storage model is seen as a strong risk mitigation strategy. Organizations without plans to implement such a model are more likely (51 percent) to have data security and privacy concerns.

"Organizations 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," says David Grant, president at Nasuni. "A modern approach that unifies, organizes, and makes unstructured data accessible is needed to reliably and securely harness AI, enabling teams to navigate the complexities of AI deployment confidently."

Larger companies are struggling the most, with data complexity increasing as organizations grow. Without a unified approach to file data storage and management, businesses risk missing out on AI-driven efficiencies and competitive advantages. While 46 percent of organizations expect to see cost reduction as an expected outcome of AI initiatives, only 27 percent of AI projects are delivering an accurately measurable ROI, highlighting that the role of cloud infrastructure has never been more critical.

You can get the full report from the Nasuni site.

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