The public cloud has cemented its position as the preferred platform for enterprise applications, with new survey data from Amazon.com, Inc. on Monday revealing a dramatic shift in how organizations view cloud security.
The company’s Cloud & AI Trust report found nearly all respondents (99%) are developing applications in the public cloud, signaling strong confidence in cloud security infrastructure. The findings challenge persistent narratives about a potential cloud slowdown, showing instead that adoption continues to accelerate.
Currently, 59% of applications run in the cloud, but organizations expect that figure to jump to 75% within the next year, according to the survey.
The shift comes as companies prepare to significantly expand their cloud investments. Nine in 10 organizations plan to increase cybersecurity budgets, while 97% intend to boost spending on professional services from cloud providers. These investments are moving forward despite macroeconomic uncertainties that disrupted financial markets earlier this year.
A key finding reveals changing attitudes about where security is best managed: 56% of respondents now believe the public cloud is better positioned to deliver security, compared to just 37% who favor on-premises solutions. Similarly, 51% view the public cloud as superior for handling compliance requirements, while 41% still prefer on-premises approaches.
The data marks a stark departure from attitudes a decade ago, when enterprises widely questioned whether cloud platforms could safely handle sensitive workloads.
Organizations worldwide are ramping up technology investments, with the vast majority planning significant budget increases across IT infrastructure, cloud services, and cybersecurity over the next year, according to a new survey.
The findings show 93% of organizations expect IT spending to rise, while 97% anticipate increased expenditures on professional services from cloud providers. Cybersecurity budgets are also set to grow, with 90% of respondents planning increases in the next 12 months.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is presenting organizations with a complex challenge, acting simultaneously as both a security tool and a regulatory burden. While 23% of respondents view AI as a security ally providing defensive capabilities, a larger share (39%) identified AI compliance as their biggest challenge over the next three years, surpassing concerns about DevSecOps (17%), identity and access management (11%), and unified security (11%).
Chinese organizations showed particularly strong concern about AI-related risks, with 55% identifying AI security and risk management frameworks as their top priority for reducing cyber threats over the next three years—the highest rate among all countries surveyed.
Security incidents continue to plague organizations regardless of infrastructure type, the survey found. Approximately eight in 10 organizations reported experiencing at least one data breach in the past year, with 78% reporting breaches in on-premises infrastructure and 79% in public cloud environments. The comparable rates suggest operational factors, rather than the environment itself, drive security risks.
The shift toward cloud computing is accelerating rapidly. Currently, 59% of applications run in the cloud, but that figure is projected to jump to 75% within the next year.
Organizations increasingly view public cloud platforms as better positioned to handle both security and regulatory requirements compared to on-premises infrastructure. When asked about security capabilities, 56% favored public cloud vs. 37% for on-premises solutions. On regulatory compliance, 51% chose public cloud compared to 41% for on-premises environments.
