UKI IT leaders see AI threats outpacing cloud risks

Cybersecurity concerns among UK and Ireland enterprises have shifted towards artificial intelligence-driven threats as cloud adoption continues to rise, according to new research from Ekco.

The survey, conducted by Ekco and involving over 1,000 IT decision makers, highlights that 59% of IT leaders now see AI-powered threats as a greater concern than traditional data breaches. This marks a notable move in cybersecurity priorities as organisations increase their reliance on cloud infrastructure.

Despite the surge in cloud adoption, only 20% of organisations describe their cloud environments as "fully optimised", even though 88% have already completed or are engaged in cloud projects. Hybrid cloud is now the dominant model, with 68% reporting the use of a mix of public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises infrastructure.

However, as cloud usage increases, optimisation has not kept pace. The survey found that while 87% of organisations have achieved most of their targets for cloud projects, only one-fifth claimed their environment was fully optimised. This has resulted in cloud estates that are functional but still underutilised in terms of performance and efficiency.

Security remains a pressing issue, with a third (34%) of organisations stating that their cloud security setups are under-optimised. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, this lack of full optimisation can leave organisations vulnerable.

Visibility into cloud expenditure also emerged as a significant challenge, with 54% of IT leaders reporting incomplete visibility over their organisation's cloud spend. This limitation makes it difficult to accurately measure return on investment or optimise resource usage.

The skills gap within IT teams is another concern, as only 27% of respondents feel confident that they have the internal expertise required to manage and expand their cloud environments. This lack of expertise can contribute to hesitancy surrounding cloud migration and a tendency to stick with legacy systems rather than embrace new cloud opportunities.

Addressing the rise in AI-driven threats, the majority (85%) of organisations have a cybersecurity response plan in place. However, just 38% express confidence that these plans are robust enough to defend against modern AI-enabled attacks. As attackers increasingly utilise AI and automation to bypass traditional defences, the need for advanced security strategies has become more pronounced.

To mitigate some of these risks, organisations are increasing their adoption of cybersecurity insurance. The report notes that the uptake of such insurance has risen from 43% to 55% over the past year. This suggests a shift in mindset as organisations view security as a core element of their cloud strategies, rather than something to be addressed after migration.

Carla Mendy, Chief Operating Officer at Ekco, commented on the findings: "Our latest research has shown that cloud modernisation is no longer just about moving infrastructure off-premises. That part is largely behind us. The organisations we surveyed have made real progress: 88% are actively working on cloud projects, and most are seeing success. But the bigger challenge now is what comes after migration. With less than a third feel their infrastructure is fully optimised, what this shows us is how cloud isn't a one-off project, but an ongoing operating model. The next phase is about managing that complexity, building secure, cost-aware environments that evolve with the business, and bringing in the right help when internal teams hit limits."

Ekco's report, now in its fourth year, captures insights from IT decision makers across the UK and Ireland and explores how the intersections of AI adoption, increasing cloud complexity, and evolving cyber threats are reshaping the infrastructure strategies for the coming years.

The survey results underline the importance for organisations to focus not only on initial cloud migration but also on the continued optimisation, security, and skill development necessary to fully realise the benefits of cloud computing in a landscape of increasingly complex threats.