70 Percent of Decision Makers Are Losing Sleep Over Critical Data Security Concerns

Corporate data security ranked as #1 concern for enterprise network leaders, new Arelion report finds

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Arelion's new report, corporate data protection has become the foremost concern for enterprise network decision-makers across the US, UK, Germany and France. The research reveals that 70 percent of senior leaders are losing sleep over the security of their critical data, with nearly a third admitting, "we know we should do more than we do." Despite substantial investment in data protection technologies, only 52 percent feel very confident about the security of data travelling across their own networks, and this confidence falls to just 40 percent when data passes through third-party provider networks.

The report, entitled "Connecting through chaos: how enterprise networks are protecting their data in a volatile world," explores how organizations are safeguarding their corporate data at a time of rising geopolitical tensions, multi-cloud complexity, new regulatory requirements and accelerating AI adoption. It provides insights into how enterprise leaders are navigating an environment in which global data flows, data sovereignty requirements and an expanding supplier ecosystem are creating unprecedented challenges for network resilience and security.

Corporate data protection takes center stage
The findings show that data security is now the single biggest network concern for enterprises, cited by 35 percent of leaders – more than twice as many as those identifying performance or speed as the biggest concerns. Leaders in France and across the banking sector report the highest levels of anxiety. Worryingly, 11 percent say they are aware of "definite weak points" when their data travels across third-party infrastructures.

Managing encryption proves the toughest challenge
When asked about the biggest obstacles to protecting sensitive data, leaders identified:

• Managing encryption as their top challenge
• The complexity of multi-cloud environments
• Ensuring consistent enforcement of security policies

AI also emerges as a perceived threat, with 56 percent classifying AI-related risks to their critical data as moderate to extreme. However, leaders in the UK are notably less concerned, with 64 percent viewing AI as posing little or no threat to networks.

Data in transit is an additional pressure point, with 83 percent agreeing that reducing third-party network hops increases security.

Controls are widespread, but confidence is mixed
Enterprise leaders are deploying a broad range of controls to secure data, including real-time alerts (used by 70 percent), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) integration (68 percent) for visibility of backbone traffic and regular resilience testing against hostile threats such as supply-chain disruption and nation-state attacks.

Yet, despite these measures, almost half (48 percent) are not fully confident that they could demonstrate compliance with data protection regulations, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act and China's incoming rules. This lack of confidence is most evident in France, where only 28 percent feel certain they meet regulatory requirements, compared to 60 percent in the UK.

Data sovereignty adds further complexity
The research highlights significant gaps in data visibility. A striking 32 percent of leaders do not know the locations of all of their data centers, which rises to 49 percent when including third-party providers. Meanwhile, 77 percent say data sovereignty requirements heavily influence their choice of backbone provider.

These findings underscore the operational and legal challenges enterprises face as they strive to maintain control over where data is stored, processed and routed.

"What this research has revealed is that data security now dominates the enterprise risk agenda," said Mattias Fridström, Chief Evangelist at Arelion. "Leaders are grappling with complex, globally distributed networks, increased regulatory scrutiny and a growing reliance on third parties. Their confidence weakens sharply once data leaves their direct control, and this is fueling an urgent demand for greater transparency, stronger encryption governance and more sovereignty-aware routing."

He continued: "Enterprises cannot tackle these challenges alone. They need partners with the scale, visibility and expertise to help them protect data as it moves across borders, providers and jurisdictions. The stakes are high, and growing, meaning that organizations need support to ensure they remain secure and compliant in a rapidly shifting environment."

Study Methodology

The research was conducted on behalf of Arelion by Savanta, a global leader in digital data collection. An online survey was carried out in the second half of 2025 with 532 industry representatives in the US, UK, Germany and France.

All participants work for enterprises with more than 2,000 employees. They come from a range of industries, led by: Information Services (246); Manufacturing/Engineering (100); Banking (57); Tech/Business Services (53). All respondents are involved in decision-making relating to network strategy (including data center, cloud and connectivity), with 58 percent holding final sign-off responsibility.

About Arelion
Arelion solves global connectivity challenges for multinational enterprises whose businesses rely on digital infrastructure. On top of the world's #1 ranked IP backbone and a unique ecosystem of cloud and network service providers, we provide an award-winning customer experience to customers in close to 130 countries worldwide. Our global Internet services connect more than 700 cloud, security and content providers with low latency. For further resilience, our private Cloud Connect service connects directly to Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud and Oracle cloud across North America, Europe and Asia. Discover more at Arelion.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Media contacts for Arelion:
Jeannette Bitz, Engage PR
+1 510 295 4972
[email protected] 

Arelion
Martin Sjögren, Senior Manager PR and Analyst Relations
+46 (0)707 770 522
[email protected]

SOURCE Arelion