Immuta finds widening gap between data leaders and practitioners on governance reality

New report reveals confidence and execution divide as AI-era data demand accelerates.

BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Immuta, the data provisioning company, today released The State of Data Governance in the Age of AI, revealing a growing disconnect between data leaders and practitioners on the state of enterprise data governance. While nearly all respondents agree that governance is a strategic business priority, Immuta's research shows that leaders are significantly more confident in their programs' maturity and effectiveness than those implementing them day to day.

The study—conducted in partnership with UserEvidence and based on responses from more than 400 data professionals across industries—highlights a widening perception gap between strategic optimism and operational reality. It also underscores the pressures governance teams face as generative AI multiplies the number of data consumers, increasing both the complexity and the speed at which data must be delivered safely.

"This gap between leaders and practitioners is a warning signal," said Matthew Carroll, CEO and Co-founder at Immuta. "Governance can't be managed through tickets and spreadsheets in the age of AI. It has to be built into how data is delivered. The future of governance is policy-driven provisioning — automated, intelligent, and fast enough to keep up with both humans and AI."

The report underscores a broader point: governance alignment isn't just an operational issue—it's a strategic one. The report reveals that even as organizations increase investments in governance budgets and tools, many practitioners feel the effects haven't reached them.

Key findings from the report include:

• Confidence gaps: Ninety-one percent of leaders say executives understand the value of data governance, compared to just 78% of practitioners.
  
  
• Integration challenges: Twenty-one percent of respondents cite the inability to integrate governance across teams and platforms as their top blocker.
  
  
• Burnout risk: Half of practitioners report burnout from handling hundreds of access requests each month—with upper mid-market organizations reporting the highest strain.
  
  
• Technology divide: Sixty percent of leaders say their company uses a data provisioning platform, but only 49% of practitioners agree—many still rely on ticket-based systems.

As the number of human and AI data consumers continues to grow, the report points to the need for tighter collaboration between governance leaders and practitioners — and greater reliance on automation and technology to bridge the gap.

"As AI reshapes data demand, companies can't rely on manual governance workflows built for another era," said Mo Plassnig, Chief Product Officer at Immuta. "Many are shifting investments from headcount to technology that makes governance faster, safer, and more efficient — a necessary step as data requests multiply and teams face mounting pressure."

About the report
The State of Data Governance in the Age of AI examines the perspectives of 413 data governance leaders and practitioners across technology, manufacturing, and financial services sectors. Respondents represented organizations ranging from 250 to more than 5,000 employees. The findings highlight where data governance stakeholders are aligned—and where they're divided—on models, tools, and the future of AI in governance.

Read the full report here: https://www.immuta.com/resources/data-governance-alignment-report/

About Immuta
Since 2015, Immuta has helped Fortune 500 companies and government agencies put data to work faster and more safely than ever before. As organizations face exploding demand for data access from both human and AI systems, Immuta's platform automates data provisioning and governance across complex ecosystems. By eliminating manual processes that create access delays, Immuta helps enterprises provision secure access at unprecedented speed while maintaining continuous compliance.

SOURCE Immuta