UK IT Leaders Turn Away from US Cloud Over Data Sovereignty Concerns

GLASGOW, Scotland - July 28, 2025 - PRLog -- More than half of UK IT decision makers currently using public or hybrid cloud models are planning to move away from U.S.-based cloud providers, according to new research commissioned by Asanti, one of the UK's leading colocation data centre providers. The study, conducted by independent research firm Vanson Bourne, highlights rising concerns over data sovereignty (95%) and data residency (93%) as key drivers behind the shift.

The findings underscore the growing impact of global political dynamics on infrastructure strategy. Over half (52%) of those surveyed reported taking deliberate steps to reduce their organisation's reliance on U.S. cloud providers. Furthermore, 45% of respondents currently using U.S. public cloud platforms stated they plan to actively limit their data's exposure to U.S. jurisdiction due to recent political developments.

"Organisations are becoming more aware and more wary of where their data is stored and who has jurisdiction over it," said Stewart Laing, CEO of Asanti. "It's no longer just about performance or cost. It's about trust, control and strategic sovereignty."

Repatriation Momentum Continues

This trend toward reducing reliance on U.S. cloud services aligns with Asanti's October 2024 research, which found that 91% of organisations were already in the process of repatriating at least some applications to on-premise or colocation environments.

The key motivations for this move included:

• High recurring costs for certain workloads in the public cloud (41%)
  
  
• Limited control and customisation (39%)
  
  
• Slow data transfer for real-time applications (36%)
  
  
• Security, compliance, and risk management concerns (39%)
  
  

However, transitioning away from public cloud isn't without challenges. Among the most cited barriers were:

• Complexity of moving applications back to internal systems (38%)
  
  
• Inflexible contracts or vendor lock-in (36%)
  
  
• Lack of internal repatriation skills (41%)
  
  

"Cloud is powerful – but not perfect. The lesson here is that infrastructure strategy needs to be driven by business needs, not vendor hype," added Laing. "We strongly advise UK organisations to revisit their current and future hosting strategies with a more critical eye, especially as AI workloads, regulatory scrutiny, and cyber threats escalate."

Recommendations for IT Leaders

In light of the findings, Asanti recommends that UK organisations:

• Assess geopolitical risk when selecting cloud providers
  
  
• Align hosting models with workload sensitivity
  
  
• Build flexibility into infrastructure to enable repatriation or adaptation as business needs evolve

About Asanti

Asanti (https://asanti.com/press-release/uk-it-leaders-shift-clou...) is a UK-based data centre solution provider delivering secure and sustainable colocation services across six UK data centres. Committed to client success and environmental responsibility, Asanti powers all facilities using 100% renewable energy. The company is featured in directories such as Crunchbase, Techbehemoths, and GoodFirms.