A new study from Backblaze and Dimensional Research highlights the challenges enterprises face with unexpected cloud storage costs as they increasingly adopt artificial intelligence. The research indicates that surprise fees are impacting infrastructure planning and hindering innovation.
According to the study, a significant 95% of those surveyed have been surprised by cloud storage charges. Egress fees and unclear billing structures are the main culprits. The survey encompassed 403 IT leaders responsible for managing over 250 terabytes of data in the cloud.
The findings reveal that the cost of accessing and moving data is now a major hurdle to adopting multi-cloud strategies, as cited by 58% of respondents. The report suggests that organizations managing more than five petabytes of data are particularly susceptible to budget overruns. With AI and analytics workloads demanding faster and larger datasets, companies are being compelled to scale back or alter priorities to control expenses.
In response to rising storage expenses, Gleb Budman, CEO at Backblaze, stated, “The data shows what many IT leaders already know from experience: innovation is being throttled not by technology limits, but by cloud economics via egress fees and unpredictable charges.”
The study also identifies a growing trend toward independent storage providers. A majority, 62% of respondents, express a preference for best-of-breed vendors over single-provider ecosystems. This preference is driven by the need to avoid restrictive pricing models and vendor lock-in. However, the study also discovered that 97% of organizations view data movement costs and technical complexity as significant barriers to switching providers.
“As AI and other data-intensive workloads expand, the ability to move data freely and affordably is no longer optional — it’s a strategic requirement,” said Diane Hagglund, principal at Dimensional Research and author of the study.
The “2025 Cloud Storage Survey” was conducted between May 24 and June 5, 2025.