Amsterdam, The Netherlands, November 4 2026 – Nearly nine in ten (89%) businesses could not migrate business-critical workloads away from their largest cloud or infrastructure provider within three weeks, despite most believing they have control over their data, according to new research from Leaseweb, a global cloud services and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider.
The Leaseweb Digital Independence Survey 2026, conducted among 800 C-suite leaders in the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands, found that only 11% of organisations could make the move within this timeframe. More than half (55%) said it would take longer than three months, or was not currently possible.
The Netherlands recorded the highest proportion of businesses expecting migration to take more than three months (65%), followed by the UK (59%), US (55%) and Germany (40%). Dutch businesses also gave the longest average estimated migration time, at 4.7 months.
AI Set to Increase Cloud Provider Lock-In
The challenge for many businesses is that this dependence is expected to grow even further as AI adoption increases. Overall, more than three-quarters (79%) of business leaders expect AI to increase their reliance on a small number of providers over the next three years (89% in the US, 83% in the UK, 76% in Germany, and 67% in the Netherlands).
Geopolitical pressures are also prompting changes to infrastructure strategies. Over three-quarters (78%) have taken action to reduce reliance on a particular technology or infrastructure provider in response to geopolitical challenges, including 91% in the US and 87% in the UK, while 45% of respondents overall plan to take this even further.
Businesses are also placing a clear financial value on independence. Almost all respondents would pay more to gain greater control, reduce provider dependence, or improve their freedom to move, and 73% would pay at least 11% more, with an average premium of approximately 16%. Willingness to pay was highest in the Netherlands, where 81% would pay at least 11% more and 26% would pay at least 21% more, followed by Germany with 79% willing to pay at least 11% more.
“Digital independence comes down to having real choices, and our research shows many businesses have fewer than they think,” said Lex Boost, co-CEO at Leaseweb. “Organisations may believe they control their data, but once applications have been built around a provider’s platform, moving them is rarely quick or simple. With AI expected to tie businesses even more closely to a small number of providers, leaders need to understand and act on those dependencies now, not when a pricing change or geopolitical shift forces their hand.”
Additional findings include:
- 76% reported complete or high control over their ability to move data to another provider or environment, yet only 11% could migrate business-critical workloads from their largest provider within three weeks.
- Fewer than three in ten treat regulatory and legal compliance (28%) or security and data protection (28%) as non-negotiable when choosing a cloud provider, and two-thirds (67%) would accept at least a minor trade-off on compliance.
- AI-related technology and provider dependence was the most frequently selected potential barrier to digital independence overall (28%), although in Germany legacy-system complexity ranked first (30%).
- The leading non-negotiable considerations when choosing a cloud provider were availability and uptime in the US (35%), provider reputation and trust in the UK (34%), security and data protection in Germany (30%), while regulatory and legal compliance and exposure to geopolitical or trade-related risks were tied in the Netherlands (both 27%).
Methodology
Research conducted by Censuswide among 800 C-suite leaders at organisations with 500 to 5,000 employees, with 200 respondents each in the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands between 22 and 30 September 2026.
About Leaseweb
Leaseweb provides sovereign and hybrid cloud infrastructure to small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector organisations.
Founded in the Netherlands, Leaseweb has enabled digital independence since 1997. It has offices in 10 countries, and serves customers according to its digital sovereignty principles, through local entities in each market where it operates. Leaseweb runs global infrastructure across 28 strategically located data centres. Its portfolio includes sovereign and hybrid cloud, dedicated servers, colocation, Content Delivery Network (CDN) services and managed services.
Leaseweb’s Digital Independence approach helps customers retain control and choice over their data, applications and infrastructure. Local operations and entities provide clarity about where data is stored, who can access it and which jurisdiction applies, while supporting workable alternatives when requirements change.
Leaseweb is the only Dutch cloud provider participating directly in IPCEI-CIS, the European innovation programme for cloud and edge infrastructure. Its European Cloud Campus project contributes to the development of open, practical European cloud alternatives.
For more information, visit: www.leaseweb.com