Data governance and compliance challenges have emerged as the biggest barrier to enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, with 51% of managed service providers (MSPs) globally identifying them as the primary obstacle.
This reflects a broader shift as AI moves beyond pilot projects into live environments, where the challenge is less about deploying tools and more about controlling data, managing risk and meeting audit requirements. Customer discussions are increasingly centred on auditability, control and accountability rather than experimentation, according to the report AvePoint commissioned to Omdia.
That transition comes as the commercial stakes continue to rise. Omdia estimates the global partner opportunity tied to AI services could reach US$276 billion ($351 billion) by 2030, spanning not just AI applications but also the data, integration and governance layers required to support them.
Yet, the ability to capture that opportunity remains uneven. The majority (94%) of MSPs say they are investing in automation for AI data readiness and compliance, but only 43% report high maturity in delivering AI-ready environments.
The report characterises this as an “intent–execution gap”, where governance is already embedded within service offerings but lacks the standardisation and automation needed to scale across diverse customer environments.
Even so, demand for governance services is rising independently of AI adoption timelines. Omdia projects compliance-related services will grow 21% in 2026, supported by regulatory requirements, audit cycles and customer expectations for continuous oversight rather than periodic checks.
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At the same time, enterprises are building AI deployments within risk management frameworks from the outset, with widespread use of data security tools, formal policies and governance controls, according to the study.
The urgency is reinforced by the rise of “shadow AI” as employees increasingly use public tools to process internal data outside governed environments, which exposes organisations to compliance and data leakage risks.
For MSPs, the constraint is increasingly operational. Among those that have yet to fully automate governance workflows, 40% cite the complexity of managing multiple customer environments as the main barrier to scaling these services.
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That complexity is driving demand for more integrated platforms. Nearly half of MSPs say they want a fully integrated system, while 91% believe combining backup and recovery with governance strengthens data protection outcomes.
Over the next 18 months, Omdia expects providers that can standardise governance, automate workflows and maintain consistency across customer environments to pull ahead, while others risk being constrained by fragmented systems and manual processes.
