Introduction

We live in an online world.

A world governed by the power of data.

Yet it is also a world in which the digital landscape is constantly changing. Amid this rising turbulence and regular geopolitical shifts, businesses here in Ireland are having to navigate their way through increasing complexities around data hosting.

Here at Hosting Ireland, we wanted to understand how much Irish businesses understand about where their data is located and whether the changing times we live in have caused them to re-assess their digital priorities.

Collectively, as part of team.blue, we surveyed our European customer base and received more than 200 responses from Irish businesses.

The results are striking, painting an interesting picture of the shape of Irish data hosting in 2025.

Key Findings

• 68% don’t know if their data is located purely within the EU
• 45% have recently started becoming worried about data location
• 73% have concerns about their data being hosted in the US specifically

Business Size

50% of those representatives who replied were senior leaders within their organisation – CEOs, CTOs, directors or high-level managers. To have such senior people responding to us indicates just how important the issue of data sovereignty is regarded within the business world.

The vast majority (82%) of responses were from small businesses with less than 10 employees. A further 11% came from companies with 11-50 staff members. Hosting Ireland are primarily known for the digital services we offer to small businesses, so it is perhaps not surprising that they represented the majority of those who responded to us.

Nevertheless, this does strongly suggest that it is not just massive corporations that are thinking about data. The everyday small businesses that form the beating heart of the Irish economy are also seriously considering this increasingly important topic.

Industry Sector

For this question we wanted to understand which industries our respondents operated in. A fifth of them told us they were from the Technology sector, indicating that IT companies are leading the charge on this vital issue.

Another notable presence came from the Healthcare sector, forming 12% of received responses. This is the industry that handles what is arguably the most important and sensitive data of all – our patient medical records. It is therefore encouraging to see that they are invested in ensuring their data remains in key, trusted locations.

Data Hosting Landscape

Now we come to one of the most pressing questions. Where exactly is Ireland’s data being hosted?

This was the question that produced the highest number of responses, so clearly was the one that resonated the most with businesses. Just over a third of those who replied hosted with us, or another team.blue brand, indicating that keeping it local is a key ongoing concern.

Global players Google and Microsoft were the next most popular choices. Whilst this does give businesses great flexibility and ease of access, it may expose them at some point to concerns around sovereignty and trust.

Worryingly, a staggering 68% have no idea whether their current provider stores their data exclusively within the EU. This represents a significant information gap and one that we recommend applicable businesses try to fill in as soon as possible. It is our hope that this report helps to raise awareness on the importance of this topic.

Recent Concern

Next, we wanted to understand whether businesses have recently started becoming more worried about where their data is hosted.

A sizeable 45% told us that they had indeed experienced an increase in concern over the last few months. Tellingly, this concern isn’t just coming from the company directors, but also employees and customers as well.

This is a strong indication that data location is now a wide-ranging concern, one that could seriously impact customer acquisition and brand loyalty if it is left unchecked.

When we specifically asked about hosting in the US, 73% of businesses indicated that the current geopolitical situation is causing them to become concerned about storing data there.

The message here is loud and clear: geopolitical shifts are causing organisations to think long and hard about data location.

Conclusion

When we conceived this survey, our objective was to understand whether world events cause business attitudes about data to shift.

Here’s a quick recap of what we discovered:

• Keeping data local, with a trusted supplier, is a key consideration
• There is uncertainty among many about where their data currently is
• Concerns about data location, particularly in the US, are on the rise

It’s clear that there is scope for further education here, as this report highlights some gaps in knowledge amongst businesses. Yet it is also abundantly clear that geopolitical shifts are indeed shaping the concerns of Irish businesses; an issue that may previously have been regarded as purely an IT one is now being given due consideration by all walks of life.

About Hosting Ireland

Hosting Ireland is part of team.blue, a European ecosystem of technical powerhouses, several of which are market leaders in their respective countries. Together with LetsHost and Register365, Hosting Ireland is part of a trio of brands which form the group’s core presence in Ireland.

Proudly based in Waterford, we have been providing world-class domain name registration and hosting services to businesses throughout Ireland for over 15 years.

We are fully ICANN Accredited and an Accredited Registrar for .ie and .eu domain names, as well as a Channel Partner for .uk and .co.uk domain names. We specialise in all aspects of web hosting, delivering everything from cloud web hosting, optimised WordPress and enterprise hosting to cloud servers and dedicated servers. In addition, we provide a range of website builder and email products, all designed to assist small to medium businesses in achieving online success.