Kiteworks, which empowers organisations to effectively manage risk in every send, share, receive, and use of private data, today revealed compelling evidence for its market growth through findings from the Data Security and Compliance Buyer Behavior Survey. The study, conducted by Centiment, demonstrates why regulated industries are gravitating toward the company’s Private Data Network as their solution of choice for mission-critical security and compliance challenges.
Zero-Trust Data Exchange
The Data Security and Compliance Buying Behavior Survey reveals that security is the dominant factor in vendor selection decisions. This focus on security comes at a critical time, as Google’s 2024 Zero-Day Exploitation Analysis Report found that 44% of zero-day vulnerabilities targeted enterprise data exchange systems, such as Managed File Transfer (MFT) platforms. Kiteworks’ Zero-Trust Data Exchange architecture directly addresses these vulnerabilities by ensuring that all data exchanges are authenticated, encrypted, and monitored – regardless of the communication channel or endpoint.
Compliance Certifications: A Critical Decision Factor
The survey clearly demonstrates that organisations are increasingly prioritising regulatory compliance capabilities when selecting vendors, with 31% of respondents identifying compliance as a decisive factor in their final vendor selection. This focus is driven by the need to navigate complex regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, CMMC 2.0, the EU Data Act, and the EU AI Act, effective September 2025.
The importance of compliance is further highlighted by several key findings:
· 56% of respondents rate security certifications as “extremely important” during the vendor discovery phase.
· More than half struggle to obtain adequate security information during vendor evaluations.
· 63% of respondents actively seek detailed security and compliance information before even engaging with potential vendors.
· Nearly one-quarter reject vendors over security concerns often tied to compliance failures.
Kiteworks addresses these pain points with a robust compliance framework, including FedRAMP Moderate Authorized, FedRAMP High Ready, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and IRAP validations, ensuring seamless adherence to global standards.
Compliance and Emerging Threats Require Unified Solutions
As threats continue to evolve, the need for unified compliance solutions becomes even more critical. This trend aligns with the Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, which shows third-party breaches have doubled to 30%, particularly through attacks on legacy file sharing and transfer solutions.
Kiteworks’ own annual survey reinforces this concern, finding nearly 60% of organisations lack comprehensive governance tracking and controls for their third-party data exchanges. Meanwhile, vendor reputation and stability remain key factors, with nearly two-thirds of respondents prioritising these attributes during the vetting process, including 30% indicating vendor stability is a high priority.
Integration Capabilities Enhance Value
While security and compliance form the foundation of vendor selection, the survey reveals that practical implementation concerns also heavily influence buying decisions. Seamless integration capabilities prove critical for customer satisfaction and long-term success, with 42% of survey respondents identifying integration capabilities as a key value driver. The importance of this factor is further emphasised by the 39% of respondents who reported eliminating potential vendors from consideration specifically due to inadequate integration capabilities.
Organisations considering Kiteworks benefit from its comprehensive integration capabilities:
· Enterprise Authentication & Security Integration: Seamless connectivity with LDAP/Active Directory, single sign-on solutions, SIEM platforms, Splunk, HSM, and other security tools for comprehensive identity management and threat detection
· Productivity Suite & Legacy System Support: Deep integration with Microsoft Office, Outlook, G Suite, SharePoint, internal file shares, and legacy systems to maintain user productivity while enforcing security controls
· Automation & Administration: No-code MFT automation capabilities and centralised management through a single administrative console, reducing complexity while maintaining regulatory compliance across the entire data communication ecosystem
· API Extensibility: Comprehensive REST API and SCIM support for custom integration development and automated workflows
“Customers demand solutions that deliver robust security and compliance without sacrificing usability or integration capabilities,” says Tim Freestone, Chief Marketing Officer at Kiteworks. “The survey confirms what we hear directly from our customers in regulated industries – that organisations need a unified approach to private data security that addresses the full spectrum of security threats while simplifying compliance and seamlessly integrating with existing workflows. This is precisely why our Private Data Network continues to be the preferred choice for organisations that can’t afford to compromise on data protection.”
About Kiteworks
Kiteworks’ mission is to empower organizations to effectively manage risk in every send, share, receive, and use of private data. The Kiteworks platform provides customers with a Private Data Network that delivers data governance, compliance, and protection. The platform unifies, tracks, controls, and secures sensitive data moving within, into, and out of their organization, significantly improving risk management and ensuring regulatory compliance on all private data exchanges. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Kiteworks protects over 100 million end-users and over 1,500 global enterprises and government agencies.
About Centiment
Centiment is a market research firm specializing in data collection and analysis for the cybersecurity and technology sectors. The company delivers actionable insights through customized survey design, targeted respondent recruitment, and sophisticated analytics. Centiment’s proprietary research platform ensures exceptional data quality through expert human oversight. The company serves Fortune 500 enterprises, technology vendors, and government agencies, providing intelligence for strategic decisions in evolving markets. Headquartered in Denver, Centiment conducts research globally to help organizations understand complex technology landscapes and cybersecurity trends.
