A recent Barclays report finds that 86% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) plan to shift some of their workloads off public cloud services, while only 8% to 9% intend to leave the public cloud entirely, according to data from IDC. The findings point to a broader rethinking of enterprise cloud strategy and a growing demand for alternative storage solutions — a shift that could increase adoption and market share for decentralized storage networks such as Filecoin.

Barclays is a UK-based multinational bank, and IDC (International Data Corporation) is a market intelligence firm whose research is widely used to benchmark enterprise technology spending. The pattern the report captures — moving selected workloads off public cloud while continuing to use it for others — is commonly described in the industry as "cloud repatriation" or a hybrid cloud strategy, in which enterprises combine public cloud, private infrastructure, and alternative providers rather than relying on a single environment.

The Key Development

The cloud storage market reached a reported $173 billion in 2026, with object storage standing out as the fastest-growing segment at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.1%. The growth reflects a wider industry shift as organizations reassess where and how their data is stored. Major technology players, meanwhile, forecast combined capital expenditure of $725 billion for 2026, underlining the scale of investment flowing into cloud and storage infrastructure.

Filecoin is a decentralized storage network that aims to provide a more efficient and secure way to store data. Launched in 2020 by Protocol Labs — the team behind the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) — the protocol uses its native token, FIL, to pay for storage and retrieval services. On the network, independent storage providers offer capacity and earn FIL in return, with cryptographic proof mechanisms such as Proof-of-Replication and Proof-of-Spacetime verifying that data is stored and remains stored over time — a model that contrasts with the centralized data-center infrastructure of the major public cloud providers. Because the network was designed specifically for decentralized storage workloads, it is positioned to address new demands arising from the evolving cloud landscape described in the Barclays findings. Filecoin addressed the report on X: Filecoin on X.

What to Watch

The gap between the report's two figures — 86% shifting some workloads versus 8% to 9% leaving entirely — points to selective, workload-by-workload rebalancing rather than wholesale cloud exit, which would spread storage demand across public cloud, private infrastructure, and alternative providers. The pace at which CIOs act on their stated plans to move workloads off public cloud will be a key indicator for the storage industry. As enterprises increasingly opt for alternatives to public cloud, adoption of decentralized storage networks such as Filecoin could rise notably, and the market's response to these enterprise trends will be a focal point for observers of the sector.

Source: Coinfomania