Approximately 55% of Information Systems Departments Utilize Generative AI in Business, 42% Consider Full Migration to Cloud Storage

DirectCloud Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Jeongseon An; hereinafter, DirectCloud), which simplifies the sharing of intelligence, conducted a survey on "Cloud Storage and Generative AI Usage" targeting 956 employees in information system-related departments. Today, we released a whitepaper summarizing the survey results, titled "2026 Cloud Storage Usage Status."

### Survey Background Amidst the demand for corporate DX promotion and enhanced security, the business utilization of generative AI (such as ChatGPT, Claude) is rapidly advancing. This survey aimed to clarify the actual state of data management in the AI era and the changing role of cloud storage.

### Survey Highlights - Generative AI Business Utilization: Approximately 55% (54.7%) are already utilizing generative AI in their work, combining "actively promoting company-wide utilization (29.7%)" and "utilizing in some departments (25.0%)." - Full Migration to Cloud Storage: Regarding a full migration from the current storage environment to cloud storage, 42.4% of companies are positively considering it ("considering: 11.0%," "somewhat considering: 31.4%"). - Interest in the Latest Standard "MCP": If cloud storage supports "MCP (Model Context Protocol)," a standard that allows AI tools to directly access internal files, 42.2% responded positively to its introduction ("definitely want to introduce/utilize: 12.4%," "want to consider depending on conditions: 29.8%").

Detailed Data Available in the Main Whitepaper The data introduced in this press release is only a part of the survey results. The full whitepaper, available for free download, includes the following detailed survey results with graphs: - Specific dissatisfactions with current file servers/NAS - Objectives for introducing cloud storage and key selection criteria - Details of hurdles (concerns) for full cloud storage migration - Expected uses and concerns when utilizing cloud storage as an AI data foundation - Functions expected to be added/enhanced in cloud storage in the future Please utilize this document as a resource for understanding next-generation data management methods leveraging AI and the actual cloud storage operations of other companies. Download the whitepaper for free here.

### Survey Overview - Target: Employees in information system-related departments - Number of responses: 956 - Survey period: March 31, 2026 - April 7, 2026 - Survey method: Internet survey *Source: DirectCloud Co., Ltd. survey

### Company Overview Company Name: DirectCloud Co., Ltd. Location: PMO Higashi-Shinbashi 7F, 2-12-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Representative: Jeongseon An, Representative Director Capital: 40 million JPY Established: May 2004 URL: https://directcloud.co.jp/company#com-profile

DirectCloud provides secure environments compliant with corporate security policies for inter-company file sharing and hybrid workspaces. This service is a cloud file server that intelligently manages data such as complex access rights and information leakage countermeasures in the cloud. It also serves as a data infrastructure that can efficiently utilize data with generative AI. Furthermore, it comprehensively supports corporate data management by easily performing data lifecycle management and long-term backups.