Survey of 600+ Salesforce Enterprise Architects Shows Shift Toward Independent Solutions, Enhanced Encryption, and Rising Demand for AI Security Frameworks
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 29, 2025 –– A comprehensive new survey of more than 600 Salesforce enterprise architects worldwide reveals significant shifts in data security strategies, with organizations increasingly prioritizing data sovereignty, enhanced encryption, and independent solutions as platform complexity grows. The 2025 Salesforce Architect Survey, sponsored by Odaseva, the enterprise data platform for Salesforce, and conducted by Salesforce Ben, offers insights into how enterprises are adapting their data security approaches in response to evolving regulatory requirements and technological advancements.
The survey found that organizations are strengthening their security posture across multiple dimensions: more than one-third have opportunities to enhance backup strategies, three out of four are prioritizing enhanced encryption for data in transit, and nearly two-thirds are exploring advanced data governance through archiving solutions. These findings underscore the growing importance of comprehensive data security approaches as business-critical data volumes continue to expand.
“The survey results reveal critical insights about how Salesforce organizations approach data security and management,” said Sovan Bin, CTA, CEO of Odaseva. “What’s encouraging is that more than 90% understand the necessity of specific independent solutions to manage complex Salesforce environments, and nearly 99% value Salesforce ecosystem expertise when selecting solutions. This signals that the Salesforce community recognizes they need specialized tools and vendors who truly understand the platform’s unique requirements. However, the fact that 37% don’t have backup solutions and two-thirds don’t know their recovery testing frequency shows significant gaps in fundamental data protection – a key pillar of data security. “
More than 40 Percent Understand Value of Independent Data Storage Over Platform-Dependent Solutions
The survey reveals a significant shift toward data sovereignty, with 41.9% of respondents believing their enterprise data backups are more secure when stored independently from their primary cloud platforms, compared to just 23.5% who see no concerns with platform-dependent solutions. This trend reflects growing enterprise awareness of the risks associated with single-vendor dependency following recent high-profile cloud outages.
The data sovereignty trend is particularly pronounced among large enterprises, with companies managing over 5,000 employees showing the strongest preference for independent backup solutions, suggesting that data protection strategies scale with organizational complexity.
AI Adoption Hampered by Security Concerns
Despite widespread enthusiasm for artificial intelligence tools, with 88.9% of enterprise architects using AI either regularly or occasionally, nearly half (48.9%) express serious concerns about the security implications of AI. This tension between AI adoption and security represents a significant challenge for enterprise digital transformation initiatives.
The top barriers to AI adoption mirror broader enterprise concerns: cost (21.3%), accuracy issues (18.3%), and skills gaps (17%). These findings suggest that while AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are becoming standard productivity enhancers, enterprises remain cautious about deeper AI integration without proper security frameworks.
Enterprise Software Complexity Crisis
The survey reveals that 66% of enterprise architects agree that cloud platforms are becoming increasingly complex to work with, contributing to operational challenges and skill gaps. This complexity crisis is driving organizations toward specialized solutions, with an overwhelming 93.2% believing that purpose-built data security and management solutions are necessary when dealing with large data volumes, multi-org environments, or other complex factors.
The findings suggest that the era of one-size-fits-all enterprise platforms may be coming to an end, as organizations seek solutions tailored to their specific scale and complexity requirements. This trend is particularly evident among large enterprises, where 33.4% of survey respondents work for companies with over 5,000 employees.
Majority of Salesforce Organizations Lack Visibility Into Recovery Testing
Among Salesforce organizations with backup solutions, 67.6% don’t know how often they execute recovery tests to confirm the efficacy of their backups and disaster recovery plans. This represents a significant gap in ensuring that Salesforce data can be recovered when needed, as regular recovery testing is essential to validate the effectiveness of backups.
Skills Evolution in Enterprise Architecture
Despite the challenges, enterprise architects are adapting their skill sets to meet changing demands. Communication was rated as the most important skill (4.7 out of 5), followed by diagramming capabilities (4.1 out of 5) and low-code development (3.8 out of 5). Traditional coding skills ranked lowest (3.1 out of 5), suggesting that the role is evolving toward strategic communication and solution design rather than technical implementation.
Industry Implications and Recommendations
The survey results indicate that organizations must prioritize data protection fundamentals as they navigate increasing platform complexity. Key recommendations include:
“At a time when the shape of Salesforce technology is changing, architects are as vital as ever,” Peter Chittum, Technical Content Editor at Salesforce Ben, said. “The Salesforce Ben Salesforce Architect Survey Results 2025 brings to light who architects are, how they work, where they feel confident, and where they need to grow. If you’re a Salesforce Architect, or if you work with or lead one, this report will help you better understand how this critical role fits into the Salesforce ecosystem today and how to move forward given the shifting technology world.”
Survey Methodology
The 2025 Salesforce Architect Survey was conducted among 601 Salesforce Architects across 47 countries and 18 industries. The majority of respondents (72.5%) have 5-15 years of Salesforce experience, with 64.9% having 2-10 years specifically in Salesforce Architect roles.
About Odaseva
Odaseva is an enterprise data platform that secures and manages Salesforce data for organizations with complex data challenges. Large global companies rely on Odaseva to help them navigate the growth and security of their critical Salesforce data, ensuring business continuity, regulatory compliance, and streamlined governance. Founded in 2012, Odaseva is designed and built specifically to meet the needs of large-scale Salesforce enterprises, and secures more than 100 million Salesforce users. Learn more at www.odaseva.com.
For more information about the survey findings or to access the complete report, visit Salesforce Ben.
Media Contact:
Phil LeClare
PR for Odaseva
617-899-8470
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