A survey of 1,000 CEOs by 3Gem for Decodo finds that 37% of businesses struggle with budget and resource constraints when accessing external data. Other key barriers include IP blocks and geo-restrictions (33%), lack of expertise (32%), poor data quality, CAPTCHA, and limited infrastructure (all 29%), alongside tool gaps, unreliable sources, and unclear ROI.
New research from Decodo.com highlights the biggest challenges businesses encounter when scaling their operations using external data, with budget pressures, technical barriers, and infrastructure gaps emerging as the most common obstacles.
The survey, carried out among 1,000 CEOs and decision-makers, finds that 37% of respondents cite budget and resource constraints as the leading barrier to collecting the data required for business growth. Other significant issues include IP blocks and geo-restrictions (33%), a lack of technical expertise (32%), CAPTCHAs and anti-bot measures (29%), and limited infrastructure (29%).
Budget Constraints Remain the Primary Obstacle
While the ability to access and utilise external data is increasingly critical for businesses, financial restrictions remain the most pressing challenge.
“Budget and resource constraints remain the biggest obstacles for businesses trying to scale their data operations. While high-quality data often comes at a cost, choosing a trusted provider ensures safer, more reliable solutions that pay off in the long run.”
“One easy way to save money without losing quality is by comparing providers. We suggest choosing a provider that offers rotating residential IPs instead of large, cheap pools because this helps prevent your requests from getting blocked and saves you time. Good providers also offer built-in error handling and support, so your team spends less time fixing issues. Start small with affordable tools and only scale up as your data needs grow – it’s a tested approach to successfully keeping costs and resources under control,” says Vaidotas Juknys, Head of Commerce at Decodo.
Anti-Bot Technology Creates Technical Barriers
The report shows that roughly one-third of businesses struggle with IP blocks, geo-restrictions, and CAPTCHAs, which are becoming harder to overcome as websites strengthen anti-bot protections.
“Roughly a third of companies from our research cite IP blocks, geo-restrictions, and CAPTCHAs as the top technical barriers to collecting public web data. These challenges are only growing as anti-bot measures become more advanced. We’ve developed a robust approach to overcome these limitations – leveraging proxy networks combined with intelligent web scrapers to reliably access public data at scale, without getting blocked,” adds Juknys.
Safe and Ethical Approaches to Data Access
Industry experts caution against relying on outdated scraping tools or free proxy services, warning that such methods can lead to blocked requests, operational disruption, and reputational damage.
“Overcoming IP blocks, geo-restrictions, and CAPTCHAs requires a combination of smart technology and global infrastructure. It’s not just about bypassing roadblocks – it’s about doing it right.
“We’ve seen companies get blocked or flagged because they’re using outdated tools, unreliable free proxies or aggressive scraping tactics. That’s risky. At Decodo, we use proxies with ethically-sourced IPs that simulate real user behaviour and distribute requests in a way that’s both effective and compliant. That said, we respect the rules set by websites, including their robots.txt files, and never aim to overwhelm or exploit them. Our goal is to responsibly access publicly available data at scale, aligning with anti-bot principles for ethical, non-disruptive automation.
“Our all-in-one web scraper is designed to adapt to complex anti-bot systems. It can detect and respond to CAPTCHAs automatically, rotate IPs intelligently, and access 195+ global locations, all while keeping the user’s identity secure and operations under control.
“When it comes to public web data, being fast isn’t enough — you also need to be smart. Every data-driven business relies on quality data, but with anti-bot protections becoming more sophisticated, collecting that data isn’t as simple as it used to be. Fortunately, web scrapers have evolved too. Using proxies, they can bypass CAPTCHAs and unlock access to region-restricted content. This powerful combo also saves users hours of manual work and offers a cost-effective alternative to buying multiple expensive datasets,” says Justinas Tamaševičius, Head of Engineering at Decodo.
The research emphasises that relying on low-quality or outdated scraping tools not only increases the chance of being blocked, but also exposes businesses to reputational harm. To counter this, Decodo promotes the use of scalable and compliant infrastructure designed to function within global restrictions while maintaining ethical standards.
About the Survey
The research, conducted by independent agency 3Gem, surveyed 1,000 CEOs and decision-makers. Respondents identified the following as the most common barriers to accessing external data:
- Budget or resource constraints – 37%
- IP blocks or geo-restrictions – 33%
- Lack of technical expertise – 32%
- Poor data quality or inconsistency – 29%
- CAPTCHAs and anti-bot measures – 29%
- Limited internal infrastructure – 29%
- Lack of suitable tools or software – 24%
- Unreliable data sources – 22%
- Unclear ROI or business case – 16%
About Decodo
Decodo is a global provider of web data collection infrastructure. The company offers a robust platform with more than 125 million ethically sourced IPs across 195+ locations, supporting multiple proxy types, alongside an all-in-one scraping API and complimentary tools. This infrastructure is designed to help businesses collect and manage public web data efficiently, securely, and responsibly.
Himani Verma is a seasoned content writer and SEO expert, with experience in digital media. She has held various senior writing positions at enterprises like CloudTDMS (Synthetic Data Factory), Barrownz Group, and ATZA. Himani has also been Editorial Writer at Hindustan Time, a leading Indian English language news platform. She excels in content creation, proofreading, and editing, ensuring that every piece is polished and impactful. Her expertise in crafting SEO-friendly content for multiple verticals of businesses, including technology, healthcare, finance, sports, innovation, and more.
