The Gartner survey also showed that IT managers are more comfortable considering managed storage services to copy data off-site. Over the past two years, Couture said, surveys have shown that between 30 percent and 40 percent of IT managers would never use a third-party service provider. But in the most recent survey, that number had plummeted to just 6 percent.

"The survey showed me the barriers to managed service providers are really coming down," he said.

The survey also showed that security is becoming a priority for IT managers because of a number of highly publicized data-loss incidents this year. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said they encrypt all backup files, and 50 percent said they will review internal policies surrounding access to backup data.

"One of the advantages of using a service provider for remote backup service is they encrypt everything before it's set, and of course, nobody is touching a physical tape or putting it on the truck," Couture said.

The prospect of service-provider culpability is also a top concern for many respondents, with 40 percent saying they plan to review the security policies and procedures of their physical tape archiving service providers. Another one-third said they may switch to another service provider.