Confidence in recovery after a cyberattack remains much higher than the actual ability to fully restore data. This is the main conclusion of the Data Trust and Resilience Report 2026 by Veeam, a report based on responses from over 900 senior IT, security, and risk leaders worldwide. The study highlights a concerning gap: although 90% of organizations claim to trust their capacity to recover from an incident within their recovery time objectives, only 28% of ransomware victims managed to restore all affected data.
This data is especially relevant as ransomware, regulatory pressures, and the accelerated adoption of Artificial Intelligence are changing how companies understand business continuity. Having backups or declaring a recovery plan is no longer sufficient. The crucial question is whether an organization can demonstrate, with realistic evidence, that it can restore clean, reliable, and complete data when under pressure.
From backup confidence to proven data resilience
The Veeam report reflects a shift in the market: moving from “recovery confidence” to proven data resilience. The difference is significant. A company may believe it is prepared because it has backups, procedures, tools, and responsible personnel. But this confidence can be shattered if, after an attack, some data is encrypted, contaminated, incomplete, or cannot be restored within business-critical timeframes.
According to the study, organizations affected by ransomware recovered on average only 72% of the impacted data. Furthermore, 44% of victims recovered less than 75% of the compromised information. These figures show that the problem is no longer just about avoiding attacks but ensuring complete and verifiable recovery once an incident has occurred.
There is also a gap between technical objectives and business realities. Although 90% of organizations trust they can recover within their RTOs, only 69% say those recovery times are fully aligned with business continuity goals. In other words, some companies may meet their technical metrics but still fall short of what the organization truly needs to keep running.
Ransomware now impacts customers, revenue, and critical systems
Ransomware continues to be one of the major stress factors for corporate resilience. Among organizations that experienced a cyber incident, 42% reported disruptions to customers or users, 41% faced financial losses or revenue impact, and 38% suffered prolonged outages of critical systems.
These figures help explain why recovery can no longer be viewed solely as the backup team’s or IT department’s responsibility. When an attack affects operations, customers, revenue, and compliance, data resilience becomes an executive-level concern. The key questions are not just whether a copy exists, but who decides what to restore first, what “recovered” truly means, which systems are priority, and how to communicate the real business status during a crisis.
Veeam identifies four practices associated with better outcomes: clear visibility of business data and AI risks, effective security controls—not just policies—, realistic recovery testing, and executive alignment on responsibilities, metrics, and reporting.
AI accelerates data exposure faster than governance
The report also highlights an increasingly influential factor: Artificial Intelligence. 43% of respondents say that AI adoption is progressing faster than their ability to protect data and models. Another 42% admit to having limited visibility over all AI tools or models in use within their organization, while 40% acknowledge that their security policies have not yet been updated to address specific AI risks.
This point is critical. As employees use generative AI tools, assistants, agents, and external services, corporate data begins moving through new channels. Prompts containing sensitive information, documents uploaded to unauthorized platforms, models connected to internal data, or agents capable of acting on business systems may appear. If organizations are unaware of what tools are in use, what data they process, and what controls are applied, the exposure surface grows silently.
25% of respondents cite shadow IT and unauthorized use of AI tools as major concerns related to data security. This figure points to an already known problem, amplified by the ease of access to AI services: users adopt tools before IT, security, and compliance teams have established clear frameworks.
More budget, better results
The report also notes that budget influences recovery outcomes. 49% of organizations increased cybersecurity spending compared to the previous year. According to Veeam, companies that increased their budgets were more likely to invest in basic resilience capabilities, such as immutable storage and automated backups, and achieved better results against ransomware.
The difference is notable: full recovery success was significantly higher among organizations with increased budgets, at 40% compared to only 16% of those without additional funding. Spending more does not automatically guarantee good recovery, but it indicates that resilience requires ongoing investment, testing, automation, and effective controls.
Regulation is also emerging as a key driver. 33% of survey respondents cite regulatory changes as one of the main emerging threats—closely followed by 36% citing cyberattacks. This shows that companies must not only recover technically but also demonstrate compliance, traceability, and control to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements.
The final message of the report is clear: in 2026, data resilience cannot be based on assumptions. It must be demonstrated. Leading organizations will be those capable of knowing what data they have, where it resides, who can access it, how it is protected, and how quickly it can be restored clean and reliable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Data Trust and Resilience Report 2026 by Veeam reveal?
The report uncovers a gap between declared confidence and actual recovery. Although 90% of organizations trust they can recover from a cyber incident within their goals, only 28% of ransomware victims managed to restore all impacted data.
What percentage of data do companies typically recover after ransomware?
According to Veeam, affected organizations recover on average 72% of impacted data. Additionally, 44% recover less than 75% of the affected information.
Why does AI increase risks to business data?
Because it accelerates data movement between applications, models, agents, and external services. The report states that 43% believe AI adoption is outpacing their ability to protect data and models.
What practices improve recovery efforts against ransomware?
Veeam highlights four key practices: visibility into data and AI risks, effective security controls, realistic recovery testing, and executive alignment regarding responsibilities, metrics, and continuity objectives.
via: veeam