New Veeam Data Trust and Resilience Report finds 90% of security leaders believe they can recover quickly but only 28% fully restore data after a ransomware attack
Veeam® Software, the Data and AI Trust Company, released the Data Trust and Resilience Report 2026, revealing a growing disconnect between how confident organizations feel about cyber resilience and the reality of recovery outcomes. As ransomware, regulatory pressure, and AI-driven data risk grow, even mature organizations are finding that confidence in recovery and proof of recovery are fundamentally different capabilities.
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“Confidence in recovery from a ransomware attack is high, but the data tells a different story – and AI is only widening that gap,” said Anand Eswaran, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Veeam
The Veeam Data Trust and Resilience Report 2026, based on insights from more than 900 senior IT, security and risk leaders worldwide, found that while 90% of organizations express confidence in their ability to recover from a cyber incident, fewer than one in three ransomware victims fully recovered their data. On average, organizations recovered just 72% of affected data following a ransomware attack.
“Confidence in recovery from a ransomware attack is high, but the data tells a different story – and AI is only widening that gap,” said Anand Eswaran, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Veeam. “Even the most sophisticated organizations are discovering that confidence in recovery and proof of recovery are fundamentally different capabilities. Data resilience is still the hard requirement: knowing what data you have, where it lives, who can access it, and proving you can restore clean, trusted data fast when attackers – or operational failures – put the business under pressure. The infrastructure for deploying AI has rapidly outpaced the ability to secure it. Organizations need end-to-end capabilities to understand, secure, protect, govern and ensure their data is resilient at machine speed.”
“Veeam is redefining data resilience for the agentic era, where AI agents, apps, and data move faster than traditional controls. Our unified trusted platform, strengthened by our recent acquisition of Securiti AI, delivers the visibility, precision, and trust required to operationalize resilience so businesses can adopt AI safely without compromising recovery, compliance, or continuity. The organizations that will lead tomorrow are those proving trust, not just believing in it – and this is the new standard Veeam is setting for the industry.”
Key Findings: Confidence Is High, But There’s a Critical Shift from Confidence to Proven Recovery
The 2026 report highlights why “recovery confidence” must be paired with validated recovery capabilities and measurable outcomes:
- 90% say they’re confident they can recover from a cyber incident within RTOs yet only 69% say RTOs are fully aligned with business continuity goals.
- Among organizations hit by ransomware where operations or data were affected, only 28% fully recovered all affected data; 44% recovered less than 75%.
- Among organizations that experienced a cyber incident, 42% reported customer/constituent disruption, 41% reported financial loss or revenue impact, and 38% reported extended downtime of critical systems.
- Regulation is becoming a core resilience driver as 33% cite regulatory shifts as a top emerging threat—nearly matching cyberattacks (36%).
AI Is Moving Faster Than Governance – and Increasing Data Exposure
As AI shifts from experimentation to execution, the report shows many organizations are struggling to maintain visibility and control over data flows across apps, clouds, and third‑party services.
- 43% say AI adoption is outpacing their ability to secure data and models.
- 42% report limited visibility into all AI tools or models used across the organization.
- 40% say security policies have not yet been updated to address AI‑specific risks.
- 25% say shadow IT and unauthorized AI tool usage are a primary concern related to employee AI tool use and data security.
What Separates Stronger Recoveries: Four Practices That Matter
Across industries and maturity levels, the report identifies four capabilities consistently linked to stronger outcomes:
- Clear visibility into enterprise data and AI risk in production and in backup data.
- Enforced security controls (not policy alone).
- Proven recovery through realistic testing and validation.
- Executive alignment on ownership, reporting, and “what recovered means.”
One clear signal of moving from intent to execution: organizations with enforceable controls such as data loss prevention (DLP) reported measurably better visibility and less security lag as AI usage expands.
Budgets, Metrics and Measured Readiness Drive Better Outcomes
The report also finds that resilience improves when readiness becomes measurable, and leadership sees risk in business terms:
- 49% increased cybersecurity budgets year-over-year.
- Organizations with budget increases were more likely to invest in resilience fundamentals like immutable storage and automated backup – and reported better ransomware outcomes.
- Full recovery was significantly higher among organizations reporting increased budgets (40% vs. 16%).
The report underscores a pivotal reality for business leaders: AI is amplifying both opportunity and operational exposure, and recovery plans must evolve beyond assumptions. Data trust isn’t a statement – it’s a capability proven through controls, clarity, and clean recovery.
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