The company specialized in on-premise backup storage Object First has published a study on ransomware that it commissioned from the consulting firm Omdia, according to which 83% of organizations have been victims of a successful ransomware attack in the last 24 months.
The results also show that it is becoming more difficult to recover from attacks. In fact, only 39% of organizations recovered at least 75% of their data after an attack, down from 57% in 2024.
The survey confirms that disruptions caused by ransomware are no longer a matter of “if” but rather “when,” and that organizations are increasingly prioritizing demonstrable recovery from absolutely immutable backup storage as the ultimate defense.
Absolute immutability of managers
According to Omdia, “absolute immutability means that no one can modify or delete backup data, not even the most privileged administrator in an organization or an attacker with access to all IT secrets.” 93% of executives surveyed consider absolute immutability to be a fundamental requirement for backup storage, but only 16% say their current backup storage environment meets this standard, suggesting that an “immutability gap” is exposing organizations to greater risk.
Main conclusions of the study:
· Technology leaders are losing ground to perpetrators of ransomware attacks: 83% of organizations have been the victim of a successful ransomware attack in the last 24 months, up from 66% in 2024. Of the organizations attacked, 75% suffered multiple interruptions to their services.
· Data recoverability is declining: Only 39% recovered at least 75% of their data after an attack, down from 57% in 2024. 76% reported that their largest data loss incident exceeded their recovery point objectives (RPO).
· Taking longer to restore operations: 39% maintained a recovery time objective (RTO) of five days or less, up from 49% in 2024. 64% experienced an outage that exceeded their RTO goals. · Absolute immutability is essential for effective recovery: 83% consider backup storage to be the last line of defense against ransomware, and 93% want backup storage with absolute immutability, but only 16% said their backup storage meets that standard.
· Vendor claims require independent testing: 89% confirm that vendor claims about immutability cannot be taken for granted and require third-party validation before they can be trusted.
· Line of business leaders and senior managers seek business resilience: 73% of line of business leaders and senior managers consider fully immutable backups to be a requirement for an effective business resilience strategy.
Ensure reliable backup recovery
“Ransomware can cause a business continuity crisis, and data shows that many organizations are falling short in ensuring reliable recovery,” said Simon Robinson, Principal Analyst at Omdia. “While most technology leaders recognize the importance of immutable backups, the study reveals a clear gap between perceived immutability and absolute immutability. Closing that gap is essential for organizations that need to be confident that their backup data will still be recoverable when attacks occur.”
Ransomware can cause a business continuity crisis
“When ransomware strikes, recovery cannot rely on backups that can still be altered, deleted or compromised,” says David Bennett, CEO of Object First. “Omdia’s study reinforces what we hear every day from our customers: absolutely immutable backup storage is the last line of defense against ransomware. Organizations need to be confident that even if attackers gain access to IT credentials or compromise production systems, their backup data will still be protected and recoverable.”
You can read Omdia’s report titled “Uncompromising Recovery: Data-Driven Case for Absolutely Immutable Backup Storage.”
