--- title: "Survey Says: Cyber Recovery is More Complicated Than Disaster Recovery" type: "BlogPosting" language: "en-US" url: "https://www.commvault.com/blogs/survey-says-cyber-recovery-is-more-complicated-than-disaster-recovery" date: "2025-07-09T12:59:00-04:00" modified: "2026-03-24T18:19:25-04:00" description: "What’s the difference between disaster recovery and cyber recovery? A deeper dive reveals significant differences." image: "https://www.commvault.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Survey-Says.png" authors: - name: "Jason Meserve" jobTitle: "Director of Social Marketing, Commvault" breadcrumbs: - name: "Commvault Home" url: "https://www.commvault.com/" - name: "Blogs" url: "https://www.commvault.com/blogs" - name: "Survey says cyber recovery is more complicated than disaster recovery" --- # Survey Says: Cyber Recovery is More Complicated Than Disaster Recovery What’s the difference between disaster recovery and cyber recovery? While they might seem similar at first, a deeper dive reveals significant differences. --- We partnered with ESG to explore these distinctions, surveying 500 IT and security leaders worldwide. Our findings, detailed in the report [“Preparedness Gap: Why Cyber-recovery Demands a Different Approach From Disaster Recovery,”](https://www.commvault.com/resources/ebook/cyber-recovery-demands-a-different-approach-from-disaster-recovery) highlight the greater complexity and reach of cyber recovery (CR). --- This free report is packed with data that could change your approach to CR. --- ### 6 Key Findings --- ##### 1. Confidence is not high --- Only 26% of respondents are confident in their ability to protect all mission-critical applications and data. And only 20% are confident they’re protecting all apps and data needed to remain operational. --- ##### 2. Complexity and differentiation --- CR is significantly more complicated than traditional disaster recovery (DR). Among our respondents, 70% say CR is either more complex, takes longer, or both. While both aim to restore operations, CR involves additional steps for successful recovery. --- ##### 3. Greater challenges with cyber recovery --- Nearly all respondents (91%) say the complexity with CR begins with spending significant time and effort on forensic analysis to determine the full scope of the incident. And 85% say recovery without establishing a cleanroom environment creates significant risk of reinfection. A similar number of respondents (83%) fear that rushing to recover from a cyber incident could destroy valuable evidence. --- ##### 4. Specialized processes and technologies --- It’s not just the extra steps needed that makes CR more complicated. Effective CR requires specialized processes and technologies as well. Sixty-four percent of respondents say the technologies for CR are more complex than traditional DR. And people skills are a problem. Fifty-nine percent of respondents report finding and retaining staff with the right skills is harder for CR, than DR. --- ##### 5. Attacks are targeting more than data --- Ransomware payments are typically motivated by RTO needs, so attackers know that taking out the backup infrastructure will exacerbate the situation for the victim. Among our respondents, 92% say they’ve suffered from attacks that explicitly target backups, and 71% say those kinds of attacks account for half or more of all attacks. The good news is nearly all (96%) report that they’re taking extra measures to protect at least some or all of their backup copies. --- ##### 6. Alignment with disaster recovery --- It’s not all black and white when it comes to DR vs CR. Despite the differences, many organizations integrate CR planning into their broader DR programs. Over 52% of organizations include CR as part of their DR strategy, and even when managed separately, there is a high degree of alignment in processes and protocols. --- ### Why a Different Emphasis on Cyber Recovery Matters --- Let’s be honest, ransomware attacks are downright nasty. Aside from the obvious data loss and downtime: --- - 44% of respondents report reputational damage and customer loss. - 42% report theft of sensitive data from employees/customers/partners. - 40% report compliance violations. - 32% say such attacks resulted in third-party liability/legal action. --- On the financial side, nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) report having paid a ransom last year, with the average largest payment reportedly being nearly $3 million. Given those high stakes, it’s vital to learn all you can to prepare your organization to tackle the complexities of CR. --- Take a look at the full report [here](https://www.commvault.com/resources/ebook/cyber-recovery-demands-a-different-approach-from-disaster-recovery). If you’re looking to bolster your CR capabilities, I invite you to check out [Beyond Disaster Recovery: Why You Need a Different Strategy When Ransomware Strikes](https://www.commvault.com/gc/disaster-recovery-vs-cyber-recovery). --- **Learn More** --- Watch our webinar “[Cracking the Code: Recover 99% Faster from Cyber Attacks](https://discover.commvault.com/webinar-cracking-the-code-recover-faster-registration.html)” to learn how you can improve your cyber recovery plan and minimize downtime. --- And check out these other blogs in our series on cyber resilience and minimum viability: --- - [The Urgent Need for Cyber Resilience](/blogs/the-urgent-need-for-cyber-resilience) - [Building Stakeholder Alignment for Cyber Resilience](https://www.commvault.com/blogs/building-stakeholder-alignment-for-cyber-resilience) - [Minimum Viable Recovery: What Your Business Truly Can’t Function Without](https://www.commvault.com/blogs/minimum-viable-recovery-what-your-business-truly-cant-function-without) - [Recovery Testing: The Missing Piece in Most Cyber Resilience Programs](https://www.commvault.com/blogs/recovery-testing-the-missing-piece-in-most-cyber-resilience-programs)