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Veeam 09.qxd 01-<strong>Dec</strong>-23 10:54 AM Page 3<br />

RESEARCH: RANSOMWARE<br />

"It's understandable that ransomware is a leading cause of stress for business leaders<br />

and their employees, especially as it's now a case of 'how often' rather than 'if' or 'when'<br />

cyber-attacks will strike. With cybercriminals constantly evolving the pursuit of their next<br />

victim, businesses must do all they can to reduce ransomware's human and economic<br />

consequences by protecting and backing up their data to ensure rapid recovery after an<br />

attack. This will not only keep businesses running as usual in the face of the very real<br />

threat of ransomware but will also considerably alleviate the ripple effects it can have on<br />

people and businesses."<br />

costs, nearly half (49%) experienced increased<br />

customer complaints, and 47% reported team<br />

stress.<br />

largest brunt, with 82% while other business<br />

units not usually associated with dealing with<br />

the aftermath such as operations (73%),<br />

production/R&D (73%) and HR (70%), were<br />

also adversely influenced.<br />

The undesirable consequences people are<br />

experiencing may be partly attributed to the<br />

effect ransomware attacks can have on their<br />

careers and livelihoods. According to the<br />

survey, 20% of businesses considered<br />

dissolving within a year of an attack, 32%<br />

reported that their staff worked longer hours,<br />

and 42% of respondents said they experienced<br />

greater than normal customer losses.<br />

Given the significant financial damage<br />

caused by ransomware, it's clear why some<br />

businesses don't make it. As well as the cost of<br />

the ransom itself - if paid - companies lost an<br />

average of 35% of their annual turnover in the<br />

three months following an attack, and 39%<br />

lost over 40%. 28% experienced a revenuehitting<br />

drop in productivity.<br />

SKILLS ISSUES<br />

At the same time, businesses are battling the<br />

ongoing skills shortage and challenging<br />

economic conditions, making the effects of<br />

ransomware even greater. In the wake of an<br />

incident, 56% said they had increased hiring<br />

Dan Middleton, Regional Vice President UK&I<br />

at Veeam, said about the findings: "It's<br />

understandable that ransomware is a leading<br />

cause of stress for business leaders and their<br />

employees, especially as it's now a case of<br />

'how often' rather than 'if' or 'when' cyberattacks<br />

will strike. With cybercriminals<br />

constantly evolving the pursuit of their next<br />

victim, businesses must do all they can to<br />

reduce ransomware's human and economic<br />

consequences by protecting and backing up<br />

their data to ensure rapid recovery after an<br />

attack. This will not only keep businesses<br />

running as usual in the face of the very real<br />

threat of ransomware but will also considerably<br />

alleviate the ripple effects it can have on<br />

people and businesses."<br />

The findings highlight the urgent need for<br />

businesses to build up cyber resilience.<br />

Fortunately, companies are taking steps to<br />

tackle the ransomware threat head-on. 43% of<br />

those surveyed implemented a backup and<br />

recovery strategy after experiencing an attack,<br />

and 37% optimised their backup and recovery<br />

strategy, showing how backup is increasingly<br />

viewed as the best line of defence.<br />

More info: www.veeam.com<br />

www.storagemagazine.co.uk<br />

@<strong>ST</strong>MagAndAwards <strong>Nov</strong>/<strong>Dec</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />

<strong>ST</strong>ORAGE<br />

MAGAZINE<br />

09

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