Recent research conducted by Veeam and McKinsey reveals a concerning disconnect in organizational preparedness. While 30% of CIOs rate their data resilience as above average, fewer than 10% actually meet that standard. This misalignment carries significant consequences, with IT downtime costing Global 2000 companies more than
400 billion annually – averaging 200 million in losses per enterprise due to operational disruptions, recovery expenses, and reputational harm.

“Data resilience is critical to survival—and most companies are operating in the dark,” said Anand Eswaran, CEO of Veeam. “The new Veeam DRMM is more than just a model; it’s a wake-up call that equips leaders with the tools and insights necessary to transform wishful thinking into actionable, radical resilience, enabling them to start protecting their data with the same urgency as they protect their revenue, employees, customers, and brand.”

The Veeam DRMM provides organizations with a structured methodology to assess and enhance their resilience across three core dimensions: data strategy, people and processes, and technology. As the only industry framework developed by a consortium of experts, it offers a complete view of cyber resilience, disaster recovery, and operational continuity.

The study highlights that 74% of organizations operate at the two lowest maturity levels, leaving them vulnerable to extended outages and data loss. In contrast, companies achieving the highest maturity level recover from incidents seven times faster, experience three times less downtime, and suffer four times less data loss than their peers. Alarmingly, the research also found that 30% of CIOs at the least resilient organizations incorrectly believe their capabilities are stronger than they actually are, creating dangerous blind spots.

“Data resilience isn’t just about protecting data, it’s about protecting the entire business,” Eswaran continued. “This is the difference between shutting down operations during an outage or keeping the business running. It’s the difference between paying a ransom or not. It provides the foundation for AI innovation, compliance, trust, and long-term performance – including competitive advantage.”

Developed in collaboration with McKinsey & Company and validated by insights from more than 500 IT and security leaders, the DRMM has already delivered measurable results. Implementations include a healthcare network that reduced outage costs by $5 million per incident and a multinational bank that eliminated cyber incidents entirely after adopting the framework alongside Veeam’s platform.

Investments in data resilience yield substantial returns, according to the research. For every dollar spent on resilience measures, organizations typically see $3 to $5 in benefits—with some achieving returns as high as $10 through improved uptime, reduced incident costs, and greater operational agility. These tangible benefits have propelled data resilience to become the second-highest priority for IT leaders, surpassed only by cost optimization.

”As organizations increasingly recognize the growing risks associated with data outages and cyber threats, the report underscores the importance of a collective commitment from executives beyond the IT department, to data resilience,” said George Westerman, Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “Data outages can severely impact customer-facing capabilities and erode shareholder trust of an organization. But even more, they can be a signal of immature IT management processes that have led to overly complex, hard to manage, IT infrastructure. The Digital Resilience Maturity Model highlights ways that businesses can equip themselves to handle today’s challenges while being ready for tomorrow’s opportunities.”

The DRMM categorizes organizational resilience into four progressive stages. At the Basic level, companies rely on reactive, manual processes with high exposure to risk. Intermediate organizations demonstrate reliability but struggle with fragmented systems lacking automation. Advanced enterprises take a strategic, proactive approach but may lack full integration. The pinnacle Best-in-Class tier represents fully resilient organizations leveraging autonomous operations and AI optimization.