Ransomware is evolving at a faster pace than ever before. Advanced techniques previously reserved for multinational giants are now being inflicted upon even the lowliest SMBs. Organisations that invested in their cyber security to fend off existing threats now face a fresh wave of dangers.
But this never-ending cycle still beats the alternative. You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone, and the same goes for your data. When everything grinds to a screeching halt and an emergency board meeting gets called to choose between handing over this year’s profits and ripping up next quarter’s business plan, you’ll spend the sleepless nights that follow wondering what might have been done differently.
The consequences of paying a ransom
To pay or not to pay, that is the question – one that businesses are being forced to ponder with growing regularity. But the evidence shows that the choice is even bleaker than it first appears.
Hiscox’s 2024 Cyber Readiness Report surveyed over 2,000 professionals responsible for managing their organisations’ cyber security strategies across Europe and the US. Among companies who decided to pay off ransomware gangs, only 18% got all their data back afterwards. For 10% of respondents, the consequences were even worse. Not only did they not manage to retrieve their data, but the hackers went ahead and leaked it anyway, just for kicks.
Reputational damage
The knock-on effects are equally catastrophic. According to the report, 47% of businesses that experienced a public cyberattack struggled to attract new clients due to a loss of trust. Another 64% lost existing customers or partners as a result.
This is the reality of ransomware in 2025. That agonising decision over whether to pay is actually largely meaningless in the wider scheme of things. You’re unlikely to see your data again regardless, and even if you are among the tiny minority lucky enough to regain all your data, the sight of having to pay off cybercriminals is enough to send clients running into the arms of your competitors.
Why cyber resilience is the solution
A desperate business is a doomed business. No amount of marketing can mask an organisation that has to capitulate to criminals. No PR manager can put a positive spin on a hostage situation. But if you do find yourself staring down the barrel of a ransomware attack, there’s a two-word cheat code that can save you from ruin: cyber resilience.
With a strong data backup and recovery strategy, even the most malicious form of ransomware can be met with a shrug. If the attackers can’t access your backups, they lose their leverage.
Three core cyber resilience strategies
The Hiscox report outlines three key strategies that businesses must implement to strengthen their cyber resilience:
Employee training and security awareness
- Phishing remains the no.1 attack vector, responsible for nearly 60% of breaches.
- Untrained employees significantly increase cyber risk, but a strong training programme can reduce attack rates by 40%.
- Companies must regularly train staff on the latest cyber threats, phishing tactics, and security best practices to prevent initial breaches.
Retiring outdated systems and legacy technology
- 50% of cyber risks stem from outdated systems that lack modern security protections.
- Legacy technology often lacks patches, endpoint protection, and AI-driven threat detection, making it an easy target.
- Organisations must prioritise modern, secure, and actively maintained IT infrastructure to reduce vulnerabilities.
Implementing robust backup and recovery strategies
- 35% of companies that paid ransoms did so because they lacked sufficient backups.
- Without secure, immutable backups, organisations risk permanent data loss and operational paralysis after an attack.
- Automated, air-gapped, and tamper-proof backup solutions ensure that businesses can quickly restore operations without negotiating with attackers.
How Redstor keeps you resilient
The best defence against ransomware is robust data resilience. Redstor’s immutable backups ensure your data cannot be altered, deleted, or encrypted by attackers. From on-prem to up in the cloud, we cover Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Google Workspace, and more.
But Redstor does more than just keep your data safe. With our InstantData™ technology, organisations can recover key files in seconds without waiting for a full restore. This provides a lifeline in the battle to reduce downtime and avoid reputational damage.
Making the right investment
The evidence is clear – paying a ransom is not a viable recovery strategy. At best, it’s an expensive embarrassment that will cost you customers. At worst, it’s money down the drain with no data to show for it anyway.
Companies that fail to implement a strong cyber resilience strategy are both more likely to pay ransomware and more likely to lose critical data. Investing in a robust backup strategy is the wiser and cheaper option.
Get in touch today to learn how Redstor can eliminate your ransomware risk.