"These results indicate that there may be a lack of understanding of the benefits of using a data service specialist," said Briscoe. "That fact that 39 per cent of IT managers still rated their company as doing 'well' or 'very well' even if it took more than three days to recover data, suggests there is a low expectation of what can be achieved."

"The best way to manage data loss is to prepare for it before the loss occurs," said Briscoe. "Organisations need to start applying business continuity and data protection safeguarding measures throughout the entire data lifecycle."