The backup and recovery market has undergone a fundamental shift from simple data protection to cyber resilience. Ransomware attacks now strike every 11 seconds, and the average recovery cost exceeds $4.5 million, making immutable backups and clean-room recovery capabilities non-negotiable. The biggest story of 2025-2026 is consolidation: Cohesity completed its merger with the Veritas data protection business, Zerto was absorbed into HPE following its $374M acquisition, and Veeam announced the blockbuster acquisition of Securiti AI for $1.725 billion to add AI-powered data security and governance directly into its platform. We evaluated the leading platforms across ransomware recovery, cloud-native protection, operational simplicity, and total cost of ownership.

How We Evaluated

Platforms were assessed on:

  • Ransomware resilience including immutability, air-gapped vaults, anomaly detection, and clean recovery capabilities
  • Recovery speed covering RTO/RPO performance, instant recovery, and orchestrated failover
  • Cloud integration with native SaaS protection, multi-cloud support, and cloud tiering
  • Breadth of coverage across physical, virtual, container, SaaS, and database workloads
  • Operational simplicity including management console quality, automation, and policy-based orchestration
  • AI capabilities for anomaly detection, predictive analytics, and intelligent recovery validation

1. Veeam Data Platform

Score: 96/100

Veeam dominates enterprise backup with over 550,000 customers and the highest market share in data protection software. The $1.725 billion acquisition of Securiti AI (announced January 2026) will integrate AI-powered data classification, governance, and security posture management directly into the Veeam platform, a move that blurs the line between backup and data security. Veeam v13 introduced inline malware scanning that inspects backup data during write operations.

Workload coverage is the broadest available: VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Microsoft 365, Salesforce. Inline entropy analysis and YARA rule scanning detect ransomware artifacts during backup. The Veeam Cyber Secure program provides pre- and post-incident response services. Instant recovery is available for VMs, NAS, databases, and Kubernetes workloads. Securiti AI integration will add automated sensitive data discovery and classification across backup repositories.

Best for: Organizations wanting the broadest workload coverage and a platform evolving from backup into unified data resilience and governance

2. Rubrik Security Cloud

Score: 94/100

Rubrik went public in April 2024 (NYSE: RBRK) and has positioned itself as a “data security” company rather than a traditional backup vendor. The Zero Trust Data Security architecture, built on immutable-by-design storage, remains the industry benchmark for ransomware resilience. Rubrik’s Anomaly Detection uses machine learning to identify encryption patterns, mass deletion, and suspicious modification across backup snapshots.

The immutable-by-design architecture has no SSH, no root access, and uses an append-only file system. Rubrik Security Cloud provides unified SaaS management across on-prem, cloud, and SaaS data. AI-powered anomaly detection includes automated threat hunting across backup metadata. Sensitive data monitoring identifies exposed PII, PHI, and PCI data within backups. Cyber recovery orchestration includes isolated clean rooms and validated recovery playbooks.

Best for: Security-first organizations prioritizing zero-trust data architecture and ransomware-proof immutability

3. Cohesity DataProtect (+ Veritas)

Score: 92/100

The Cohesity-Veritas data protection merger (completed late 2024) created the largest pure-play data management company, combining Cohesity’s modern architecture with Veritas NetBackup’s installed base of 80,000+ enterprise customers. The integrated Cohesity Data Cloud now offers a single platform for backup, file services, analytics, and security, though the full Veritas integration is still underway.

The unified Data Cloud platform consolidates backup, file, object, and analytics workloads. FortKnox SaaS-based cyber vaulting provides isolated immutable copies in Cohesity-managed cloud. DataHawk threat intelligence includes IoC scanning and data classification. The Turing AI assistant provides natural language search and policy recommendations. Massive scale-out architecture handles multi-petabyte environments efficiently.

Best for: Large enterprises seeking platform consolidation across backup, file services, and data management on a single architecture

4. Commvault Cloud

Score: 89/100

Commvault completed its transformation from on-premises software to a cloud-first SaaS platform with Commvault Cloud (powered by Metallic AI). The platform provides a single management plane for on-prem, cloud, and SaaS workloads with AI-driven risk analysis and auto-recovery capabilities. Commvault’s Cleanroom Recovery (GA 2025) spins up isolated cloud environments for forensic investigation and validated recovery.

Commvault Cloud unifies Metallic SaaS, HyperScale X appliances, and software under one control plane. Cleanroom Recovery creates isolated Azure or AWS environments for safe recovery testing. Threatwise deception technology plants decoys to detect lateral movement before data exfiltration. Active Directory forest-level recovery handles the most complex identity restoration scenarios. Broadcom VMware license changes drove significant Commvault customer acquisition in 2025.

Best for: Enterprises requiring sophisticated cyber recovery orchestration and hybrid cloud data management

5. Druva Data Resiliency Cloud

Score: 87/100

Druva pioneered 100% SaaS-based backup, eliminating on-premises infrastructure entirely. Built natively on AWS, the platform appeals to organizations pursuing cloud-first strategies and IT simplification. Druva’s acquisition of Rolltop data governance technology (2025) strengthened its compliance and eDiscovery capabilities.

The platform is fully SaaS with no on-premises hardware, software, or management infrastructure required. AWS-native architecture provides automatic cross-region and cross-account data protection. Curated Recovery uses AI to identify the last known clean snapshot before ransomware infection. Accelerated Ransomware Recovery includes sandbox environments and orchestrated restore. The platform has strong Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce SaaS protection.

Best for: Cloud-first organizations seeking zero-infrastructure backup with simplified operations and predictable costs

6. Dell PowerProtect

Score: 85/100

Dell’s PowerProtect portfolio spans appliances (Data Domain/PowerProtect DD), software (PPDM), and cyber vaulting (PowerProtect Cyber Recovery). The integrated hardware-software approach provides some of the fastest deduplicated backup throughput in the industry. Dell’s CyberSense technology uses machine learning to analyze backup content for signs of corruption.

PowerProtect DD appliances deliver up to 94:1 deduplication ratios and 46TB/hr throughput. CyberSense analyzes backup content integrity with 99.5% confidence in detecting corruption. Isolated Cyber Recovery vault includes automated air-gap and retention lock. PPDM provides Kubernetes-native protection with application-consistent snapshots. Deep integration with VMware, now under Broadcom, comes via VADP and vSphere APIs.

Best for: Dell infrastructure customers and organizations requiring appliance-based performance with integrated cyber vaulting

7. Veritas NetBackup

Score: 83/100

While the Veritas data protection business merged with Cohesity, the NetBackup product line continues to serve its massive installed base during the transition period. NetBackup 10.5 introduced enhanced Kubernetes protection, improved cloud tiering, and AI-driven anomaly detection. Organizations with long-standing NetBackup deployments face a gradual migration path to the Cohesity Data Cloud.

Support for 800+ workload types provides the broadest coverage in the industry. NetBackup IT Analytics provides multi-vendor backup environment monitoring. Flex appliances offer pre-configured scale-out backup infrastructure. The platform has strong Oracle, SAP HANA, and enterprise database protection. A transition roadmap to Cohesity Data Cloud allows for coexistence during migration.

Best for: Existing NetBackup customers managing complex heterogeneous environments during the transition to Cohesity

8. Zerto (HPE)

Score: 81/100

Following HPE’s $374 million acquisition (completed 2024), Zerto’s continuous data protection technology has been integrated into the HPE GreenLake cloud platform. Zerto excels at near-zero RPO disaster recovery through journal-based replication, making it the go-to choice for applications where any data loss is unacceptable.

Journal-based continuous data protection delivers RPOs of seconds, not hours. Instant file, VM, and application-level recovery is available from any point in time. Ransomware resilience includes real-time encryption detection in the replication stream. HPE GreenLake integration enables DR-as-a-Service consumption model. The platform has strong VMware-to-cloud and cloud-to-cloud migration and mobility capabilities.

Best for: Organizations requiring near-zero RPO disaster recovery and continuous data protection for mission-critical applications

9. Acronis Cyber Protect

Score: 79/100

Acronis uniquely integrates backup, anti-malware, and endpoint management into a single agent, an approach that resonates with MSPs and mid-market enterprises looking to reduce agent sprawl. The platform provides unified data protection and cybersecurity from a single console with a strong channel partner ecosystem.

A single agent handles backup, anti-malware, URL filtering, patch management, and remote management. AI-based ransomware protection includes behavioral detection and automatic rollback. Blockchain-based notarization provides data authenticity verification. Strong MSP multi-tenancy includes per-tenant isolation and billing integration. Cloud, on-prem, and hybrid deployment flexibility is available.

Best for: MSPs and mid-market organizations wanting converged backup and cybersecurity in a single agent and console

10. Datto (Kaseya)

Score: 77/100

Datto, now part of Kaseya following the $6.2 billion acquisition, remains the dominant backup solution in the MSP channel. The SIRIS and ALTO appliance lines provide image-based backup with instant virtualization for rapid recovery. Kaseya’s integration of Datto with IT Complete platform adds RMM, PSA, and security capabilities.

The platform is purpose-built for MSPs with multi-tenant management and billing integration. Instant virtualization boots failed servers as VMs directly on the backup appliance. Ransomware detection includes screenshot verification of backup integrity. Inverse Chain Technology eliminates backup compaction and speeds recovery. Kaseya IT Complete integration unifies backup with RMM, PSA, and endpoint security.

Best for: MSPs and SMBs needing turnkey backup appliances with instant recovery and channel-friendly management

Several trends are shaping the backup and cyber recovery market in 2026.

Backup is meeting data security. Veeam’s $1.725B Securiti AI acquisition signals that backup vendors are expanding into data classification, governance, and security posture. The backup repository is becoming a data intelligence asset.

Cyber recovery vaults have gone mainstream. Isolated, immutable, air-gapped vaults are now table stakes. Every major vendor offers automated cyber vaulting with anomaly scanning and clean-room recovery orchestration.

Consolidation is reshaping the landscape. Cohesity-Veritas, Zerto-HPE, and Datto-Kaseya reduce the number of independent vendors while creating larger platforms that bundle backup with adjacent capabilities.

AI-powered recovery validation is here. Machine learning now verifies backup integrity, identifies ransomware-infected snapshots, and automatically selects the optimal clean recovery point, reducing manual forensic work during incidents.

SaaS protection has become critical. With Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Google Workspace data representing the majority of enterprise information, SaaS backup has moved from nice-to-have to regulatory requirement.