Survey of 650 global IT and security leaders reveals that fewer than one-quarter of companies test disaster recovery every six months, and 24 percent never test their plans at all
AUSTIN, Texas, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quest Software, a global leader in data management, cybersecurity, and platform modernization, today released findings from its annual global security survey examining how organizations approach Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). The State of ITDR survey was completed by 650 top global IT and security executives and practitioners about their approach to ITDR amid a rise in AI-driven attacks, an increase in non-human identities, growing recovery risk, new and changing regulatory environments, and managing expanding attack surfaces. The survey found that more than 75 percent of organizations are not practicing disaster recovery plans in the recommended six-month timeframe, while 24 percent state they never practice it at all. To access the full Quest Software report, The State of ITDR, visit quest.com.
Identity has become the primary attack surface, and the sprawl of identities across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments have expanded organizations' need to better protect their environments. This has created complications with the rise of AI-led attacks, including model theft, automated attacks, poisoning data, and more leading to a 57 percent increase in security incidents linked to AI usage, according to a Microsoft study. The rapid growth of non-human identities has frequently outpaced visibility and guidance, making it even more difficult for organizations to manage identity security, with an estimated 82:1 ratio of machine identities to human identities.
The Quest Software survey revealed four key findings:
- Only 24 percent of organizations test disaster recovery every six months, as recommended, with another 24 percent stating they never test their plans.
- 79 percent of those surveyed are confident that AI tools can improve ITDR effectiveness.
- In a multiple-choice selection, 51 percent of respondents said that non-human identities were the most difficult to secure, with 49 percent claiming third party and partner accounts, 47 percent stating service accounts, and 46 percent saying legacy systems, highlighting the expansion of identity areas to secure.
- 78 percent of respondents said that proactive threat management was the main driver for implementing ITDR.
Quest's annual ITDR survey revealed that since last year, more organizations now have an ITDR practice in place, with 57 percent of respondents saying they did compared to 48 percent a year ago. Similarly, there was an increase in organizations receiving benefits from ITDR, with 92 percent agreeing to the benefits of an ITDR practice, compared to 84 percent in last year's survey.
"Our survey findings make one point abundantly clear: identity security challenges are broad, interconnected, and steadily growing," said Michael Laudon, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Quest Software. "Identity systems are at the center of most environments, connecting users, applications, data, automation, and cloud services. When those systems are compromised, attackers gain immediate access and, in many cases, control over how quickly an organization can respond and recover. Many organizations still lack full visibility into their identity landscape and struggle to manage expanding workloads across hybrid environments, and most teams are not validating recovery often enough to ensure rapid restoration after an attack."
Quest's survey findings reveal that many organizations are putting too much confidence in preventative controls, but are not as focused on response and recovery readiness. This area remains an opportunity for modern ITDR programs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework provides guidelines, best practices, and standards designed to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risks by providing a common language and flexible approach to improve security posture. The NIST Framework focuses on six core components - identify, protect, detect, respond, recover, and govern - to help companies enhance their cybersecurity programs. Gartner's recent guidance in its 2025 report, Enhance Cybersecurity and Resiliency by Extending the Discipline of ITDR, advises organizations to adopt the NIST Framework.
Quest Software defends the most critical identity assets across Active Directory and Entra ID, delivering resilience throughout the attack lifecycle, automating recovery 90 percent faster, and improving mean time to response by 44 percent, saving millions of dollars in downtime costs. Gartner listed Quest Software as an example vendor in multiple categories in its 2025 report, "A Well-Run Active Directory Requires Strong Identity Controls." Quest's portfolio of ITDR solutions empowers organizations to enhance their security infrastructure by reducing risk, protecting Microsoft-based hybrid identity infrastructures, and responding to threats quickly.
About Quest Software
Quest Software creates technology and solutions that build the foundation for enterprise AI. Focused on data management and governance, cybersecurity, and platform modernization, Quest helps organizations address their most pressing challenges through trusted, AI-ready data, secure identities, and modernized platforms. Around the globe, more than 45,000 companies, including more than 90% of the Fortune 500, count on Quest Software. For more information, visit www.quest.com or follow Quest Software on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).
Media contact:
Matt Hurst
Head of Corporate Communications
matt.hurst@quest.com
