The cost of maintaining IT resilience is increasing for UK businesses, as organisations face rising infrastructure expenditure alongside persistent cyber threats and growing demands on their technology systems, according to new research from 11:11 Systems.

Its 2027 State of IT Infrastructure Resilience study found that 89% of UK respondents had experienced increased data centre infrastructure costs over the previous 12 months, with the average rise standing at 14%.

Cybersecurity remains a significant concern, with 41% identifying attacks on production systems as a leading issue when planning their IT infrastructure. Meanwhile, 73% of organisations surveyed had experienced at least one cyber attack or breach during the previous year.

The research also identified potential weaknesses in recovery arrangements, with 40% of respondents reporting that at least some of their backup repositories had been affected during a cyber attack. Although 91% were investing in or evaluating AI for IT and security operations, only 20% had AI-enhanced backup or disaster recovery capabilities in place.

Jason Buffington, principal analyst and founder of Data Protection Matters, which conducted the research, said: “This research quantifies what IT leaders are already feeling; the challenges are stacking up faster than the budgets. Cyber attacks remain an ever-present threat, and now organisations have to govern their own AI while defending against the attackers’ AI, all while rising hardware costs squeeze budgets that were already tight.”

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