Gartner® Market Guide · February 2026
CTERA Named in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for Cyberstorage
As ransomware evolves beyond perimeter defenses, CTERA is recognized as a Representative Vendor among Platform-Native Cyberstorage Solutions in the emerging Cyberstorage category — delivering active detection, real-time blocking, and instant recovery directly at the storage layer.
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50%+
Of enterprises will evaluate cyberstorage on time-to-detect and recovery assurance by 2028, up from <20% in 2025
(Gartner SPA)
100%
Of storage products will include active cyber defense capabilities by 2029, up from 20% in early 2025
(Gartner SPA)
<5s
CTERA Ransom Protect detects and blocks malicious actions using embedded AI within seconds of activity onset
Zero
Third-party software required — the CTERA homegrown, native solution delivers cyber protection with zero performance impact
Market Context
Why the storage layer has become the last line of defense
The Gartner Market Guide defines Cyberstorage is defined as a specialized set of features integrated within enterprise storage offerings that provides an additional layer of protection against cyberattacks, shifting the security perimeter inward to actively defend data storage systems against threats such as ransomware or exfiltration of data.
Attackers now target recovery itself
“Modern ransomware and data-centric attacks no longer treat storage as a passive target; instead, they actively seek to disable recovery, corrupt metadata and erase trust in backup and snapshot mechanisms.”
Recovery confidence, not just speed
“The challenge has shifted from determining what data can be recovered to determining whether the recovered data can be trusted and safely reintroduced into production.”
SecOps integration is now mandatory
“Buyers now expect storage platforms to provide security-relevant telemetry, alerts and forensic data to security operations center (SOC) teams via SIEM, extended detection and response (XDR) or security analytics platforms.”
Detection timing at the data layer matters
“As a result, organizations are complementing backup-based detection with production-level active detection at the storage layer. Abnormal input/output (I/O) patterns, suspicious user behavior and early-stage encryption activity can be detected directly in production data, enabling containment before widespread damage occurs.”
Identity compromise is assumed, not exceptional
“As attackers frequently compromise identity systems and administrative credentials, storage platforms are treated as a critical trust-enforcement point for enterprise data.”
Regulatory and insurance pressure accelerates adoption
“External forces such as cyber insurance requirements, regulatory scrutiny and the growing use of AI by attackers are accelerating adoption and raising expectations for demonstrable recovery assurance.”
GARTNER® MARKET GUIDE FOR CYBERSTORAGE,
FEBRUARY 2026, VISHESH DIVYA
CTERA Ransom Protect
How we feel CTERA delivers on every cyberstorage mandatory requirement
AI-driven real-time anomaly detection
Machine learning model trained on real-world attack flows analyzes file system activity in real time detecting behavioral anomalies like rapid file encryption or suspicious user patterns.
Zero-day protection beyond signatures
Unlike signature-based tools relying on known threats, CTERA enables zero-day protection by identifying and blocking previously unseen attacks by detecting behavioral patterns.
Honeypot deception capabilities
Proactively lures attackers into decoy files embedded within the file system, enabling early detection before real data is compromised.
Embedded at the file system layer
By embedding AI directly into the file system, CTERA delivers faster, more accurate detection and response without impacting performance with no agents or third-party software required.
Automated incident management
AI engine automates incident containment and response which minimizes data loss, reduces downtime, and enables forensic analysis without manual intervention.
Immutable, air-gapped snapshot recovery
See why Gartner named CTERA in the Market Guide for Cyberstorage
Gartner, Market Guide for Cyberstorage, By Vishesh Divya, 23 February 2026
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