Not long ago, important data was kept on hard copy in addition to the relatively new rise in popularity of computers and their ability to store and manage massive amounts of data in a very small space and short amount of time. People did not trust these machines; and, if they were to fail, they could always re-input their data manually from their backup. 

The old adage: “Time is money.” has even more significance today than it did in times past, and there is at least one area of concern that is becoming increasingly troublesome to those whose businesses information is primarily stored on hard drives, tape drives, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc. It is the matter of protecting that data from being lost or damaged and retrieving it if a failure occurs.
 

Increasingly, we are hearing of major corporations who have experienced massive data loss situations. What is not well-known is that these disasters are a lot more common than most would think. Today, it is not a matter of “if” you will lose data; it is a matter of “when”.
 

We are now seeing more emphasis placed on risk management as well as preventative maintenance by consultants who are beginning to grasp the enormity of the problem. They are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, in many, if not most cases, those in the field are unable to convince business owners that they may be in grave danger. In some cases, the cures that are offered are too costly for their potential client to implement and they would put themselves out of business faster than if they experienced a crash.
 

At the same time, it is been our observation that, while most of the risk analysis ideas we have checked out may be quite practical, we have rarely seen the two main causes of data loss given the emphasis they demand. There are those who will provide you with many ideas such as installing bars on your windows, hire guards and guard dogs, firewalls, virus checkers, encryption, passwords, backups and many other good ideas. However, you can have all of these things in place and still experience failure; especially, if you do not take care of the basics.
 

We admit that we do not have all the answers either. However, We do know that there are some very simple things employers can do, in addition to other solutions, to help minimize the risk of data loss and, when it does occur, getting your data back in a timely and cost-effective manner. As the number one reason for data loss is hardware failure, employers should put in place preventative maintenance routines for all of their storage devices and related equipment. This means seeing that your in-house or out-sourced technicians are fully aware of the causes of data loss, know what equipment needs to be tested and are provided with the tools to allow them to do it properly. If your CD Rom, DVD, Tape drive, motherboard, controller cards, hard drives, fans, etc. are not functioning properly, they may be corrupting your data without notice until, all of a sudden, you experience a full-blown crash.
 

This is when the number two reason for data loss comes into play. Many technicians, unaware of what causes data loss situations and how to handle such an event safely, attempt to make repairs and often compound the problem to the point where the cost to recover becomes prohibitive or the data is completely unrecoverable.
 

Much of the work we receive is after technicians have done everything they can do first, including off-the-shelf tools they hope might work. Unfortunately, although they are doing the best they can with what they know, they may be playing Russian Roulette with your data and your business. Please do not misunderstand us. Many technicians are well-intentioned and are very good at what they do. However, the discipline of data recovery is very specialized and requires many expensive tools and techniques that are only developed with experience. If your data is of value to you, it is your responsibility to see that those who work on your systems are trained in proper preventative maintenance and what to do when actual or potential data losses occur.
 

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can minimize your risk of data loss, and maybe even lower your insurance rate, please call the Recovery Force team.