Data Recovery Options – The Sooner the Better

Most companies who face a data loss emergency put off calling in a data recovery company as long as possible, often after doing things that makes it harder to retrieve the data they need, according to a major data recovery company. Companies like Fields Data Recovery note that the average data retrieval project can be done in less than 48 hours, and the success rate for data recovery is about 85% -- but when a company or individual has attempted to recover the lost data before contacting the data recovery firm, those odds drop, and the job can take weeks.

The Worst Response – Do Nothing

The most common problem response to early data loss is doing nothing at all. That’s often because people fail to recognize that any data loss is a signal that something is going wrong. Lost files, inaccessible files and other data access issues often signal the beginnings of an underlying problem with a hard disk. If it’s dealt with immediately and properly, it’s possible to avoid having to deal with a major data loss emergency. If it’s left to get worse, however, it could become a major problem. In fact, a Philadelphia accounting firm estimates that 43 percent of companies that have a major data center disaster shut down and never reopen.

Avoiding the Need for Data Recovery

Only one in four data recovery emergencies happen because of software corruption, computer viruses and actual physical disasters like fire and floods. The remaining 75% are due to either a hardware/system malfunction or human error. A few steps can help you reduce the chances of needing a data retrieval firm.

First, of course, your company should have an ongoing backup procedure to ensure that all of your important data is being saved so that it can be restored in case of an emergency. Having a backup plan or solution, however, is useless if it’s not working right or if people aren’t using it. It’s important to do regular checks to make sure that the hardware is working and the backup software is actually capturing the data. Every day, data recovery companies get at least one telephone call from someone who thought the data was being backed up.

Secondly, keep data center computers – your backup and network servers – in clean, low-traffic areas to reduce accidents and equipment failures. Avoid things that can damage the computers physically, for example, don’t allow food or drink anywhere near the machines.

Do regular backups – and verify them to make sure that you’re capturing the important data. Install virus scan software and use it regularly. Create undo disks whenever you install new software so that you can easily reverse a change if it leads to a compromise in your system.

Make sure that all of your employees understand the importance of data safety, and that those who are directly responsible for backups and data recovery have the right training and tools to do their jobs properly.

Finally, recognize the symptoms of data loss and get immediate help from a data recovery service when it happens. The sooner you call in the pros to recover vital data, the better the chances are that they’ll be able to get your data back.