The cost of data loss can be ruinous to a business. Being the most valuable resource a company has, the loss or compromise of information can lead to a large enough interruption of business that some companies never recover.
That’s why disaster recovery has become so important. Having a strategy for business continuity helps keep things running as normal, even in the event of a massive data loss. Be it offsite storage or multiple redundancies, planning ahead can allow continued operations without interruption.
But what about when the lost or damaged data is stored in only one location? What options are available then?
Keep reading for our guide on how to get your data back.
Physical Recovery
Despite its existence in the virtual world, file information does require a physical home. This leads to the most common form of data loss: damage to the hard drive housing the data.
Power spikes and surges, careless storage, and even manufacturer defects are all reasons that could cause physical damage to a storage device, leading to the corruption of data. And it’s not just physical effects that threaten stored data, even corrupt software can create enough of a disruption to cause hardware failure.
In these cases, the ability to recover data is dependent on the extent of damage to the drive. An expert may be able to manipulate the hardware in a way that allows them access to files stored there, but there are a number of variables that influence that.
Better is to use cloud hosting or offsite storage to create copies of your data. This allows you remote access to that same data, but without concern for physical corruption.
Logical Recovery
The other form of data recovery is known as Logical Recovery. This works off a concept from the physical recovery: since data requires a physical location, even a deleted file may still be traceable.
When a file is deleted, it’s transferred first to a Recycling Bin or Trash. It’s not until the user empties these locations or runs a disk-cleaning utility that the files are purged.
Even then, having had the files exist within the operating system means that there’s a paper trail, so to speak. Mapping these instances out can allow for recovery of otherwise lost data.
There are a few factors at play as to how useful this is. First of all, if the data is of a highly sensitive nature, you may not want to outsource it a third-party unless there is a confidentiality agreement.
A reputable company, such as the Scarlett Group, should be valued much higher than someone offering the same services through a gig-sharing site.
As well, the costs need to be measured against the loss: is the recovery worth the price?
Disaster Recovery As First Response
Rather than ignoring the potential cost of data for when a loss occurs, it’s far more valuable to prepare a disaster recovery strategy beforehand. With so many cloud storage options available, ranging from the sophisticated to the free, having your data exist in multiple locations helps keep information secure and available.
For more information on keeping your business running smoothly, check out our Business Resources page.