Data loss… and recovery.

Have you tested your data backup recently? No, chances are that you and most other computer users don’t even back up, let alone test the backup.

While computer speeds and raw processing power increase almost exponentially along with storage capacity, scant or little regard as to the data that is actually stored, created and edited on the computer are thought about.

In fact approximately 94% of all data loss situations are avoidable with little investment required.

How to avoid data loss

1. Backup.
Hard drive storage capacities have increased hugely over recent years, so finding a storage capacity that will fit with your requirements is rarely a problem, however the manufacturer of the media plays a significant role within the longevity and reliability, and as such Xytron recommend Seagate storage as the most reliable media today, this statement is based on actual data recovery jobs based on may years of analysis of all jobs received from all manufacturers.

Next you must consider if you require a single external hard drive, or a RAID system.

Pros and Cons
Single external drives require little or no set up time and are effectively plug and play, and offer good ROI, the downside is that when the drive fails you have no redundancy within this backup. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) offer several flavours, with RAID 0 or 1 being the most popular.

So you have now chosen your proffered backup media, for this to be effective this must be checked at regular intervals as to the integrity and that you are backing up what is data required. This process can not be left to chance, or neglected Xytron receives many such cases where the incorrect information has been backed up.

2. Hot stuff
Hard drives fail very quickly with excessive or prolonged heat exposure.
Many computer systems do not allow for adequate cooling within the computer, or directly to the media, simple hard drive cooling kits which can be purchased for as little as £10 can increase the longevity of the hard drive hugely. Laptops also can become very hot, again desktop cooling systems offer solutions to help preserve your data and keep the laptop running at optimum performance.

3. UPS, and downs
Hard drive storage can also be directly affected via power fluctuations and even though the switch mode power supply within modern computers are reliable and supply smooth power to the computer, they can not deal with excessive or over and under voltage situations which occur more frequently than you might think.

A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) offers solutions to deal with these issues both in terms of power outages and excess power fluctuations. As a web designer could you afford to lose your hard drive with no backup available? How long would it take you to implement the above suggestions, the cost is modest, how would this compare to total data loss? All independent research has shown that within 12-18 months following data loss many business’s fail, or are hit financially in a big way, this situation can be avoided.

At Xytron data recovery we have been recovering data for years and have recovered all types of systems and failure types, generally speaking most failed hard drives are recoverable, at cost, so for a little amount of time and resources invested now could save you in the long run

www.xytron.co.uk