Data Security and Backups

Friday 23 December 2011

What is Data Recovery

I have been discussing in my previous posts related to Data Backups. I shall be throwing some light on Data Recovery which is the reason we do should be doing Data Backups. Data Backup should actually be called recovery solutions because backups come to rescue when disaster strikes.
In the most simplest terms, “Data Recovery” can be described as process of recovering data from a hard disk drive, CD-Drive, USB sticks, external disks or any other media where the respective has failed.
There are many ways data can be stored:
§  Hard disk Drives
§  CDs or DVDs
§  External Disks
§  USB sticks
§  RAID Servers

No matter how reliable these products may be but any electronic device can fail to function. Over and above, there are other reasons for loss or inaccessibility to data. To name a few:

§  Accidental deletion of data
§  Mishandling of devices
§  Forgot passwords
§  Natural disasters like floods, fire
§  Formatting a disk

When data cannot be restored through any normal process, then comes “Data Recovery” process. Data recovery is the process to access safe, reliable data from that device.
The Data Recovery Process
Data Recovery can be simple in many cases and can be complex in certain cases. However any data recovery requires following general steps:
1.    Identity the media and find out the amount of damage. Many data recovery solutions companies can analyze and let you know if they can recover data. If the media is intact but maybe you have forgotten password for the device [like on a USB stick] you can try to recover using 3rd party software’s.
2.    Estimate how much work shall be involved, how much data can be recovered and what cost shall be involved. Data Recovery companies might give you a flat-rate, but try to go in more detail. Does the data recovered is important or your vital data is still unavailable.
3.    Analyze the recovered data to be sure the data is useable and matches your records. Make more than one copy of recovered data.
4.    Return: Always get your damaged media back. No matter what state it is.
5.   Check the reason what caused the media to be damaged. Repair any electrical or mechanical reason e.g. power supply for hard disk failure.

I have come across many SMBs who want to implement backup system but unfortunately it is on a low priority, whereas it should be the other way. Only they take it seriously when disaster strikes and they need to run all around to get data recovered from nowhere
I shall be giving an example of one of my clients, which was a pharmaceutical company. Pretty healthy profit making company. One fine day, their Server Hard disk drive crashed. Unfortunately, the backup system in place was manual system and some one had done backup about 2 weeks back. They were in a situation where in from no where they had to recover data from that hard disk. They had contacted number of consultants, paid huge amount of money but had no go. Ultimately they send their hard disk overseas, where one company stated data can be recovered, it took 2 weeks of time and ofcourse price was huge, but with no option they had to agree to that. Their data was recovered but had to go thru lots of hassle.
I bet you backup solution if implemented would have been much cheaper solution and the amount of time in terms of value is unmeasurable.
To summarize, if backup has been done and that too on regular basis, you are guaranteed to recover your data.

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