Data Recovery: What is it?

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Data recovery is the process of restoring lost data from electronic storage devices. Various methods can be used, but it’s best to avoid the need for recovery by regularly backing up data. In severe cases, a professional data recovery company may be necessary, but this can be costly.

Data recovery involves restoring access to data that appears to have been lost due to damage or failure to some type of electronic data storage medium. There are various types of data recovery methods that can be employed in case of some kind of system failure or damage to disk drives, storage tapes and floppies or CDs.

In the event of a server crash or hard drive failure, data loss can be crippling for a business. This is especially true if there has been no attempt to archive important data to tape, disk, or online data storage. Fortunately, there are often methods that an information systems technician can use to recover data from damaged devices. Depending on the severity of the situation, simply replacing a circuit board with a new one will correct the problem. Another possible solution is to replace the read/write head assembly, which may be all that is needed to gain access to the stored data. A trained computer professional can also try taking the hard drive platters out of a failing drive and inserting them into a compatible drive. One thing to keep in mind is that these possible data recovery methods usually void any existing warranties on the equipment, as they require breaking the casing.

When attempting to recover data from servers that have been crashed or damaged in any way, it may be necessary to hire the services of a company that specializes in data recovery. Typically, you can send the physical unit or server to the company for evaluation. The company will determine if data can be extracted from the damaged device and how much data will actually be usable. After determining what can be accomplished, the service provider will send a quote to the client. Generally, this quote will include a fee which can be in the thousands of dollars. However, when the quoted price is compared to the time and resources that would be required to reconstruct the data from other sources, the cost can quickly be seen as minimal.

Data recovery is a process that companies and individuals should avoid if possible. Making sure you schedule regular backups of data on all systems, including a server, will make immediate replacement easier, faster, and significantly less expensive.




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