Data Recovery Newsletters - May 2007

HELPFUL CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A DATA RECOVERY PROVIDER

Scan the web for data recovery providers, and you'll find hundreds of companies promoting data recovery capabilities. We have developed the criteria below to help you evaluate potential providers, identify misleading sales tactics and select the provider that offers the highest level of professional service.

• Identify companies that have the technology and resources to solve a wide array of data loss challenges.
• Identify companies that provide a range of data recovery solutions to fit your specific needs.
• Identify providers that will provide you with the information required to make an educated purchase decision.
• Identify companies that offer professional customer service whenever and wherever you need it.
• Identify companies that have well documented and established procedures for maintaining the security and confidentiality of your data.
• Avoid the gimmicks! Select a data recovery provider you can trust by eliminating those who use questionable sales tactics.

PROTECT YOUR DATA FROM SUMMER STORMS

Summer is coming and along with it hot, humid weather and thunderstorms with heavy rain and lightning that can seriously damage your computer or entire network. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that computer damage and data loss from lightning strikes cost the US nearly $2 billion/year, according to the National Lightning Safety Institute. This means data loss can occur affecting emails, pictures, financial statements, invoices and other critical information and documents. To help computer users protect themselves against these weather-related disasters, Ontrack offers several tips that can keep your data out of harm's way:

• Install a surge protector between the power socket and the computer's power cable - and spend the extra $20-$30 to get an actual surge protector, not just a power strip. Some brands offer guaranteed lightning protection, even on their lower-priced models.
• Small businesses with networks should get surge protectors that offer protection from surges through network cables.
• Check protection devices regularly: At least once a year you should inspect your power protection devices to make sure that they are functioning properly. Most good ones will have a signaling light to tell you when they are protecting your equipment properly.
• Use dedicated circuits, if possible: Putting the computer on its own power circuit, so it isn't sharing the power with your air conditioner, space heater, and vacuum cleaner, greatly improves the power quality and insulates the PC from power sags when these devices are turned on.
• Turn off and disconnect the power cord during an electrical storm: This is a simple precaution that protects your system from possible problems during a thunderstorm.
• Turn off power during a blackout: If you lose power, when the power comes back on the signal can initially be inconsistent, which can make things more difficult for your power supply.
• High voltages can enter your computer through the phone line connected to the modem. To protect your computer during electrical storms, unplug the telephone line from the modem jack or use a telephone line surge suppressor.
• Businesses with network servers should invest in some form of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which uses batteries to keep servers running during power outages.
• Summer heat can also be a significant problem. Keep your computer in a cool, dry area to prevent overheating.

CASE STUDY: DELIVERING FRESH DATA

A supermarket chain had extremely critical business process software on a developer’s workstation that experienced a disk failure during a system reboot. They figured it was not a problem since they performed daily backups. However, they quickly learned they were in trouble when they discovered that a third party software package they had been intensively developing within for the past six months was inaccessible.

The chain now had major production processes running with no corresponding source modules. Panic stricken, they sent their disk out to a data recovery firm in the hopes that all would be well. After 2 weeks of diagnostics and cleanroom attempts, they were told that the company was unsuccessful in accessing any data, let alone recovering anything.

With time pressure mounting, they decided to try Ontrack Data Recovery in a "Hail Mary" attempt. Within 2 days, they received an email from Ontrack providing them with a complete listing of recoverable files. The list contained everything that they needed and put the supermarket back in business.

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(c) 2007 Kroll Ontrack Inc. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without this notice. All products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.