Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan - Do it or "Die"? By Dena Gottlieb

Does your organization have a data center disaster recovery plan? If you belong to a very large organization like a bank or large corporate entity the chances are very high that the answer is affirmative. But, if you have a small to mid size business there is a fair chance that your business does not have a comprehensive data center disaster recovery plan. Very often, companies and individuals get bogged down in the day to day tasks of making money, paying bills, supplying merchandise etc. and a recovery plan is something that is always on the "to do" list but never quite gets "done".

It's never going to be convenient to take care of this crucial matter but it's really important to get it done. Many organizations have suffered for the lack of a data center disaster recovery plan. They were too busy dealing with other pressing issues and they did not take out the time to put together a viable plan. When the "crash" came the companies came crashing down along with all of their critical data.

Nobody gets warned before a disaster occurs. And, it doesn't necessarily mean an earthquake or nuclear disaster! Computers and disk drives are known to "crash" and when they do the results are nothing short of disastrous. Think of any company that holds data on their customers, billing and merchandise. Without this data the company cannot function. And, even if there is a data center recovery plan, it has to be one that can be activated at a moment's notice and retrieve lost data quickly. Some business pay dearly for each hour of downtime. I believe ebay was down for a mere few hours a few years ago and it cost them millions of dollars!!!

Don't take chances with your business, thinking, "it won't happen to me". It may just happen. And why take chances. Just like you pay insurance on the chance that something will happen, the same applies here. It's highly important to prepare your business for any possible disaster even if the possibility appears to be remote that anything will happen.

Having a computer backup system is important even if no major calamity happens. A good computer backup system will provide your systems with important features such as data security, file restoration (in the event that a particular file gets corrupted) and good quality documentation. If one or a few files get corrupted for some reason (and this stuff does happen) a good backup system will have your files back up and running in no time, minimizing damage to your business and reputation.

The cost of putting in place a good data center disaster recovery plan is always an important factor. Cost usually is comprised of a combination of the price of the system and the time you must take to implement the system. There is also a learning curve to take into consideration. But, when implemented properly a good computer backup system can give you a very good return on your investment. Not only can you sleep more easily at night knowing that your business data is secure, you will be saving money in the long run by keeping your business running properly even during or after a catastrophe.

So, don't put off setting up your own data center disaster recovery plan. Put one in place and protect yourself and your business so all your hard work and profits don't go down the drain in a matter of seconds, as a result of one bolt of lightning or earthquake.

Can I Recover Data From a Computer That Crashed? By Mike Marciano

Every day, computers are exposed to harmful programs that will ultimately slow the machine and crash the hard drive. Harmful programs can install by themselves without any detection from the computer user. Once the hidden installation is complete, the program is placed in the same folder with essential system operated files.

When a hard drive crashes, recovering data is impossible. Fortunately, there are many computer products that are available to transfer critical data files from the vulnerable hard drive to a safe haven external storage device.

Preventing a computer crash disaster is the only inexpensive way to save vital data. The majority of newly released computers contain insertion slots of the following devices: CompactFlash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, and SmartMedia. Also, there are additional USB slots for flash drives and external hard drives. Many of these devices are being sold at electronic stores, and they are priced between five dollars to one-hundred and fifty dollars.

While many storage cards carry a lot of data capacity, they are lightweight, small, and easy to misplace. Therefore, computer users only carry a few storage devices with them at school or work. Sometimes, MP3 music players can be used as storage devices. For example, college students send their PowerPoint presentations about Digital Media in their iPod thirty gigabyte internal hard drive. USB flash drives and external hard drives can be carried anywhere because they are heavy and big. Therefore, workers will be able to access business presentations on a USB drive or an external hard drive without giving a lame excuse to their boss.

It's possible for a system recovery, but data is immediately wiped out of the hard drive. There are some freeware and shareware programs that are available to recover essential files. However, the results are not positive. Ultimate Boot CD and PC Inspector File recovery are two examples of freeware programs. Not only does the process of recovery take a very long time, the majority of users are dissatisfied with the results. As a result, only some files can be recovered while others are lost forever.

Overall, it's important to backup files on a regular basis to prevent a computer from crashing. Furthermore, computers can only perform naturally with the correct system restore software which is available to create using Recovery DVD Creator on Windows XP. Therefore, installing freeware and shareware programs for system data recovery will only make the computer worse. As a result, computer users need to stick to the traditional method of system recovery.

How Does Data Recovery Work? By Mike Marciano

"You mean to tell me just because I deleted it, that don't mean it's gone?"
Ever accidentally deleted something really important from your computer's hard drive, such as a school report paper or some sort of work document that you worked really hard on? What if I told you you could have easily retrieved that file because it was never really deleted, but rather just hiding from you? I bet it would really boil your noggin at first, especially if you had to recreate your entire English Lit. essay from scratch at 4:30 in the morning like some sort of dummy. Hey, we've all been there. But that doesn't mean we have to put up with it again.

So how does data recovery work exactly? Settle in and I'll explain to you the quick and dirty way to recover lost, deleted or corrupted files through the process known as data recovery.

The reason data recovery works is based on the way computers store information. Microsoft Windows operating systems use something called a file allocation table (FAT for short) to map out exactly what files are on your hard drives and exactly where each file is located on the hard drives. But the actual files are stored separate from the maps that detail where each file is located on your hard drives.

One way to look at it is that the FAT is sort of like a book's table of contents, and the actual files on your hard drives are like the pages that make up the book. So pretend you're holding in your hands your favorite (or least favorite) book, and picture yourself flipping to the table of contents. Now imagine yourself violently tearing the table of contents out of the book, soaking it with gasoline and lighting it on fire.

After you've safely extinguished the flames and placed the ashes in a proper waste receptacle, picture yourself picking up the book again. Did you destroying the table of contents in any way, shape or form affect the pages and chapters of the book? Can you still read the book just fine without the table of contents? The obvious answer is yes, the book reads just fine with or without the table of contents, but it would take a lot more time for you to find your favorite chapter.

It's the same thing with your hard drive, and often it's just the FAT (the table of contents) that is troublesome, not the actual files on your computer. If the file still exists on your hard drive, it can be recovered assuming it is not damaged and it is not encrypted.

The FAT for every file and folder on each of your hard drives is stored in a portion at the beginning of your hard drives. Windows uses this collection of information to form your system's directory tree structure. When you erase the FAT, the operating system won't be able to find the file, and it will report to you that the file is missing or deleted. But this is where data recovery steps in! But how does data recovery work?

Data recovery functions to reassemble your operating system's file system so your files can be accessed again. The file system is the way your operating system indexes and "remembers" where all your files are located. But if you've lost some data you will quickly realize that file systems can really be a pain in the rear, and navigating them can be quite like a maze.

There exist many recovery engineers who have been trained in the art of data recovery. These brave souls will endure and dominate even the most confusing of data trees and screwed up file systems, so you don't have to. There also exist many software companies that will sell you all sorts of DIY automatic fix programs, claiming it can automatically and easily diagnose and fix any lost data problems on your hard drive.

But hiring a trained professional is your best bet, especially when it comes to very important or sensitive materials. A lot of data recovery actually involves physically repairing the disks by hand to properly and completely recover lost data. This is something automatic fix software just can't do.

Computer Data Recovery Costs By Jason Kay

Four of the scariest words anyone can hear these days are computer data recovery cost. Hearing these words can mean only one thing, your computer is not working properly and valuable data that you have on the hard drive may be lost. If you are like a growing number of individuals that make a living online this scenario can be an absolute nightmare.

While all files should be backed up to ensure the data is always saved, there is more times than not several ways to get lost data back from the dead, it is the cost of recovery that will vary. When it comes to computer recovery cost there are two possible scenarios that can play out each with its own circumstances and cost:

1. Hard drive malfunction: In this instance there is some of your valuable data that can be damaged or even deleted. If the problem is caught early enough you can obtain data recovery software. The price for such software will depend on the brand name and other factors and generally runs anywhere from $40 to $130.

2. Physical damage to the hard drive: This is easily detected, as you will hear a whirring or clicking sound coming from your hard drive. Other signs include the hard drive becoming hot or your computer simply not starting. In this case, you need to seek the help of a computer recovery firm and the cost can be quite significant. Some firms charge a flat rate for data recovery while others charge according to how many GB your computer's hard drive is. You can expect to pay $250 to over $1000 if an expert is needed.

If the problem is bad enough to warrant an expert there are some additional costs that need to be considered. Along with the fee of the actual data recovery, there are several other fees that will pop up and should be discusses with the professional before work has begun. These fees include:

• Media used to recover data: This can range from a jump drive, for smaller data recovery efforts, to an external hard drive, for the larger recoveries. Of course, the bigger the data recovery job the more expensive the media will be. This cost is typically not included in a firm's quote.

• Evaluation: This is often included with the firm's quote, but not always, so it should be addressed. This fee will vary from firm to firm.

• Delivery of the recovered data: If the firm you use is local then this won't cost you more than a little gasoline, but if the firm is out of town then shipping charges both to and from will need to be considered. This charge is usually not covered in a firms quote, but some do, so make sure to ask.

Nobody wants to pay hundred of dollars to recover data from a crashed hard drive but sometimes you are left with no choice. With the high tech world in which we now live, much of our professional and private lives are spent on the computer. Much of the data we accumulate becomes priceless to a certain extent and if that data was not backed up then you must bite the bullet and pay the sometimes high cost of computer data recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Kay

What is Data Recovery Software? By Mike Marciano

Say you're working on an important document-a work file, a school thesis, or a personal letter-and suddenly your computer shuts off. Or say a virus sneaks into your system and starts eating holes in your family photo files, what are you going to do? When a precious picture or an important document seem irrevocably lost, data recovery software can find and restore the file.

Skilled computer technicians can recover data by accessing the complex indexing system used by the computer to piece together misplaced files. Yet you do not have to be a skilled computer technician to recover lost or damaged system files. Luckily, well-qualified companies provide data recovery software to do that work for you.

The software automatically locates temporarily lost files or the fragments of those files by restoring the operating system's ability to access the file and piecing together missing files. Though sometimes lost files are much like scattered puzzle pieces, data recovery software can put the puzzle together and return the complete file to it's proper place.

Data recovery software will search the hard drive for all the data that is still on the disk but is fragmented, damaged, deleted, or misplaced.
When a virus deletes part of a file or a user unintentionally deletes a file or an entire folder from user access, the data does not immediately disappear forever. In fact, when a file is deleted it remains on the physical landscape of the computer's storage device until the computer uses that space for more data.

While the file remains on the hard drive, it is possible to recover the pieces and make it accessible to the user. Backing up files continuously is the first defense against data loss, but the software will recover lost, fragmented, deleted, or destroyed files before they are written over with new ones. If you lose an important file, data recovery software can find it for you, but only if you realize your error before the computer uses that space.

If new data replaces the lost data, the software will not be able to work properly. But if you're quick, data recovery software will save the day. In brief, software for data recovery is a lifesaver when the occasional system hiccup or user mistake ends up costing you a valuable document because it can find the files and restore them to their proper place.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Marciano