When it comes to computing, data recovery can be described as the process of salvaging data that may be inaccessible due to being corrupted or data that can’t be accessed in a way that it normally would be able to be accessed. In other words, when you can’t get to your data for one reason or another, you might need a bit of data recovery software or services.
The Cost
What the data recovery cost means to you probably only consists of what the actual price you will have to pay. The thing is, no matter how expensive or inexpensive that may be, consider what the cost will be if the information that you have lost is never recovered. Will you be able to carry on with business as usual? How critical is the information to your business? Does it contain customer information? Proprietary information? Financial information? Inventory information? The list goes on.
The actual question is this: What is it worth to you to get the information that you lost back?
Disaster Recovery
There are times when data is not lost due to the failure of the hardware or software but instead it might be due to a disaster such as a flood or fire. Disaster recovery is just as important as regular data recovery and you need to have a plan in place for either one of the situations because you never know when you will need them.
Planning for a disaster is an important thing for any business because It ensures that they will still be able to operate after a blackout, earthquake, or any other serious disruption. If a business fails to prepare for this eventuality, it can mean an untold amount of losses as well as massive headaches when trying to recover.
Data Recovery Software
There are data recovery companies like the one mentioned above, that can either remotely attempt to recover your data or you can send them your hardware to see if their techs can recover anything from it. Then, there are data recovery programs that you can get and have on hand in case you need it. Now, the main difference with the programs and the services is that the programs might be able to recover a bit of data and they might not, depending on what happened to the system and the data. The services can do a lot more to ensure that what data is able to be recovered IS recovered. That still doesn’t promise anything other than that all options for recovery will be exhausted.
Extended Backup Planning
Planning should not ever be limited to simply the operations of your company. Key suppliers and partners might also experience issues. Consider this, most companies are using cloud software these days. These are services that are provided by third parties that are in remotely located data centers. What would happen if one of these vendors went offline?
All businesses need to have a continuity plan. These are actually regulated by the government for industries such as finance, energy, and health care. What makes your business any less important?
Technology will nearly always play a major role. Ensuring that your critical computer systems remain in operation both during and following disasters is something that is actually part of an entire mini industry that has virtual armies of vendors and consultants. Shoring up your technology against various disruptions can be something that is rather costly… but in the end, it is well worth the cost.
The thing is, you might need to set priorities for your business because of the cost. You might be able to get by without having access to certain types of your software for a few days, while others you will need access to every minute of the day.
The bottom line is this: You need to have a backup plan in place in case the unthinkable happens. You may think it will never happen to your company and this is a dangerous point of view… one that puts your entire business at risk. Are you willing to lose everything because you didn’t plan for the unexpected? You never know when it will happen, so it is best to go ahead and have a plan in place for your data recovery.
