Online Exclusive: Data Loss Can Happen Anywhere and to Anyone

Online Exclusive: Data Loss Can Happen Anywhere and to Anyone

Online Exclusive: Data Loss Can Happen Anywhere and to Anyone

Data loss incidents, such as accidental deletion, a computer virus or physical hardware damage, can be devastating to an individual as well as enterprises, and can happen despite all best efforts at prevention.

Imagine you’re a graduate student preparing for finals, and you have everything you need to help you study on your laptop. It would seem as though you’re on your way to an A+ until disaster strikes - you accidentally delete an unsaved document, your computer dies or you damage the device by dropping it. To avoid data loss on your laptop, keep these tips in mind from Kroll Ontrack:

Laptops are not as rugged as many like to think. When laptops are being docked, moved or transported, take care – one bad drop could result in harming your system. You should also keep your computer in a dry, cool, controlled environment that is clean and dust-free.

Run a virus scan, and update it regularly. Viruses are one of the worst enemies to your computer and your data, no matter what operating systems you’re using. Good anti-virus software tests your system for sequences of code unique to each known computer virus and eliminates the infecting invader.

Use Auto-Save features. Most software applications have Auto-Save features that will save the project or document you have open at pre-determined intervals to help prevent accidental deletion. For laptop users, a good time interval is every 5 minutes.

Always have a 2nd copy of your data saved at all times. This could be via external hard drive or work saved to the cloud.

Even the most seasoned, IT teams face the risk of data loss when managing IT processes and responding to IT issues. Some of the most common mistakes that IT administrators fall prey to include:

  • Failure to backup effectively. In a recent survey of Kroll Ontrack data recovery customers, 60 percent had backup in place at the time of loss, however, the backup was not working properly when the loss occurred. Failure to establish and follow backup procedures, or test and verify backup integrity, is a guaranteed recipe for data loss.
  • Deleting data that is still in active use. This may be surprising, but data recovery is often performed on tapes or server networks that are thought to be out of use, but still contain active data. Do your due diligence to ensure the data you delete is no longer of value.
  • Failure to test IT security policies. Restrict IT administrator passwords only to required users, and change them when an IT administrator leaves the company. Many data-loss cases are a result of a disgruntled employee with a live password and intentionally deleting large amounts of critical company data.

So, what should you do if data loss happens to you? The first thing is not to panic because chances are your files will be recoverable, but you want to make sure you don’t do more damage by trying to recover the data on your own. Contact a professional data recovery specialist first.

If you do find yourself in this situation, keep the following in mind:

Time is of the essence. Power off the device immediately, and get it to a reputable data recovery provider. The longer you wait, the more likely critical data will be overwritten (deleted files) or the drive will corrode (physical damage, such as water).

Know what you want. The key to recovering data quickly is to know what data to target. Communicate to your data recovery provider what data is most critical to better ensure a timely and accurate recovery.

Backup, backup, backup. This can’t be stressed enough: Before disaster strikes, back-up your data to another device, such as the cloud or an external drive. This backup is often the saving grace in the recovery process.

About the Author

John Riddell serves as country manager for Kroll Ontrack’s Data & Storage Technologies operations in Canada. Riddell manages the day-to-day operations of the data recovery, remote data recovery, data destruction and data management service offerings available across the region. With over 15 years of experience in the data recovery field, Riddell has worked in various sales, customer service and business development capacities, helping customers retrieve their lost data from nearly every type of storage media and numerous scenarios over the last decade.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.