Kroll Ontrack, a data recovery consultant based in Toronto, issues 10 recommendations for those businesses fearing loss of vital data because of Hurricane Sandy.
Kroll Ontrack said the first thing any organization must do is to not assume that the damage is permanent. Here are the remain 10 tips on recovering data after a disastrous storm.
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1.Never assume that data is unrecoverable, no matter what it has been through.
2.Do not shake, disassemble or attempt to clean any hard drive or server that has been damaged – improper handling can make recovery operations more difficult which can lead to valuable information being lost.
3.Never attempt to dry water-damaged media by opening it or exposing it to heat – such as that from a hairdryer.
4.Do not attempt to operate visibly damaged devices.
5.Do not attempt to freeze-dry media.
6.Do not use common software utility programs on broken or water-damaged devices.
7.If you are dealing with large servers, make sure they have adequate air conditioning. Increases in computer processor speed have resulted in more power requirements, which in turn require better cooling -especially important during the summer months.
8.Invest in some form of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which uses batteries to keep computers running during power outages. UPS systems also help manage an orderly shutdown of the computer – unexpected shutdowns from power surge problems can cause data loss.
9.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.
10.For mission critical situations, contact a data recovery professional before any attempts are made to reconfigure, reinstall or reformat.
