Happy New Year!

 Happy new year and all the best for 2019!

The year is gone, and our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible. Thank you very much for your continued trust and loyalty throughout 2018.

2018 was rich in events and great accomplishments, and we hope that the next one will be even more successful full of new achievements.

We send our warmest greetings and wish you a fruitful year to come. May the new year be all wrapped up with cheer and filled with celebration!

 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays and all the best for 2019!

 

March 2019 Newsletter

 

March Promotion!

 50% discount or a commission – Submit a new case using your partner account*

Example of a data recovery cost for a single magnetic media including the discount or commission is $250-$1250

*Applicable only for single drive new submitted cases for eligible partner accounts.

 Login and Submit a Case

 

 

 From our Blog:

Cloud Vs. Shared Hosting?

We’ve all experienced the pit in our stomach – the bottomless anxiety – that comes with lost data. This is especially true if it’s data or information critical to the central nature of your business. There are active measures you can take to make sure that you can do to better protect your data. As mentioned below, regular backups help. But there are measures you can take to make your data safer and reduce […] read more

---

---

---

Additional Reads:

 

---

Technology and Disaster Relief

From 2005 to 2014, more than 700,000 people died as a result of a disaster. The American Red Cross responded to more than 242 disasters in the United States alone in the year of 2017. This resulted in more relief provided than the previous four years combined. From earthquakes, to floods, to hurricanes, billions of […]

 

Cloud 2.0: What to Expect from Next Gen Workloads in the Future

Are you looking for ways to delivering next-gen workloads? Using virtualization and cloud is said to be the best choice for this. In our modern society where more people patronize device agnosticism and mobility, many organizations will be required to use a more advanced cloud and virtualization processes and methods to send new types of workloads to the users. This simply implies that we need to produce more data center distribution and taking your virtualization and cloud to the next level.

The cloud-based device has really come a long way in proving its worth. But how these cloud and virtualization become a good means of delivering next-gen workloads? What is the impact of these two to the user and the future? In order for us to have a better understanding of the virtualization infrastructure, data center, and the cloud, it is necessary to know what the user is using and its effect on your environment.

Next gen applications, workloads, and data

According to the study, the infrastructure that we use in supporting new applications as well as the data delivery methods will become more developed in the future and will continue to evolve. For this reason, their applications and the ways they use to connect with their respective resources will continue to evolve too. “Kinetic open storage” is one of the best examples for this. This intelligent platform enables the applications to directly speak to the storage device which also reduces expenses related with the deployment, acquisition, and support of storage infrastructures. The best tool to use in increasing the effectiveness of communication is the cloud ready APIs.

Using Converged Infrastructure

Providing the next-gen workloads needed the power of a more advanced data center. Since it is considered as the modern home for everything, this center platform requires to become more advanced and developed in handling new kinds of workload delivery and cloud designs. Now, they can provide the platforms to unify storage, compute in one hardware plane and networking. This platforms can provide advanced level of integration and software-defined technology that is used to deliver new kinds of workload.

 

Developing the end-point

There is a reason behind why tablets and mobile devices have become more popular and doing their job so well. These devices become more versatile, compact, and smarter than the usual desktop. The user tends to use more mobile and produced a generation that is data-on-demand. Zero-client produced SoC (system-on-chips) technologies that let corporations and businesses in redefining their end-point.

Cloud Storage API

This application program interface that is used to connect a cloud-based storage method to a locally based application in order for the user to send data on it and have an access and work with stored data in it. Having knowledge and awareness about Cloud API materials is not easy. As cloud computing becomes famous, administrators continue developing ways to integrate with their cloud type. Now, there are many developed and direct use cases for this that needs a higher level of customization. The skills to develop the cloud experience as well as cross-cloud compatibility have become a great help in the Cloud Application Interface environment. There are areas where cloud computing will need to combine with other platforms.

• Platform-as-a-Service

This is designed to give functionality and access to a cloud environment. This implies combining with messaging systems, storage components, portals, and databases.

• Software-as-a-Service

This is created to be the best way of connecting to application-layer with the underlying IT infrastructure and the cloud. ERP and CRM applications are the best examples of where APIs application can be used in creating a cloud application extension best for your environment.

• Infrastructure- as -a Service

It is designed to control the distribution of some cloud resources. Some of the best examples are the de-provisioning and quick provisioning of cloud resources which Infrastructure- as -a Service can be used.

• Cross-platform and cloud provider

In our modern day, many organizations don’t use one platform or one cloud provider only. This results in a bigger demand for better cross-platform compatibility. Many providers offer generic HTTPS and HTTP APIs to help their clients experienced the best cloud versatility.

It is necessary to pick the best API platform for your business. Be knowledgeable that sometimes it requires a need for different typed of API models for your surroundings to function well. You also need to know that this new cloud service model has some problems to be ironed out. Expect that there will be times when applications won’t easily work with a cloud-based API platform. If this is the case, it is necessary to have a plan in the deployment and make sure that it can perform with compatibility and all pieces can operate together.

Next Generation Data Centers and its security

Since the cloud is creating its way to the top, it requires a newer type of security which can meet the type of requirement needed which the older type of security cannot provide. Good thing, next-generation security is also making its way in meeting the requirements needed for the data centers’ security.

We are living in a world that is full of technological terms like software define technologies, next-generation security, cloud computing and many more. Expect that the next-gen security technologies have more to offer than what you expect. These are considered as intelligent devices which are cloud and user and application aware.

Here are the lists of new types of security products:

Software-Defined Security

-In connection with software-defined networks, producing secure connections is now necessary. Many organizations and businesses use a hybrid or public cloud platform which needs a security appliance to be used at the site of the provider. From there, you can use a virtual or physical appliance in creating a monitored and secure tunnel into the cloud. Be informed that next-gen security platforms can also provide data protection and 4-7 networking services. This idea is created to convey app-awareness, create flexibility and increase control in the environment to help assist a more developed and evolving business

New Types of Policy Engines

-Cloud Computing worlds need new kinds of security engines. These engines are required to scan different points inside and outside the network. In addition to this, businesses with heavy regularity agreement are expected to be more careful with their own data. There are healthcare organizations that use DLP technologies that scan data coming in and leaving. These next-gen platforms are specially designed to stop loss of information by combining into different types of technologies

There are many definitions intended for the next- generation security. It is very necessary to understand the true meaning of technology. Services, as well as security products, have evolved overtime beyond the standard firewall platform and our expectation into something more capable of giving support into different types of services. Next-generation technologies will surely revolve around agility, ability to quickly evolve to support the needs of a business and security. As more advanced technologies take their place in the industry, a bigger demand for security solutions will surely take place.

Cloud Computing and Its Importance

Delivering of the hosted services over the internet is the general term for the word cloud computing. This allows businesses to use a computer resource which includes a virtual machine, and application and storage rather than maintaining and building computing infrastructures in a home. It is also defined as boosting the internet’s power more than ever. This one also evolved our ways of using computers. It is now a challenging opportunity for online businesses and SME’s to use cloud computing technologies in every business to decrease the production cost while increasing the value of work.

Here are some of the importances of cloud computing:

1.It is used to stop software piracy

Cloud computing can be used in stopping and preventing software piracy. Software piracy is considered one of the factors that can affect the economic development of a certain country. By using cloud computing in the business process and system, software companies, distributors and publishers can stop this piracy. The easiest method that they can use is the prohibition of selling the software offline for selling and online for downloading. They can instead charge on a yearly and monthly basis.

2.It can be used in reducing the cost of conducting business

Cloud computing can be a great help in reducing the cost of a conducting business. Nowadays, businesses can back up the data, launch a private cloud and store by using the existed cloud computing at a lower cost. It is not necessary to buy physical components in storing and managing the data. The only needed thing is to buy the best package that can be used in storing a bigger amount of data and back up and have a private network which can be a tool in handling data processing and needs in deployment as well.

3.Increase productivity

Back in the past, most of our time is spent on the setting up of software, back up, maintenance and fixing IT problems. In our day today, you are not obliged to install any kind of software doesn’t require to set up the network manually. After the release of cloud computing, more than 1000 users can utilize the same application without any installation and maintaining of the application on their own device from any time and anywhere. This will actually save time which can lead to an increase in productivity.

4.Can provide an easier life

There are many examples that explain how technology changes our life. Cloud computing technology is now making its way to be renowned as the next big thing in the IT industry that can provide users with an easier life. This is the main reason why we use different machines to have an easier life. Now, people don’t have to buy a higher hard disk drive and a memory card on their mobile and computer. Users can now actually save the data on the cloud by using the internet. Users can share, give and access data with accuracy and high speed. One of the best examples is the student that can upload and save their files on cloud storage applications like Google drive which they can print or download those files in any place so there is no need in using a pen drive.

5.Multiple backup and storage options

Back in the days, the 2GB hard disk is the computer’s big thing. But today, more than 1 Terra Byte is used in normal computers. When we started using the computer, the floppy disk is what we used. And now, some of the new generations don’t even know what floppy disk or drive is.

Cloud storage is the newest, better, and secure method that we can use in backing up our information and data. Worry no more about the security of your data.

6.Speed up the process

The higher speed of the internet and faster computers can speed up the method of conducting business. Before the development of cloud computing technology, you don’t have any online option to work on. Now, more than you could ever imagine is happening on the internet through clouds.

Nowadays, if someone wishes to have an e-commerce website, you only need to sign up in creating an application. This technology allows people to build any kind of e-commerce applications and platforms in the fastest way. All you need to do is to pay according to the use. Worry no more if you are not using all the features because there is no extra cost required. Back in the past, we are obliged to buy premium packages but we cannot consume all its features. But today, many businesses and companies are providing the best options to compensate for cloud computing features that based on your use.

7.Advanced and Innovative Career Scopes

Cloud computing is considered the newest way of performing the task on your computer. Career, job, and business in the Information Technology world are very challenging only if someone is not committed to learning the industry. One should have the commitment and courage in learning, leading and innovating this industry.  Today, it is another change that needed training, new degrees, and leaders that can optimize the power of human with advanced technologies in order to make a balance between technology and human. All we need to do is to used this cloud computing technology if you want to remain competitive in the business industry in our present time.

8.Schedule updates, auto-scaling and automatic maintenance

The automation system is considered as one of the most demanding processes in our present time around the world in the business industry. Automation in product distribution and development, as well as management, create cloud computing technology as a more powerful technology in the IT industry. This is the reason why many businesses are implementing cloud computing technologies in the operations of their business.

The server’s automatic maintenance and application installation is very useful and can help a lot in saving money and time. Another feature of this technology is that you can schedule an update. Its storage and application scale up automatically in accordance with the demand.

Today, every user wants the fastest access in the information and data and they also want the top quality and fastest conversation on machines. The biggest challenge that the small-scale industry has to face is the optimization of their resources in accordance with the demand. But cloud computing technology is now renowned as an innovative and flexible way of solving different business problems and challenges. That’s why it is best to use cloud computing technology in speeding up the scaling process of your business and the development of its product.

9.Be at the top of the competition

This is the best time for many individuals, app developers, programmers, managers, businessman/woman, and companies to make cloud computing technology as the best technique in the development of your business. This can be a big help in speeding up the flow of cash in your business, make a great impact of your brand in the market, reduce the expenses, develop a stronger relationship with the clients and have a more productive business. Implementation of cloud computing technology in your business can be your stepping stone to in getting to the top of the business.

The using and implementation of cloud computing technology are sometimes challenging especially for small-scale business and owners to buy an external hard drive and a branded and new computer. But take note that this is how many businesses work. The change is really challenging for every one of us.

Implementing cloud computing technology in the process of your business as well as the system, you can actually start with the trial version by means of testing some of its programs and applications. If you think you have a successful result after using this technology, then you can move and run your business through this cloud computing technology.

There is no doubt that our technologies are really progressing quickly. Using cloud-based products and technology is now the new trend and will continue to be on top. Are you truly ready to support and use these types of technologies?

What’s better for You? 64-Bit VS. 32-Bit

We are now living in a highly digital world and all of us have phones in our hands and that’s for sure. However, when it comes to choosing a new gadget, particularly a phone or a portable laptop, do you really know what would really work best for you? There are many factors you should consider if you want to experience the full potential of your gadgets.  When it comes to Windows OS and processors do you know the big difference between 64-bit and 32-bit and its importance to your computer? You might often see a sticker in your PC that says either it has 32-bit or 64-bit. However, do you really know what it means and its real importance to you and your PC?

Some people might know the term 32-bit and 64-bit, but there are many who are actually confused if those terms are meant for software or hardware? As a gadget owner, you at least need to know if your PC either has 32-bit or 64-bit operating system and processors to run the applications and programs fit for your needs and your PC.

Starting with ‘Bit’

Let’s all start with the basic. What is ‘bit’? Computer geeks and tech-lovers must know that this three letter word means literally as it is. Bit stands for the tiniest piece of data that is also known as a binary digit. Computers are made only to understand binary language. Every bit can only either be 0 or 1, it is meant to have only one binary value. A byte is a term used to define a collection of bits. One byte is a sum of 8 bits which is called as an octet.

A Little Throwback to History

Surely, Microsoft Windows is the standard existing OS (Operating System) for most of the business and home computers. In 1985, the first OS graphical user interface was released and since then, a lot of versions have been introduced to the world and it just keeps on getting better and better. All these operating systems come on different variations such as 64-bit and 32-bit. Many gadget owners do not really have a lot of knowledge about these points that it often leads to confusion especially when deciding for the suitable version that will truly work best for your needs.

After the very in-demand launch of the Windows XP, the 64-bit Windows OS quickly followed and had been one of their best releases as it stayed in the market for as long as fourteen years. A record from history reveals that 64-bit was very first implemented with UNICOS operating systems, an OS created in 1985 by Cray Incorporated, a supercomputer-maker back in the days. Since then, many versions had been released by different companies such as Solaris, Mac OS, Google’s Android, and of course, Windows. While on the other hand, 32-bit OS has been famous and well-used by computers made from the late 1990s up to the early 2000s. Several Windows operating system with 32-bit includes Windows XP, 98 and 95.

As a Hardware

If we are talking about hardware, then 32-bit and 64-bit are terms use to describe a processor. Both processors have “register”. Each register is with the same number of bits because it only means the same number of memory the CPU registers and addresses.

What’s about 32-bit and 64-bit Processors?

CPU also known as the processor literally processes everything that’s happening inside the computer, it is basically every computer’s brain.  It functions includes registering and logic each circuit. Combinations are only made up of 2^32. All of these values which equates to 4,294,967,295 are used as memory locations to address it in the physical memory. Which is why 2^32 = 4gigabytes. It means that each 32-bit processor can only access up to 4GB memory when it’s on an operation.

On the other hand, 64-bit has the same equation, 2^64 which sums up to 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 bytes, or 17,179,869,184 GB (16 exabytes) of RAM.  If you would compare, you can really see the big difference between the two. This is the main reason why 64-bit is more in-demand, 4GB isn’t really enough anymore with everything that’s going on our daily lives. If you’re using your computer for work or editing purposes, where you need to use 20-35 tabs open, 4GB RAM won’t cut it. Computer memory now is highly needed for gadgets to function at its full potential. Even Smartphone nowadays are in 64-bit. Windows computers with 64-bit can use up to 8000GB, making computers really effective for any kind of use.

As a Software

Software running on your computer is greatly affected by the 32-bit and the 64-bit hardware installed on your computer. To simply put it, 32-bit applications can be installed and used with a 64-bit system, but 64-bit programs will never function on a 32-bit system. This is because; 64-bit programs have more complicated instructions that would not be accepted and recognized by a lower version of the processor.

As it turned out, 64-bit processors and OS had been a trend because of the larger memory and the functions it allows. However, if you specifically need to run a program especially an antivirus and utility application, they sometimes required a very specific operating system. The best thing to do is to install the kind of processor that corresponds to your specific operating system.

The Battle Between 32-bit and 64-bit

Large and very complicated applications such as video and image editing software, games and AutoCAD badly require a lot of RAM and it is obviously something that 64-bit can provide. However, it is also very important to remember that all of these will only make sense if the motherboard will accept it.

2GB RAM is the minimum requirement for 64-bit Windows OS, as 32-bit only requires 1GB RAM. It is only advisable for everyone who wants to use the full capabilities of 64-bit to pack up an additional memory of 4GB.

A Microsoft user’s tip, the basic version of Windows 10 can put up with over 128GB, but if you still want more, then you can indulge in the endless functions of the Windows 10 Pro. This Windows OS allows you to use up to 2048 GB. It will be all your decision now to stack up your computer with tons of RAM as much as you like. But Windows 10 requires only the minimum of 8GB RAM.

However, those are not just the reason why 64-bit is being widespread in the market. Mapping files in the physical memory are becoming more and more complicated. File sizes nowadays are getting bigger and bigger it could easily exceed than 4GB. But there’s one thing that everyone should not forget, its fine to install a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit processor but you it’s not a promise that you would get the best experience. If you want and need a faster computer that can handle all of your needed applications, you can just install 64-bit Windows OS, along with the right drivers that fit perfectly with your OS. Up until today, there are just some problems that keep on reoccurring with the use of 64-bit. There is still a lot of software nowadays that do not have updated versions and still do not work with 64-bit. Although in 2015, since the release of the 64-bit version of Mozilla Firefox browser, many software companies and developers have exerted efforts to do the same to improve their compatibility.

Key Differences Between 32-bit and 64-bit Processors

• 32-bit processors are only fit for a minimum RAM of 4GB or less while 64-bit are created for much more space and memory.
• In computing, the difference of the two processors can be seen in the speed of their performance in each task when the total amount of calculations per second are summed of.
• 32-bit operating systems operate data in 32-bit pieces as 64-bit operating systems are able to operate data in 64-bit pieces. The more bits of data can be processed per second, the faster that the operating systems work.
• 32-bit are available on operating systems such as Windows 8, Windows Vista, Linux, Windows XP and Windows 7. On the other hand, 64-bit is available on systems such as Windows 8, Linux, Mac OS X, Windows Vista, XP Professional and Windows 7.
• 32-bit processors and operating system are also known as X86 or X86-32, while 64-bit processors and software are also known as X64 or X86-64.
• 64-bit processors are very much more ideal for stress testing and multi-tasking than 32-bit processors.

All in all, 64-bit hardware has a great advantage when it comes to addressing space for all of your PCs running application and programs and allows them to run faster and avoid buffering.

What’s With Cores?

Along with the terms 64-bit, you may also stumble upon terms such as quad core, dual core, eight or six cores. These are the different versions of the so-called home computing. The number of cores determines the number of calculations can be performed every second, which automatically contributes to the speed of your computer. There are many software applications that require several cores of 64-bit processors like video, photo editors and games.

Is This All Matters?

Yes, it is. If you are someone who needs certain software programs for work purposes, it is best for you to have a clue of your own computer’s capability. It will surely be a waste of time if you went to downloading a certain version of software not knowing that it may not work for your PC. However, since there is a rule that 32-bit programs would run exactly just fine with 64-bit processors you might think that you are on the upper hand if your computer is actually in 64-bit. But you need to remember that there are still circumstances when the computer hardware or the software itself are getting a little picky and requires only the exact same type of processors and operating system all at once. Like 32-bit processors are only equal to 32-bit operating systems and 64-bit processors are only equal to the 64-bit operating system.

Factors that Affect Your Computer’s Speed

The software and hardware versions are surely important to know the real speed of your computer. However, since we are talking about a gadget, it is also crucially important to note that there are still a lot of factors to that affect your computer speed and its full performance.

CPU (Processors)

The speed of your computer mainly depends on your computer’s processor. The number of bits of data it can process per second will dictate its speed. The first-ever computer processor was a 740 kHz processor, namely Intel 4004. This processor is only capable of reading 92,000 bits of instruction per second, compared to our multi-core GHz processors nowadays that can read over 100 billion bits of data per second, technology sure does grow.

Cache

Every gadget owner must have heard this term. “Cache” by definition is “the fastest type of memory”. This memory is used by the computer motherboards and processors to transfer data and instructions between the different components of the computer such as memory and processor. You are considered blessed if your computer has L2 cache or L3 cache because this means that they can process and send more instructions faster.

Bus Speed                                                                                

Remember that motherboard’s bus speed is also critically important. If your computer has a slow bus speed, other hardware components of the computer need to wait longer for the data and the instructions that result to slow performance of the computer.  A 400 MHz FSB(Front Side Bus) is much faster than 66 MHz FSB. The motherboard basically dictates the decrease and increase of speed as it transfers all the data to all of your computer’s components.

Video Card

If you are a gamer you might actually know the important use of these video cards. Latest computer games often need video cards to make them run faster. A video card complete with its own memory and CPU is all you ever need to experience your games at its highest potential.  These video cards become responsible for the complex task such as 3D rendering instead of letting your computer CPU doing all the work. Newer PCI Express video cards are of course much faster than the old version of AGP video cards. A powerful video card promises a one of a kind gaming experience.

OS (Operating Systems)

Having the latest hardware is not everything, you must also not forget about your computer’s operating system. New versions of software are released are introduced to the market to improve the compatibility, makings sure that we make the most of our computers, thus, it is very significant to update your operating system all the time especially if you want to interact with the new technologies.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Naturally, a computer with more RAM or Random Access Memory will be faster because there is more allowed space for running programs. When your computer runs out of memory, RAM transfers all the data to the hard disk drive (this hardware component has the slowest type of memory) causing the computer to become much slower to respond to instructions.

Hard Drives

Hard drives are commonly known for its two types, the SSD or the Solid State Drive and the HDD or Hard Disk Drive. This drives could not affect your computer’s performance but it is also a crucial factor as it is the main storage of all the physical data you are storing on your computer.  It is an important task for you to choose a hard drive that will fit your needs. When choosing for the type of hard drive, remember the following:

• A Solid State Drive (SSD) doesn’t have any moving parts and all the gathered data are saved and installed only in microchips. The most basic example of this type of hard drive is the USB (Universal Serial Bus).
• SSDs are commonly has a faster file opening speed of 30% compared to HDDs
• Having no moving parts SDDs do not overheat, vibrate and produce noises, unlike HDDs.
• HDDs have moving parts like platters which causes them to create vibrations, heat, and noises and become physically vulnerable. HDDs’ moving parts wear out over time but you can rewrite data as much as you want. Unlike for SDDs, there are limited numbers of times you can use it to write or read data.
• HDD is highly preferable if you badly need a lot of memory but if speed is your priority choose SDD.

We are currently living in a very highly-digitalized world and while many of us own a gadget or two, it would not be a waste of time to have a little knowledge about them to be able to use them to their highest capabilities. However, remember that no matter how fast your PC and phones are, do not forget that all of the data you stored in your computer is safe from harm.  There are many causes of data loss and it’s best to take note of the old notion, ‘better be safe than sorry’. Take the necessary steps to keep your gadgets on their top performance while keeping all of your data safe and sound.

 

References:

32-bit vs. 64-bit, Digital Trends, https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/32-bit-vs-64-bit-operating-systems/

32-Bit vs. 64-Bit, LifeWire – https://www.lifewire.com/32-bit-64-bit-2624554

What’s the Difference Between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows?, How to Geek –  https://www.howtogeek.com/56701/htg-explains-whats-the-difference-between-32-bit-and-64-bit-windows-7/

What makes a computer fast and powerful?, ComputerHope – https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001380.htm

32-bit vs. 64-bit, Diffen – https://www.diffen.com/difference/32-bit_vs_64-bit

What is the difference between a 32-bit and 64-bit system?, TechTerms – https://techterms.com/help/difference_between_32-bit_and_64-bit_systems

32 Bit Vs 64 Bit Windows OS: What Is The Difference? How To Choose?, Fossbytes- https://fossbytes.com/32-bit-vs-64-bit-windows-os-comparison-difference/

Difference between 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, GeekfoGeeks, https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-32-bit-64-bit-operating-systems/

32-bit vs 64-bit, TechAdvisor- https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/feature/pc-components/32-bit-vs-64-bit-3584953/

 

 

 

Are You Making the Most of Your Data?

Whatever industry you are in, chances are your company has a significant amount of competition. The way you collect data and the decisions you make with that information can differentiate your company from these competitors.

Significant innovations and technological change are the new normal, and data is at the heart of this change. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things, and cybersecurity all revolve around the ability to collect, analyze, and act on accurate data.

The benefits of data aren’t limited solely to the most technological businesses, however. Simply put, data helps any organization in any industry make more informed decisions. Without it, you’d be stumbling around in the dark, and making significant business decisions based on pure guesswork.

Decisions in marketing, sales, product development, and manufacturing can all be analyzed on a deeper level using various types of data. You may think you know the answer to a particular question, but the incorporation of data can give you a more complete picture.

Let’s take a look at what we’re talking about when we talk about data. The term is a broad one, and it helps to have a clearer understanding. There are various types available, depending on the objectives of your company.

Let’s also look at how data is revolutionizing a few key industries of the future and consider how the information you collect may help you. How can this ever-expanding appetite for data apply to your industry? How can you improve your utilization of data to make more informed business decisions?

A Clear Definition of Data

 Data has become a buzzword in business circles, and can mean different things in different contexts, or amongst different crowds. The definition is broad. Data is simply a collection of facts, numbers, words, or measurements that are recorded and collected in a way that computers can process.

It’s that simple, really. Think of a Google search result. An algorithm is sorting through vast amounts of data to reply with the best, most relevant answer in a matter of seconds. It would be impossible for a person to search the entire volume of the Internet and return an answer to your query in a year, let alone a matter of seconds.

Data is the backbone of the Internet, and businesses can greatly benefit from a strategic use of what’s available to help them make more informed decisions.

How You Collect and Evaluate Data to Build Your Business

 Companies that fail to utilize the right information to make business decisions are at a distinct disadvantage in the 21st century. Let’s look at a few examples of what this means in terms of real-world practice. Here are a few types of data that might help you improve your processes.

Personal Data – An individual’s demographics, location, email address, social security number or any other identifying information would be considered personal data. This type of information can be highly valuable for operational decisions, but also needs to be highly safeguarded. Hackers who gain access to this type of information can use it for malicious intent and do a significant amount of damage to your customers.

For this reason, personal data breaches often become high profile cases in the media. It can also reach a high-profile status when companies use this data in an unconventional way. Personal data can also be aggregated or anonymized and then sold to third-party companies for advertising or competitive research purposes.

Transactional Data – This type of data requires some form of action to collect, typically ad clicks, submitting an email form, website visits, or product purchases. It can help businesses improve the customer experience and make more targeted marketing decisions.

Web Data – This refers to any data gathered from the web for research purposes. This could be anything from competitive analysis to government data. It could even mean last week’s football scores, if that’s what’s needed. Creative and strategic use of this type of data can provide a sound basis for business decisions.

Resources for transactional or personal data may be limited for start-ups and low-budget organizations, as they aim to collect more useful information. Web data can become an excellent accessible resource, especially when there are no other viable options. It can be used to generate leads, track competition, and much more. Web scraping tools provide a powerful way to access key data.

Sensor Data – This is simply data produced by objects. One main realm for this is the Internet of Things. For example, when your fridge is out of milk, it can use sensor data to order more. Another example may be a FitBit or smart phone tracking steps. When machines track what occurs around them, they can make adjustments that will allow an organization to save money.

Below are ways that data is helping revolutionize a few key industries for the future. You certainly don’t have to be part of these industries to make innovative use of your data. But you can find ways to apply what they’re doing to your company. What data is crucial to your business today? What information can help you make better decisions about the direction of your organization and your future?

What Is Big Data?

 Big data is simply a reference to the numerous types of data being collected. As more individual pieces of information make their way online, companies and analysts can use it to form a more complete data picture. For instance, Facebook likely knows your political leanings, whether you are single or married, and what you do for a living. That collection of personal data can be used to determine which ads you will see on the platform.

Big data only refers to the use of larger data sets. The opportunity is there to view larger, complex data sets to gain a more complete understanding of the world around us. With social media, political campaigns can collect more information about voters in their district than was ever previously available.

Data, and the Industries of the Future

Self-Driving Cars

 In today’s world, when a car breaks down, we take it to the mechanic. Whether it needs a simple oil change, or more complex engine parts replaced, the mechanic is the specialist most suited to complete this work.

As we inch toward self-driving cars, it’ll be more than just engine mechanics who work on these machines. Even in their earliest infancy, self-driving cars are data-collection sponges. The algorithms that tell the car how to behave in an infinite number of scenarios will arrive at their decisions based on the evaluation of data.

Self-driving cars collect and evaluate data to stay on the correct route, obey traffic signals, and transport you from Point A to Point B on time, with little to no human input. When something goes wrong with your car’s data collection systems, you’ll need to find a specialist equipped to handle these types of problems, too. This will likely be a data recovery specialist.

Self-driving cars are a premiere example of what’s possible with machine learning and artificial intelligence. What looks like magic to the uninitiated will be possible only because of the ability to instantly evaluate large swaths of data and make informed decisions.

If data can be used for such complex actions as driving an automobile without human assistance, what processes could you make more efficient within your business through the use of data? Do your employees perform any functions that could be automated?

The technology is here to do more with your data. When you consider what’s possible, data can become another arm in the future of your company.

Healthcare

Wearable technology provides patients and medical professionals access to data that was previously unattainable. Doctors can use this information to analyze long-term trends to make more informed care decisions or monitor whether a patient is following their treatment plan. This data can also be used to establish new disease patterns.

Home products previously unrelated to health care can be used to provide new data. For example, a smart toilet could potentially monitor users for bladder function, diabetes, protein, hydration levels and more. Existing healthcare products can gain new value. An inhaler with an embedded GPS tracker can give medical personnel more information about asthma impacts on the individual, while also tracking larger trends.

Data can be used on the peripheral edges of the healthcare industry as well. For instance, it can be used to give patients more accurate information on wait times. In an environment where patients have plenty of choice, an app that gives patients a realistic look at what their wait may look like can be extremely helpful.

Technology is also changing the way health data is stored and transmitted. Electronic health records are shared amongst different providers and can trigger reminders and warnings to all relevant providers when a patient should receive care.

As data, technology, and medicine converge, it means greater care for the patient. It’s another industry where data specialists are likely to play a more prevalent role. There are more creative innovations coming to market every day in an effort to cure diseases, and accomplish things previously thought impossible.

What have you written off as impossible within the confines of your industry? Are there ways that data and emerging technologies can help your company accomplish more? Can you rethink the way existing technologies are used to benefit your customers?

Retail

 When it comes to retail, the customer has endless amounts of choice – yet they selected your company. Whether online or offline, data can be used to create a better customer experience and keep them shopping with you.

Online, data can be used to create a personalized promotion. Browsing history, cookies, and other data points can help you to create a custom offer. This can be combined with localized marketing and coupons to develop individualized social media ads. When customers are enticed to login, robust profiles can be built that help define all future website, email, and social media interactions.

Online analytics changed the way that retailers create an in-store experience. New types of data can be used to keep customers in the physical store for longer amounts of time, in similar ways to how it is used to keep people on a website. Analytics tools can be used to monitor people’s paths through a retail store by monitoring their cell phone signal. RFIDs and QR codes can be used to track customer activity.

This knowledge allows the retailer to optimize store layout, in a way that places popular items in a prominent location. It allows them to make design considerations that maximize the dollar amounts of each purchase.

Data can be used to help retailers improve their inventory management and tracking processes. Stores can replenish their inventory in real time in order to avoid product shortages.

Retail outlets are looking for ways to improve the entire shopping experience. How can you use data within your industry to optimize the customer experience and better serve each customer? Are you overlooking data usage opportunities?

Why Data Collection is Crucial to Your Business

 Let’s say you want to make and sell a new software application for your company. You could build it with a hunch that young people will like it. Or, you could build it with an understanding that more than 50 percent of 18-25 year-olds in the U.S use a similar application, but it lacks several important features.

A strategic analysis of data can help you arrive at the second conclusion. It can help you identify the improvements you can make to the existing app, thereby establishing your own place in the market. Market research and existing competitors’ web data can provide extensive information that will help you build a better product. When this information is driving your decisions (versus blindly guessing), you end up with a stronger product.

We no longer have to guess, rely on anecdotal evidence, or implement outdated methods to make business decisions. We can streamline product development, hiring, distribution and other aspects, while saving money and improving profits. Data allows you to see problems you otherwise would never know that you had.

Leaders in tomorrow’s economy will see data as the key to unlock success. The challenges are significant, but the rewards are promising. The volume of available data is higher than at any point in history. It’s critical for businesses to know what types of information will benefit them and use it strategically to help them grow and flourish.

Data Recovery Tips for Businesses

 Data is central to most business operations in the 21st century. With that in mind, every business should have a basic understanding on the importance of in-house data recovery, should something go wrong with the information they depend upon. There are often simple, practical steps that can be taken to safeguard data, or recover it in the event it is lost or damaged.

Data and business operations are becoming more intertwined than ever. Data represents a significant investment for your business, so learning how to safeguard it is important. To understand why businesses should pay close attention to safeguarding their data and data recovery, first we have to take a look at the importance of data in running 21st-century businesses.

Data is at the Core of Every Business Decision Made

 Analyzing the right numbers, facts, and trends will lead to better decision-making for your company. When you can properly collect and analyze this information it can lead to stronger brand positioning.

Without data, businesses are guessing on key decisions that will impact the future of their business. Let’s look at a few of the scenarios where collecting and analyzing the right data might help.

• The recruitment and hiring of key personnel.
• The discovery of high-impact market segments, and isolation of the audience most likely to purchase.
• The establishment of proper manufacturing, warehouse, or supply-chain operations for a more efficient system.
• The creation of an efficient sales process, in an effort to close more leads.

If you were to approach any of the above scenarios without analyzing the appropriate data, you’d essentially be guessing as to the proper course of action. The desired outcome becomes far less likely without a historical understanding of the process at hand.

Businesses benefit from collecting and analyzing the right data. When you can eliminate the noise and analyze the appropriate figures to make decisions that will drive your future, data becomes one of your business’s most valuable currencies available.

The problem becomes that we live in an age where Murphy’s Law still applies to much of the technology that we use (Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong). We also live in a time when our data is under increasing levels of threats and scrutiny.

When we lose access to our data it can disrupt the entire flow of our business. Much of the information that is collected is necessary for the day-to-day operation of our business. It can hamper profitability. It can even impact our ability to keep the doors open.

There are important steps that companies can take to safeguard data. Sometimes it’s necessary to call in data recovery specialists. Sometimes businesses can handle the safeguarding and data recovery processes on their own.

Safeguarding Against Data Loss

There’s no getting around it – data loss can be emotional for a business, especially when it’s highly critical to your operations, or if it’s sensitive data that customers have trusted you with. You’ve built your company around this information, so if it disappears, panic is a perfectly natural response. But it’s not always a helpful one. There are steps you can take to help prevent data loss in the first place. This is an important place to begin.

Consider the impact that data loss could have on your business. How long could your business withstand inaccessible data? Your goal should be to reduce this downtime and have your business up and running as quickly as possible.

Create a Data Loss Plan – If your company lost critical operational data, what would you do? The best time to consider this question is when you’re not facing the natural pressure that accompanies this problem. You can create a contingency plan ahead of time with step-by-step procedures for such an event.

There are free software programs for data recovery that you can download onto your computer before you need them. These programs have limited capabilities in comparison to a data recovery company, but it would offer an added level of reassurance. They may be enough to recover a single file, or a small amount of data. You may also want to consult with colleagues who have faced data loss issues in the past and find out what they have done to work themselves out of such situations.

There are additional questions that your organization can evaluate during the planning process:

• How critical is the data you use?
• How easily would you be able to recover a missing or damaged file?
• What kind of impact would downtime, damaged hardware, or a server or network failure have on your business?
• What other types of situations might impact your access to necessary data?

It’s critical to plan for any unexpected scenarios before you find your business impacted by them.

Create Flash Drive or External Hard Drive Backups – When key operational data exists in multiple locations, it is safer. It takes commitment to the habit of backing up your data on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, but you’ll rest much easier knowing it’s there.

If something were to ever go wrong with your computer, knowing that the data exists in multiple locations can prevent the initial onset of panic. It can make all the difference in being able to continue with your day-to-day operations.

This step is the business executive’s version of living out the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. All it takes is locating your external device and being ready to reload that data once your computer issue is resolved.

Cloud Storage – This is an easy way to store files in a location that won’t be impacted by things like hackers, corrupted hard drives, broken devices, or other types of malfunctioning hardware. There is a reason that so many computer and smart phone companies are providing their own version of cloud storage.

Cloud storage has sparked questions about the security of information being stored there, but most platforms use some form of encryption, or a complex algorithm used to encode and protect your data. This makes it less likely that your information can be compromised in any way. It also requires you to create a user name and password to access data, which creates another level of added security.

When your local data is compromised, cloud storage can help you quickly regain access to useful information used to run your business.

Consider Other Locations – If you’ve accessed a particular file from another location, or sent it as an email attachment recently, you may be able to recover a recent version of it. Make sure that you consider all the other places a particular file has lived before you take extreme steps for recovery.

For instance, Gmail has a particularly powerful search feature, and the attachments now show up without clicking on the individual message. If it’s a single file, or a small amount of information that you are hunting down, this can be particularly helpful.

More Data Recovery Tips and Strategies

 Data loss can happen, no matter how prepared you are. When you lose data that is crucial to your company, the instinct is to panic. The problem is that panic can lead to questionable decisions.

When you discover that you are missing data, it’s important to consider whether you’ve taken any of the steps above to reduce the impact of the loss. If so, you can take the necessary steps to fix the hardware problem and redownload the data in question. You can consult your plan if you have one and take the necessary steps toward recovery. If you haven’t taken any of the above steps, you can still recover data, but there will be some additional steps involved.

Check the Recycle Bin – This is a basic reminder that when you accidently delete a file, it may still be recoverable in either the Windows or Mac recycling bin. If this is all that happened, you can simply open the recycling bin, locate the file, and drag it back to the desktop or the previous storage folder.

You’ll still want to act fast when you discover a file is missing, and never use the recycling bin for intentional storage, because it has a file capacity limit. Once it hits that limit, older files will be deleted, making recovery much more complicated.

The shift + delete command in Windows bypasses the recycling bin, making these files inaccessible. If this is how a necessary file has been deleted, you may need to download a third-party data recovery tool, or contact a data recovery company. The same is true of files immediately deleted off USB flash drives or SD cards, where there is no recycle bin available.

Act Fast – The faster you discover missing or deleted data, the better your chances are at recovery. If you save another file to the disk, including any data recovery software, there is a chance you may rewrite the very files you are trying to recover.

Your computer’s operating system is reading and writing to your drive on a regular basis, whether you are actively using the computer or not. Your computer may see deleted data as space that can be overwritten to make room for new, additional data. This can obviously make recovery more complicated.

The best thing you can do is to shut down the drive when you realize data is missing. You can clone the drive and attempt recovery from the clone. This way any potential damage from the recovery process would have a minimal impact on your hardware. You could then scan the clone with a few available data recovery programs.

Data Recovery Tools and Software – Most files are recoverable when you know where and how to look. As long as they weren’t shredded or deleted with a secure data deletion tool, there are options available for data recovery. Even files that have been emptied from the recycling bin can often be tracked down and recovered. Unless the file has been written over with entirely new data, the majority of the file remains.

Lost data can often be recovered with free data recovery tools, but it’s typically a cumbersome and detailed process. While the software can be effective, there are inherent risks if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.

There are no shortage of free or paid software options for running a data recovery search on a Mac or PC computer. Some simple online research can help you determine which software options may be right for your business or your specific situation.

Professional Data Recovery – Data loss can have a devastating impact on a business. Many businesses close as a result. A quick and speedy recovery is necessary to keep your operations alive.

A professional data recovery company has likely seen a case similar to yours. They often employ a team of IT professionals, engineers, and other data specialists who can find innovative ways to gain access to lost information. In many cases they may discover new ways to recover data previously thought inaccessible.

Conclusion

 Between cybersecurity threats and damaged or malfunctioning hardware, your data is always at risk. It’s best not to wait until you are in the midst of a crisis to determine how you will handle your organization’s data recovery process. Instead, you can create a plan and be prepared.

It’s always good to back up your files to remain prepared, should your business experience data loss. It’s also important to understand that backups don’t prevent data loss from occurring in the first place. External hard drives, flash drives, or SD cards can all be lost or damaged themselves.

Make sure you understand how long your business could last if your most crucial data was inaccessible. From there, you can plan the necessary steps and precautions to minimize this downtime and regain access to crucial data.

Just remember that data truly is the backbone of your business. It’s what your business lives and dies on. Professional data recovery specialists provide the most reliable option for businesses looking for a quick rebound. They often have the most innovate solutions for recovery and can provide the best results.

Hard Drive Recovery Techniques

We Recover Data specializes in hard drive recovery, and we are proud to service the Seattle area. Our recovery experts can retrieve data from physical and logical damage whether that damage is due to mechanical or electrical failure. So, if your computer won’t boot or your applications won’t load, you may find that you need our services.

How Was the Data Lost?

The very first step in the hard drive recovery process is ascertaining how the data was lost. The technician will likely ask you a series of questions to decide whether there was a physical drive failure or a logical drive failure.  Once the technician understands how the data was lost, he or she can move on to the recovery methods.

One important thing to understand, if the data that you lost was overwritten, then it is not retrievable because there is no commercially available program that can recover it.

Now It is Time for a Diagnostic Analysis

Just like a doctor, the technician will attempt to diagnose the underlying issue with your hard drive. After removing the hard drive from the computer, it will be visually inspected. If it appears to be intact and in working order, it will be connected to a data recovery tool. Then the various components will be tested. It is possible that the cover of the hard drive will be opened so that the drive can be inspected for physical damages.

Revival

It may be possible for the hard drive recovery expert to revive the hard drive. It may require donor parts to get the drive up and running again. Unfortunately, many of the hard drives that come in needing recovery services have damaged heads, and if that is the case, the price of replacing them is usually fairly high. However, if only some of the heads are damaged, the rest of the data can still be recovered. For example, if your hard drive has ten heads and three are damaged, the data from the other seven heads can be recovered.

There are a lot of steps to full hard drive recovery in Seattle, WeRecoverData.com is here when you need us. We are ready to help you with any computer issues including viruses, hard drive crashes, accidental deletion of data, and so much more. We offer 24-hour emergency service, so if you need hard drive recovery in Seattle, request an estimate today.

3 Reasons Your Hard Drive Might Fail

One of the scariest things that can happen to a person or a business is a hard drive failure. It seems that all of life’s important details are stored on a computer somewhere, and to suddenly lose access to those details can be devastating. Whether you are writing the next American novel or just have a billion cat pictures saved on your hard drive, you don’t want that information to be lost. At WeRecoverData Data Recovery Inc., we specialize in hard drive recovery services, so if any of the following problems happen to you, give us a call.

3 Reasons Your Hard Drive Might Fail

Physical Damage: There are a lot of things that can be a very serious threat to your hard drive. Water and heat are a couple of the big ones. If you accidentally spill a glass of water onto your tower or you put the space heater just a little bit too close, you could end up with a serious malfunction. Also, hard drives don’t respond too well to shock, so dropping your computer can be a cause for some serious failure. To help prevent such things from happening, you can use extra caution. Make sure your computer’s fan is running and is not obstructed, keep liquids away from your desktop or laptop, and handle your computer with care.

Mechanical Failure: You generally don’t think of a computer being mechanical, since most of the components are electrical. However, the hard drive is one of the parts that is mechanical and thus can be subject to a mechanical failure. The main cause of a mechanical failure is normal wear and tear. The warning signs that one is imminent include strange clicking or grinding noises. Also, if your computer freezes or crashes often, you may be headed for a malfunction.

Logical Failure: A logical failure can be caused by many things, but generally the big offender will be a virus or some sort of malware. If you notice things like data disappearing or you are faced with the “blue screen of death,” you may be facing a logical failure.

It helps to recognize the warning signs that failure is on the way so that you can take precautions like backing up your files. However, if you failed to heed the warnings and find that you need hard drive recovery services, contact WeRecoverData.com. We have technicians that are ready to help.

Cloud 2.0: What to Expect from NextGen Workloads in the Future

Are you looking for ways to delivering next-gen workloads? Using virtualization and cloud is said to be the best choice for this. In our modern society where more people patronize device agnosticism and mobility, many organizations will be required to use a more advanced cloud and virtualization processes and methods to send new types of workloads to the users. This simply implies that we need to produce more data center distribution and taking your virtualization and cloud to the next level.

The cloud-based device has really come a long way in proving its worth. But how these cloud and virtualization become a good means of delivering next-gen workloads? What is the impact of these two to the user and the future? In order for us to have a better understanding of the virtualization infrastructure, data center, and the cloud, it is necessary to know what the user is using and its effect on your environment.

Next gen applications, workloads, and data

According to the study, the infrastructure that we use in supporting new applications as well as the data delivery methods will become more developed in the future and will continue to evolve. For this reason, their applications and the ways they use to connect with their respective resources will continue to evolve too. “Kinetic open storage”is one of the best examples for this. This intelligent platform enables the applications to directly speak to the storage device which also reduces expenses related with the deployment, acquisition, and support of storage infrastructures. The best tool to use in increasing the effectiveness of communication is the cloud ready APIs.

Using Converged Infrastructure

Providing the next-gen workloads needed the power of a more advanced data center. Since it is considered as the modern home for everything, this center platform requires to become more advanced and developed in handling new kinds of workload delivery and cloud designs. Now, they can provide the platforms to unify storage, compute in one hardware plane and networking. This platforms can provide advanced level of integration and software-defined technology that is used to deliver new kinds of workload.

Developing the end-point

There is a reason behind why tablets and mobile devices have become more popular and doing their job so well. These devices become more versatile, compact, and smarter than the usual desktop. The user tends to use more mobile and produced a generation that is data-on-demand. Zero-client produced SoC (system-on-chips) technologies that let corporations and businesses in redefining their end-point.

Cloud Storage API

This application program interface that is used to connect a cloud-based storage method to a locally based application in order for the user to send data on it and have an access and work with stored data in it. Having knowledge and awareness about Cloud API materials is not easy. As cloud computing becomes famous, administrators continue developing ways to integrate with their cloud type. Now, there are many developed and direct use cases for this that needs a higher level of customization. The skills to develop the cloud experience as well as cross-cloud compatibility have become a great help in the Cloud Application Interface environment. There are areas where cloud computing will need to combine with other platforms.

• Platform-as-a-Service

This is designed to give functionality and access to a cloud environment. This implies combining with messaging systems, storage components, portals, and databases.

• Software-as-a-Service

This is created to be the best way of connecting to application-layer with the underlying IT infrastructure and the cloud. ERP and CRM applications are the best examples of where APIs application can be used in creating a cloud application extension best for your environment.

• Infrastructure- as -a Service

It is designed to control the distribution of some cloud resources. Some of the best examples are the de-provisioning and quick provisioning of cloud resources which Infrastructure- as -a Service can be used.

• Cross-platform and cloud provider

In our modern day, many organizations don’t use one platform or one cloud provider only. This results in a bigger demand for better cross-platform compatibility. Many providers offer generic HTTPS and HTTP APIs to help their clients experienced the best cloud versatility.

It is necessary to pick the best API platform for your business. Be knowledgeable that sometimes it requires a need for different typed of API models for your surroundings to function well. You also need to know that this new cloud service model has some problems to be ironed out. Expect that there will be times when applications won’t easily work with a cloud-based API platform. If this is the case, it is necessary to have a plan in the deployment and make sure that it can perform with compatibility and all pieces can operate together.

Next Generation Data Centers and its security

Since the cloud is creating its way to the top, it requires a newer type of security which can meet the type of requirement needed which the older type of security cannot provide. Good thing, next-generation security is also making its way in meeting the requirements needed for the data centers’ security.

We are living in a world that is full of technological terms like software define technologies, next-generation security, cloud computing and many more. Expect that the next-gen security technologies have more to offer than what you expect. These are considered as intelligent devices which are cloud and user and application aware.

Here are the lists of new types of security products:

Software-Defined Security

-In connection with software-defined networks, producing secure connections is now necessary. Many organizations and businesses use a hybrid or public cloud platform which needs a security appliance to be used at the site of the provider. From there, you can use a virtual or physical appliance in creating a monitored and secure tunnel into the cloud. Be informed that next-gen security platforms can also provide data protection and 4-7 networking services. This idea is created to convey app-awareness, create flexibility and increase control in the environment to help assist a more developed and evolving business

New Types of Policy Engines

-Cloud Computing worlds need new kinds of security engines. These engines are required to scan different points inside and outside the network. In addition to this, businesses with heavy regularity agreement are expected to be more careful with their own data. There are healthcare organizations that use DLP technologies that scan data coming in and leaving. These next-gen platforms are specially designed to stop loss of information by combining into different types of technologies

There are many definitions intended for the next- generation security. It is very necessary to understand the true meaning of technology. Services, as well as security products, have evolved overtime beyond the standard firewall platform and our expectation into something more capable of giving support into different types of services. Next-generation technologies will surely revolve around agility, ability to quickly evolve to support the needs of a business and security. As more advanced technologies take their place in the industry, a bigger demand for security solutions will surely take place.

Cloud Computing and Its Importance

Delivering of the hosted services over the internet is the general term for the word cloud computing. This allows businesses to use a computer resource which includes a virtual machine, and application and storage rather than maintaining and building computing infrastructures in a home. It is also defined as boosting the internet’s power more than ever. This one also evolved our ways of using computers. It is now a challenging opportunity for online businesses and SME’s to use cloud computing technologies in every business to decrease the production cost while increasing the value of work.

Here are some of the importances of cloud computing:

1. It is used to stop software piracy

Cloud computing can be used in stopping and preventing software piracy. Software piracy is considered one of the factors that can affect the economic development of a certain country. By using cloud computing in the business process and system, software companies, distributors and publishers can stop this piracy. The easiest method that they can use is the prohibition of selling the software offline for selling and online for downloading. They can instead charge on a yearly and monthly basis.

2. It can be used in reducing the cost of conducting business

Cloud computing can be a great help in reducing the cost of a conducting business. Nowadays, businesses can back up the data, launch a private cloud and store by using the existed cloud computing at a lower cost. It is not necessary to buy physical components in storing and managing the data. The only needed thing is to buy the best package that can be used in storing a bigger amount of data and back up and have a private network which can be a tool in handling data processing and needs in deployment as well.

3. Increase productivity

Back in the past, most of our time is spent on the setting up of software, back up, maintenance and fixing IT problems. In our day today, you are not obliged to install any kind of software doesn’t require to set up the network manually. After the release of cloud computing, more than 1000 users can utilize the same application without any installation and maintaining of the application on their own device from any time and anywhere. This will actually save time which can lead to an increase in productivity.

4. Can provide an easier life

There are many examples that explain how technology changes our life. Cloud computing technology is now making its way to be renowned as the next big thing in the IT industry that can provide users with an easier life. This is the main reason why we use different machines to have an easier life. Now, people don’t have to buy a higher hard disk drive and a memory card on their mobile and computer. Users can now actually save the data on the cloud by using the internet. Users can share, give and access data with accuracy and high speed. One of the best examples is the student that can upload and save their files on cloud storage applications like Google drive which they can print or download those files in any place so there is no need in using a pen drive.

5. Multiple backup and storage options

Back in the days, the 2GB hard disk is the computer’s big thing. But today, more than 1 Terra Byte is used in normal computers. When we started using the computer, the floppy disk is what we used. And now, some of the new generations don’t even know what floppy disk or drive is.

Cloud storage is the newest, better, and secure method that we can use in backing up our information and data. Worry no more about the security of your data.

6. Speed up the process

The higher speed of the internet and faster computers can speed up the method of conducting business. Before the development of cloud computing technology, you don’t have any online option to work on. Now, more than you could ever imagine is happening on the internet through clouds.

Nowadays, if someone wishes to have an e-commerce website, you only need to sign up in creating an application. This technology allows people to build any kind of e-commerce applications and platforms in the fastest way. All you need to do is to pay according to the use. Worry no more if you are not using all the features because there is no extra cost required. Back in the past, we are obliged to buy premium packages but we cannot consume all its features. But today, many businesses and companies are providing the best options to compensate for cloud computing features that based on your use.

7. Advanced and Innovative Career Scopes

Cloud computing is considered the newest way of performing the task on your computer. Career, job, and business in the Information Technology world are very challenging only if someone is not committed to learning the industry. One should have the commitment and courage in learning, leading and innovating this industry.  Today, it is another change that needed training, new degrees, and leaders that can optimize the power of human with advanced technologies in order to make a balance between technology and human. All we need to do is to used this cloud computing technology if you want to remain competitive in the business industry in our present time.

8. Schedule updates, auto-scaling and automatic maintenance

The automation system is considered as one of the most demanding processes in our present time around the world in the business industry. Automation in product distribution and development, as well as management, create cloud computing technology as a more powerful technology in the IT industry. This is the reason why many businesses are implementing cloud computing technologies in the operations of their business.

The server’s automatic maintenance and application installation is very useful and can help a lot in saving money and time. Another feature of this technology is that you can schedule an update. Its storage and application scale up automatically in accordance with the demand.

Today, every user wants the fastest access in the information and data and they also want the top quality and fastest conversation on machines. The biggest challenge that the small-scale industry has to face is the optimization of their resources in accordance with the demand. But cloud computing technology is now renowned as an innovative and flexible way of solving different business problems and challenges. That’s why it is best to use cloud computing technology in speeding up the scaling process of your business and the development of its product.

9. Be at the top of the competition

This is the best time for many individuals, app developers, programmers, managers, businessman/woman, and companies to make cloud computing technology as the best technique in the development of your business. This can be a big help in speeding up the flow of cash in your business, make a great impact of your brand in the market, reduce the expenses, develop a stronger relationship with the clients and have a more productive business. Implementation of cloud computing technology in your business can be your stepping stone to in getting to the top of the business.

The using and implementation of cloud computing technology are sometimes challenging especially for small-scale business and owners to buy an external hard drive and a branded and new computer. But take note that this is how many businesses work. The change is really challenging for every one of us.

Implementing cloud computing technology in the process of your business as well as the system, you can actually start with the trial version by means of testing some of its programs and applications. If you think you have a successful result after using this technology, then you can move and run your business through this cloud computing technology.

There is no doubt that our technologies are really progressing quickly. Using cloud-based products and technology is now the new trend and will continue to be on top. Are you truly ready to support and use these types of technologies?

Getting your Mac Work Faster: Tips You can Definitely Try

Solid State Drives VS. Magnetic Spinning Drives: How are they Different?

Map

Infographic

How Much Data Loss Can Really Cost You?

We are now living in the digital world, data and data storage is now the necessities for the existence of every business. Thus, every businessman whether owning a small or a big company must be really aware of how important it is to make sure that every bit of their data is taken care of in the highest precautions possible. However, data breaches and data loss is something inevitable as every company does not depend anymore on bricks and mortar but only on every bits and byte, especially if their industry is information-based and a little data disruption will cause large negative consequences. This has been the main concern of every IT professionals up to now because data loss has a large impact not just on your money but it also greatly affects your time and many more.

Data values are increasing and data loss will cost you depending onyour company’s sector, your company’s size and the number of incidents the data loss happened. In terms of money, it has been estimated that a cost of an episode of a data loss is approximately $2450 and it may have a more negative impact on small businesses as you have to spend a great amount of time to recover or recreate these files to bring everything back to normal. You may be able to find its actual hard copy but they are mostly outdated. It is also the company’s responsibility to update the clients about the data breach especially when they are covered with security breaches. You may be able to return back to business after you recover from this issue but you already have lost your client’s trust and it is really not easy to get them back and rebuild a new relationship with them. If you really do not exert a great effort on protecting your data and recover it immediately after you have lost it, you may suffer from bigger complications. Unfortunately, according to a study, 94% of businesses that suffers from severe data loss most likely do not recover their data, more than half of the percentage of these companies end up shutting down after two years, and 43% of these companies do not even get the chance to reopen again, and almost 70% of small companies that suffered through data loss go out of business only after a year.It is a bold move and an expensive risk for anyone or any company owner to leave their data unprotected because surely, your money is not the only thing that it will cost you.

What Causes Data Loss?

Companies are really vulnerable nowadays as they wholly depend on data. As every bit of data raised their values, the amount of data loss is also heavily increasing. Based on the Ponemon Institute’s global study last 2013 where they focused on examining 277 cases of really large data loss incidents, they have concluded that the reasons behind of this episodes are the hardware failure, human error, software corruption, computer viruses, and natural disaster.

• System Failure/ Hardware Malfunction

Hardware system or malfunction is one of the most answered causes of data loss and 57% of data loss episodes are happening due to this. The harddrive is one of the most important and vulnerable parts of every computer, and every week there are approximately 140 thousand hard drives crashing every week. 60% of these incidents happen due to electrical, controller or controller failure or head crash and 40% left happens due to person’s mishandling which includes accidental falling or bumping of the laptop or the computer itself. At the same time, hard drives are also highly at risk when the computer suffers from overheating which are commonly happening because of piled-up dust in the computer or over usage.

Although, like any mechanical devices everyone should be aware that hard drives normally wear out over time and these are some head-ups for you to know if your hard drive might soon fail or malfunction.

-If you are frequently suffering from crashes or freezes

-Your computer tends to get too hot quickly and makes a lot of unusual noises and

– Your files are randomly getting corrupted.

No one wants to suffer from data loss and the least you can do prevent hard drive failure is to use your computer properly and avoid placing your computer on spaces with extreme dust.

• Human Error

We must accept that we are all just humans and there are circumstances that we really make mistakes. Typically, the two most common human errors that cause data loss are accidentally clicking the “Delete” or worse, the “Format” button and the other one is unintentionally dropping your computer that results to damage your hard drive. However, in the business world, these kinds of mistakes might really cause a little trouble.  It is inevitable that employees sometimes accidentally overwrite the most important files or spill liquids or format the hard drives. Thus, the most essential way to prevent this from happening is to train your employees and make them understand that every bit of data is important to the company. Ensure that they know how you store backup files properly. At the same time, there are several software automation ways that decrease human interaction with the data, thus results to reduce the risk of formatting or deletion too. File recovery software now is also an amazing tool to restore deleted or formatted data. However, data are not always easily restored, you better be sure and use enterprise data storage.

• Software Corruption

We treat unexpected software shutdowns as a normal thing. However, little did we know these things can sometimes result in losing our valuable time as it can delete the progress of your work, or worse losing the whole document. Corrupted software sometimes do not run or work again, thus you would not be able to access all of your files stored in that software.

We cannot deny the fact that software corruption is both a cause of uncontrollable and controllable circumstances. As much as you can, in order to reduce the risk of this incident, make sure that you and your employees are following the appropriate steps on saving files and shutting a computer down. It is just really simple; remember that prevention is better than cure.

• Computer Malware and Viruses

We are all aware that malware and viruses do not just slow down our computers but they also steal important information and without as second spread like wildfire and affects almost all of your important data. For businesses, this malware is no joke, in an instant; they can destroy the functionality of the company and bring the business down. Most of the time, these viruses came from emails or corrupted links, and themost applicable step to take into action is to guard your computer with antivirus software. Make sure that it is always up to date, and you constantly scan your computer to catch it as fast as possible before it creates a big issue.

Some of the other causes of data breaches are power disruption, laptop or computer theft, liquid damage, disasters, and worst of all insiders and hackers. Having an insider or a hacker create data breach in your company is another big issue.  It may be for personal benefit or a competitor move. Unauthorized visitors in your network are a big threat to your data privacy and you will never know what they are after.  As they are able to access your information, assume that they also have the capacity to do a great harm to your business. Every businessman should be aware that they can minimize this kind of instances is through installing firewalls, avoid using low-quality security servers and setting up a password that is very easy to guess. However, the most unfortunate situation that could happen is when data are being stolen by own company employees.  For security purposes, it is highly recommended to execute some rules and regulations for every employee before accessing a certain private data to prevent any kind of malicious activity. Most of the time when hackers get the opportunity to steal your information it would be nearly impossible to recover it, the most important thing you can do is to back up your data.

Businesses and Data Loss: How much it really Costs for Businesses?

As we are making the most out of our digital world, companies now prefer to store their data through bits and byte as it is really convenient and helpful in all ways. However, this also comes with a big risk in terms of data loss. Businesses, whether big or small should find a way to protect their data privacy as it will really cost you more than you think it would.

Based from the Security Week’s study, lost data from the last two years raised for about 400% and its main causes are the use of big data, mobile devices and cloud computing in the workplace. EMC Corporation even included in their study that the downtime total cost of data loss is over $1.7 trillion every year mainly because even IT professionals are not confidentenough in protecting and recovering data from this new digital environment.

IT Web, on the other hand, stated that by 2019, data loss and data breach will cost over $2.1 trillion becauseconsumers are multiplying and everything works in a more digitalized environment. Meanwhile, Juniper Research said that these data breaches will mainly come from the existing network communications and IT technology rather than the upcoming ones, while Verizon has come forth and reported that even little data loss which only disclose less than 100 records already have a standard cost of $18 thousand up to $35 thousand, worse, it can even reach up to almost $555 thousand, while large data loss of 100 million records and above might have a standard cost of $5 million to $15 million and worse it can come up to $200 million.

Experts do not seem to agree with the same number of digits and reasons for the cost of data breaches and data loss, but one thing‘s for sure, your company will need to pay a lot of time, effort and money when you lose even a single important information about the business. Worst case scenario, when a company failed to immediately solve this kind of problem, it might even result in the failure of the whole business.

The Real Consequence of Data Loss

Without any doubts, data breach or data loss will really cost a company or even an individual a certain amount of money. Companies stay in the industry as long as they have the money, and suffering from data loss may cause a little scratch on your bank accounts, however, if this issue gets a little too long to be responded and addressed, the worse may come to worst. If you let your employees work when your network is currently suffering from an issue it will result in the “cost of slow time” wherein, the productivity is getting highly affected by technical issues. This just looks like works being a little neglected, it might look small for now but as you realize it, this may cause you big impact as you constantly pay for your network services, your employees and for IT specialists without getting any revenue in return.

Aside from less productivity of employees, a valuable amount of time is surely being wasted. Recovery and maintenance of this kind of issues normally last for several days and while doing the process, it is also impossible to start with a new task or finish a work. Thus, your company is just losing money instead of making revenue. At the same time, there are cases where data loss even results with several legal challenges from both consumer and authorities due to a matter of compliance of federal regulations of PCI-DSS and HIPAA. All of this will result inan increase to data breach and if this issue continues,employees might just make away to simply finish their work that will result to the discontentment and unhappiness of the consumers end up to the fallout of further projects.

Ways to Prevent Data Loss

Data loss is really inevitable in every business but there is a number of ways to lessen the possibility of this issue. The first thing every company should consider is the basic and the simplest stepsin securing data which include arranging backups, educating employees and coming up with a certain security standard.Take note that it is a necessity to restore data from backup devices. The most promising backup plan is to store your data in a completely different location to ensure that the physical risk of data loss is highly avoided.This kind of events must be regularly scheduled and taken into serious accounts. It may be an old saying, but take it as a simple reminder, “prevention is so much better than cure” and “regrets are felt when it’s just all too late”.

There are definitely a lot of ways to backup your data which may include cloud storage or enterprise data storage. Whatever you choose, it is necessary for you to ensure that all of your files are copied and handled properly. It will really be a waste of effort if you did backup your files but it was not properly done. Execute some steps to make sure that all files are on proper formats, it can be opened and there is enough space for all of your files. There are still a lot of techniques to ensure your data security and prevent data breach or loss.

• Separateyour Hard Drive

For assurance, you can definitely partition your hard drive and divide it into specific data zones and programs. This just simply means that, if the program section of the hard drive got damaged, you can recover its data as it is kept and stored on another location.

• Execute an Efficient Data Retrieval Step

One of the most effective data retrieval steps is disk defragmentation which means that the files data blocks are moved into the disk to get the entire element of the file together in one place. This process decreases data system fragmentation and enhances the effectiveness of file retrieval. Thus, improving the whole performance of your workstation, aside from this, defragmentation is also a great step to clean the storage and create a much bigger free storage space

• Anti-virus

Installing an anti-virus and malware software is one of the simplest and effective ways to improve security in your workstation; either it is your personal or your work computer. It is just a simple reminder that you have to keep it updated to make sure it’s working properly.

• Safe, Clean and Dry

The physical environment of your computer may affect its performance. It is highly recommended to put your computers in a stationary location where they are kept away from dusty and moist places and most especially away from open spaces to decrease the risk of thievery.

• Employee Access

All employees involved in managing the company’s information should be aware of the importance of every bit of data of the company. The company should be able to provide them with proper training about confidentiality and ensure that they are trustworthy enough to be given such access.

Data is really important in our digitized world; every business must learn to take care of it in all ways to ensure the safety of the company and its success.

References:

The Real Cost of Data Loss And How To Prevent It – http://techgenix.com/real-cost-data-loss-and-how-prevent-it/

Top 5 Causes of Data Loss – https://www.imobie.com/support/top-5-causes-of-data-loss.htm

10 Common Causes of Data Loss – https://consoltech.com/blog/10-common-causes-of-data-loss/

Disk Defragmentation – https://techopedia.com/definition/14331/disk-defragmentation

Data Loss: Understanding the Causes and Costs – https://datasecurity.dell.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/MozyEnterprise-Data-Loss-Causes-and-Costs.pdf

Top Benefits of On-Premises Enterprise Data Storage for Organizations

Your data is the lifeline of your business. No matter what industry you are in or even if you are just starting out, sensitive information must be stored and protected to ensure the success and safety of your organization. From the government to educational institutions, healthcare sectors and down to small and large companies from different industries, everyone knows how important it is to store valuable data in a secure environment. As an organization grows, the need for enterprise data storage solutions also grows. It becomes even more challenging to ensure that your company’s data can be easily stored, accessed and protected. Fortunately, tech experts and geniuses do not stop in finding out ways to battle the ever-increasing data storage requirements. Various breeds of enterprise data storage devices and solutions are available on the market and all you have to do is to choose the one that best fit the needs of your company.

Enterprise Data Storage: An Overview

By definition, enterprise data storage is a smartly designed product or service that aims to assist business and organizations when it comes to storing, managing and retrieving digital data. It can hold large volumes of information and can be utilized by multiple users. Large companies and institutions can benefit a lot because enterprise data storage can handle loads of data up to 300 gigabytes. This is possible even without creating a subsystem as the main system is heavily engineered to support and connect to platforms in operation without limits. Moreover, this storage solution doesn’t require excessive cabling.

Usually, enterprise data storage uses centralized repositories. Generally, there are three types of enterprise data storage your organization can consider:

Storage Area Networks (SANs)

A storage area network is considered a universal solution for businesses and enterprises. It can connect to servers, computers and other storage devices. If your business has a high-demand, then SAN is one of the most scalable solutions to your storage requirements. Offering a high storage capacity, it can easily meet the growing demands of your applications. Moreover, by utilizing a storage area network solution, your organization wouldn’t need multiple servers for storing and handling massive amounts of data. You can easily access and manage your information with its centralized data management feature. Retrieving digital information should anything happen wouldn’t be a problem as well as SAN comes with a reliable data backup function.

There are two main types of SAN infrastructure. First is the iSCSI which runs at 1Gbit or 10Gbit. The second is the Fibre Channel. It runs at 2Gbit or 4Gbit in general.

SANs’ storage capacity can be easily expanded because all servers share the same pool of reserved resources. Adding storage capacity is cheaper and faster than the other following types as well.

Network-Attached Storage

With its flexibility and affordability, network-attached storage devices are increasingly becoming the top choice for small and medium businesses. This storage device connects to a network for data storage which can be accessed by authorized clients and users. It also allows the information to be retrieved from a central location. As your storage requirements grow, you can conveniently add storage capacity as you wish. Aside from being a reliable, flexible and low-cost storage solution, network-attached storage devices also give you complete control over your data. Moreover, you don’t need to be an IT professional as it is very simple to operate.

Direct-Attached Storage

DAS is a type of enterprise data storage that is attached to a server directly. This solution comes in different forms such as SCSI, SAS or SATA disks. These disks have rooted array controller. The redundant data of your organization can be easily obtained either by the use of software RAID which is being run by the operating system or by a hardware-level RAID which is administered by the disk controller. While it’s true that DAS is generally the cheapest option available for enterprises, you must first be aware of its features which are often deemed as disadvantages.

Usually, DAS has a maximum storage capacity of up to 300 GB. While it may seem a lot at first, this can easily get full especially if your business is growing at a fast pace. Most servers provide two disk slots which mean your storage space is very limited. If you opt to use disks with smaller capacity, you have to deal with the hassle of increasing your storage space as required by the flow of your data in the long run. It is also time-consuming as before you redeploy the new disk, you must ensure that the entire system is already backed up.

However, if your organization needs a hosting for the operating systems as well as a swap space, device-attached storage will be a great choice because of its speed, accessibility, and high bandwidth.

Top Go-to Vendors for Enterprise Data Storage Solutions

All businesses and organizations, from small to medium and large, can choose from a huge array of enterprise data storage available on the market. But if you’re an amateur in the industry and you don’t know where to start, perhaps knowing the top companies which provide data storage solutions can help. Whether you are thinking of going after SANs or you are more convinced that a NAS device would be more helpful, get to more about the following before you take your pick.

Let’s dive in!

Dell EMC

If you’re fully aware of the data storage industry, then it would be impossible not to know or heard about Dell EMC. For the experts, the enterprise data storage industry wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this company. In 2016, the merger between Dell and EMC has rocked the world. Well, the popular pc maker and server company has joined hands with one of the giants in data storage, who in the tech world wouldn’t be delighted? The $67 billion merger allowed the new company to dominate the market for enterprise data storage systems. Dell EMC provides the arrays essential to SANs and NAS devices. They have also released a variety of models which can support double duty. Among the most notable products of Dell EMC are the SC series, Isilon NAS storage, hybrid-flash storage and a line of VMAX products.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

The joint venture between Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the New H3C Group has impacted the performance of Dell EMC in the overall market in terms of enterprise storage systems. However, HPE still falls behind one of its greatest rivals in terms of the traditional storage. Among the most notable products of the company are HPE StoreEasy for NAS systems, HPE 3PAR StoreServ with midrange arrays and MSA Storage which is flash-enabled ready.

NetApp

NetApp has been making headlines with its NVMe-Over-Fabrics. This enterprise data storage supports its flash arrays products and also offers support for cloud data in its ONTAP storage software.

IBM

This company is no different from other data storage vendors when it comes to embracing the flash function in its arrays. Also, the company aims to push its performance envelope by making a big push into its NVMe-based data storage products.

Hitachi Vantara

To be able to increase its performance when it comes to enterprise data storage, big data analytics, data integration and the Internet of Things, Hitachi has decided to combine its Data Systems with Pentaho, along with the Hitachi Insights Group last September 2017. The goal is to form a subsidiary that will focus more on delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions to businesses. The G Series arrays and Hitachi NAS Platform carry the HDS storage systems.

Huawei

According to IDC, Huawei is dominating the market at a fast pace. This Chinese tech company offers an all-flash OceanStor Dorado V3 arrays. This product is supported by NVMe technology. Also included in its product portfolio is the OceanStor 18000 V5. Large companies are giving positive reviews for these hybrid-flash storage systems.

Other Data Storage Companies to Get to Know Today

While the following companies might not be the first to come into your mind when it comes to enterprise data storage, these businesses are well-versed in the industry and they are dramatically creeping to the center of the spotlight.

Oracle

Oracle is famous for its ZFS Storage. The company’s legacy is backed up by Sun Microsystem, StorageTek archival tape systems, and Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliances. Moreover, Oracle offers to the market databases for business and software-related products.

Lenovo

Although you might remember the company for reselling its IBM Storwize arrays and for joining with EMC, Lenovo is once again trying to stand on its feet by releasing S3200 SAN hardware and Lenovo Storage S2200.

Fujitsu

Presenting its portfolio of products under the ETERNUS banner, Fujitsu is known in the business for offering storage solutions that support the entire lifecycle of data. The company also offers software-defined storage, arrays, tape libraries, and backup appliance.

Western Digital

If you’re after hard drives, then surely you need to check out Western Digital. The company’s subsidiary, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, also offers Ultrastar which are systems for data center storage.

Storage Companies with Strong Focus on Flash-enabled Arrays

Surpassing the traditional storage systems which are usually disk-based, the following companies focus their efforts on enterprise data storage with flash-enabled arrays. They aim to improve database performance as well as to set new application standards.

Pure Storage

With no spinning platters on its products, Pure Storage brags itself as an all-flash purist. Today, the company makes a buzz in the industry with its FlashArray//X. This data storage system is embedded with NVMe SSDs.

Violin Systems

Previously known as Violin Memory, Violin Systems is among the first vendor to take its toll on all-flash in the data center. The company had experienced bankruptcy but had bounced back and made a name for itself once more by offering Flash Storage Platform arrays with high-performance. Violin Systems also targeted the modern-day workloads by offering management software products.

Tegile

Although under the wings of HGST which had made it on the upper part of the list, Tegile manages to make a separate name for itself—thanks to the company’s all-flash and hybrid storage systems. Their line of products includes NVMe-based arrays as well as IntelliFlash N Series.

Kaminario

Kaminario is one of the most popular all-flash data storage vendors in the market. The success of the company is made possible by their efforts of delivering storage software that is, of course, flash-friendly. At the beginning of 2018, the company announced that they will be shifting their focus on providing SDS solutions to enterprises of all sizes. This decision means Kaminariohas to leave its hardware side of the business to Tech Data.

Top Companies Offering Hyper-converged Storage

While more and more enterprise data storage vendors are shifting their focus to hyper-convergence, the following companies have already placed their bets early in the game. But first, let us define hyper-converged storage. Dramatically taking the data storage industry by storm, hyper-converged storage offers unrivaled flexibility when it comes to running and managing massive storage workloads. This function is made possible by the combination of storage, computing and networking all packed into immensely-virtualized systems. Today, they are some of the most popular go-to companies for this innovative storage trend.

Nutanix

Software available in hardware appliances, Nutanix can be used by organizations simply by installing it on their systems. The product enables SDS in the data center and it supports a variety of data storage services such as virtual machine, container, block and file. It also comes with a feature for disaster recovery and backup.

Pivot 3

Pivot 3 aims to accelerate data storage workloads with its hybrid flash and flash HCI systems which support a number of beneficial data services. An enterprise can benefit a lot from erasure coding, thin provisioning, asynchronous replication and more. Pivot 3 is also proud that its high-end products are packed both with conventional SSDs and NVMe SSDs.

HPE SimpliVity

SimpliVity is now owned by HPE. However, it is worth mentioning that this company had made headlines early in the game with its OmniCube. The innovative building blocks made it possible for a massive pool of enterprises to propel their business to success with the help of a software-defined data center.

How to Choose the Best Enterprise Data Storage for your Business

Are you a business owner who’s struggling to manage the ever-growing requirements of data storage? If this issue continues to frustrate you, it can have a negative impact on your organization. This means this can affect your journey to success. As the business landscape becomes more and more competitive and dynamic with each passing day, knowing how you can deal with your data storage requirements must be one of your top priorities.

Here are some key insights to ponder:

Your organization must evaluate the data storage problem from different aspects.

Based on a Study conducted by Computer World, the majority of IT Managers struggle to balance their priorities. From workloads to schedules, budget, security and storage performance, failing to focus even on a single area can cause troubles when it comes to defining the company’s data storage requirements.

You must be aware that there is no such thing as “one-size-fits-all” enterprise data storage solution.

With the hopes of getting cost-effective solutions, most organizations, even the large ones tend to go after a single approach when it comes to keeping and managing their valuable data. As a result, most companies fail to select the right storage tier for their critical applications. In 2017, several studies showed that businesses can benefit better by using a combination of media types which easily meet their diverse data storage needs. Moreover, this strategy proves even more cost-effective in the long run.

Your organization must let go the copies of redundant data.

As enterprise data storage solutions are being made more and more affordable even to small businesses, most organizations tend to overlook data redundancy. But as the amount of your data continues to grow, this limiting this practice must be one of your biggest concerns.

Protecting your data must not be an afterthought.

Most companies think that having a backup strategy is a completely separate component from data storage. Oftentimes, the primary storage is being used for the primary applications while the secondary storage is reserved for backups. When an issue arises, we tend to solve the application-related issues to gain better performance while completely ignoring the backup and recovery components.

Consider the Roadmap of your Organization

When it comes to choosing the best enterprise data storage solutions for your business, you must consult your stakeholders first. Most of the time, companies are falling victims to data storage requirements because of their short-term planning. In case there is someone in your organization who visualizes analytics projects in the future, then the need for data storage infrastructure which can support this vision strongly make sense. If you don’t want to experience the hassles of upgrading data storage from time to time, forecasting your needs early in the game is a must.

 

The Advantages of Digital Storage Devices for Businesses

Today, we live in a world surrounded by computers. Whether it’s for personal or business purposes, nearly every user needs one thing—a place to store valuable data. In the recent years, the process of storing data evolved dramatically. Not too long ago, the best way to keep important data from nosy eyes is to have a secure cabinet, guarded by locks or by an out of this world number combination. But as the years went by, the technology didn’t fail us when it comes to delivering comfort and convenience. From small to large organizations, people from all walks of life and ages now enjoy the benefits brought by digital storage devices.   

Digital storage devices use storage memory for keeping information. From static to dynamic storage, each type has its own advantages. If you want to find the best solution for your storage needs, gaining knowledge about the types of digital storage devices is a must.  

First, let’s discuss the three basic kinds of storage technologies. 

1. Magnetic Storage

The most popular types of digital storage devices which utilize this storage technology are hard disks drive, tape recorder cassettes, and floppy disks. Magnetic storage needs a medium like organic metal for encoding data. There are round platters inside hard disks which are made of metal oxide materials. They rotate at a high speed around a spindle. The mechanical part is called the armature and its head is responsible for reading and writing the patterns of magnetic polarities. By magnetizing the platters, the patterns will then be stored in bits. 

Primarily, the hard disk drive is the most preferred digital storage device for personal computers. Aside from being one of the fastest devices for storing data, users take advantage of the cost. For a gigabyte of storage space, you need only a few pennies. 

2. Optical Storage

This type of storage technology requires two things. First is the optical media which comes in forms of circular discs. The other is the optical drives. They have a laser beam used for lightening. Once the beam reflection hit the photodiodes, they generate the patterns of the voltages. The data is read and written using the laser or optical reflection. 

Optical storage technology is often used in the following: 

• Compact Disc or CD – It is used for storing programs and music files. The storage capacity is usually 700 MB which is considered pretty low

• Digital Versatile Disc or DVD – This media storage is used for standard definition movies. It uses the red laser rays.

• Blue-Ray Disc or BD – With larger capacities than the first two, this media storage is often used for high definition movies.

Moreover, these types of discs are further categorized into two. RAM is used for temporary storage while ROM is for permanent purposes. 

3. Solid State Storage

This digital storage technology utilizes non-volatile memory. It has the ability to retain data even when the power is off. Also, it does not have moving parts. Compared to magnetic and optical storage, this technology is faster, lighter and quieter. It is also more efficient. However, it is also more expensive. 

Below are the most common forms of solid-state storage: 

• USB Flash Drive – Commonly called as USB, this stick-like portable storage usually comes in small sizes. Users just need to plug this device into a USB port. Good speed is among the top advantages of this device.

• Flash Memory Cards – Smartphones, digital cameras, and navigation devices usually benefit from this type of digital storage. The usual formats are MicroSD, MemoryStick, Secure Digital and CompactFlash.

• Flash Hard Drives – Portable devices, specifically tablets and laptops use this kind of storage technology. While they have the same shapes as the common mechanical hard drives available today, they always come smaller in size.

Solid state drives are considered more efficient than conventional hard drives. Instead of encoding data from platters using magnetic polarities, it uses flash memory which allows the data to be written, deleted, and rewritten as necessary. They are also faster and more efficient because they do not have internal moving parts. While they come more expensive than conventional hard drives, users can benefit a lot in the long run because they consume less power. 

An Overview of Storage Options for Business

Technology can easily convince us that anything can happen within a blink of an eye. Sooner or later, you will need more space for your data, especially for business and professional purposes. From your emails to presentations, spreadsheets, audio files, databases and others, these files are considered as one of the lifelines of your company. 

Storing this valuable information and being able to manage them well is vital to the success of your business. Fortunately, many options are made available to you. But to be able to choose the ideal solution for your needs, find out first about your storage options.   

How do you choose what’s best for you?

First and foremost, you need to develop a plan. Businesses must assess their data and applications properly. You must also consider your physical location as well as the storage capacity. 

1. Here are some insights to get you started:
2. How old is your data?
3. How much of your data is stale?
4. How much of your data is irrelevant to your business?
5. Which of your applications generate the largest amount of data?
6. How fast do you need to access your data?
7. From what locations do you need to access your data?

By answering these questions, you’ll have a better understanding of your data and the amount you’re dealing with. From here, you can begin considering your storage options. It’s good to know that there are more storage options available which are designed primarily for businesses. 

Let’s take a more detailed look at some of your choices: 

Flash Memory Thumb Drives

Professionals mostly prefer to use this type of drives as they are highly portable. They come in sizes which are small enough for a keychain. Because they have no internal moving parts, they naturally consume less power. Even while you’re on the go, you can easily connect a flash memory thumb drive to the USB port of your laptop for back up. There are even USB drives that come with encryptions or codes to keep your files safe should anyone steals it or if you lost it by accident. Moreover, there are digital storage devices that allow you to store your Outlook data. These data includes desktop applications, calendar items, bookmarks, file, and even your recent emails. Even when you left your laptop at home, you can still access your data simply by plugging your USB drive into another computer. 

External Hard Drives

If you’re looking for a practical way of getting more storage space, then external hard drives is one of your best options. You can directly connect it to your PC and transfer the files from there. However, you must be aware that there are several disadvantages. To be able to access the files when you travel, you need to take the external hard drive with you. If the stored data has no back up elsewhere, your data will not be protected in the event of a catastrophe such as a fire. 

Online Storage

If you want compelling benefits, then this type of storage service must be on top of your considerations. A remote server helps keep your files secure and protected should anything happen to your device. Moreover, by having a remote online storage, you can share files with your co-workers, clients or business partners easier and faster and wherever you are as long as you have an Internet access. You just need to give them access to your online storage in forms of passwords. There is no need to transfer large files via email. In case of emergencies, you can easily open your account from any computer at any place and retrieve the files you need. If you’re always working on large files, then it is recommended to invest in network access with higher speed. 

Network-Attached Storage

Providing a simple, fast and reliable access to your valuable information, network-attached storage services are highly recommended for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides various solutions in an IP networking environment. If your company requires a large amount of storage which can be accessed by multiple users, then this easy to install storage solution service is a great choice. The involved parties can easily share the data over a network. Anyone in your team with access can also consolidate and manage the data if needed. 

Here are the top advantages of using NAS solutions: 

• The basic NAS solutions can come in a form of a single hard drive with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity or with an Ethernet port. For 300 GB of storage space, a business only needs to invest an average of $200.

• If you want to scale the overall storage capacity, you just need to upgrade your NAS solutions by having additional FireWire and USB ports. It allows you to connect your external hard drives as well.

• A NAS solution also enables your business to benefit from multiple hard drives. Whatever you store on your main drive will automatically be copied to the second drive. In case something happens to your first drive, you don’t have to worry as your data is still safe and sound

• A NAS solution also increases performance by being able to offload file serving coming from the other servers on your network. You can also merge the storage system which can help you reduce costs and meet the growing requirements of your business.

 

How Digital Storage Devices Make Your Business More Productive

1. Digital storage devices reduce document storage space.

With the ever-rising need for storing files and documents for regulation compliance, business processes, and customer service, paper-based storage has dramatically become a costly expenditure. Vital information cannot be easily retrieved when needed compared to electronically generated data as you would need to find them in conventional storage areas with thousands of paperwork. And when it comes to business, you definitely know that time is money. Moreover, by storing your data online, you don’t need to have those big and bulky cabinets occupying an expensive space within your office. This innovative system allows you to make other areas productive for other business purposes. 

2. Digital storage devices allow easier retrieval of data.

A conventional filling system involves a lot of effort. The files are needed to be organized manually and retrieving them in a swift manner, say in a matter of seconds, would be impossible. Also, the traditional storage method gives plenty of room for mistakes and inefficiency.  

As the number of documents increases, urgently trying to look for the data you need in real-time would be even harder. Through the use of technology storage devices, you can easily manage your data using a system that enables users to simultaneously save and access data anytime and anywhere. 

3.Digital storage devices allow you to share data in a more efficient manner.

In a business, being able to share important files and documents within your workforce, clients, and colleagues is vital to the success of your company. A good communication is one of the lifelines of a business and being able to distribute the right copy of file or information counts as well.  

With the help of digital storage devices and online storage solutions, the need to photocopy the files that need to be distributed is no longer necessary. There would be no costly printing, bottlenecks can be eliminated, human errors can be reduced and the possibility of miscommunication is very little. This way, the entire workforce of your company can focus on more important aspects of the business. Digital storage devices keep your data secure.

Paper documents carry a high risk in terms of security. You can accidentally leave your documents in a coffee shop or a restaurant. Moreover, they can easily be ruined by natural elements such as fire and water. Your private and sensitive information is vital to everything you do and protecting them is your utmost responsibility.  

Technology storage devices provide safety and security to your data because you are allowed to set restrictions. You can control the access of anyone who wants to view your files with the help of your passwords and you can choose whom you want to share your files with. Also, there are digital storage services solutions that enable you to view the history of actions performed on your data and you can easily know if someone has made irregular actions. You are also given the ability to apply real-time edits and changes to your passwords as necessary. 

4. Digital storage devices help in disaster recovery.

Do you have a backup plan in case your business encountered a disaster? Paper documents are vulnerable to the risk of flood, fire, theft, vandalism and more. By storing your data on online storage, you can have a backup and you can access them no matter where you are as you try to recover from such unwanted incidents. Rest assured that no documents will be lost or misplaced. 

5. Digital storage devices allow you to easily update your data.

Being able to view your information anytime and anywhere as long as you have an Internet access allows you to see changes and updates in real time. In paper documents, you need to change everything that is written and re-file them all over again. That can be time-consuming.  

Moreover, in case of a disaster and you lost your license to operate, information stored in your digital storage device can be easily recovered and you can authenticate the validity of your business information. This system also enables you to comply with requirements and regulation in a more professional manner.   

6. Digital storage devices help improves customer service.

Customers are increasingly becoming demanding nowadays. With the advent of the Internet, most people expect that anything can happen in just a snap. If your business relies on data stored on digital storage devices, rest assured that you can respond to the requests and questions of your customers immediately.  

Access to the necessary information in real time is vital to keep your clients happy and satisfied. If they are contented with your prompt services, there’s a high chance that they will become your return customers. Moreover, this competitive edge can make your business look more professional and more reliable. 

Protect Your Important Digital Information at All Times

Before investing in technology storage devices and data storage solutions, it would always be better to consult with the experts. This strategy can be considered a substantial investment and choosing the ideal solutions will impact your company’s current and future needs. There’s no need to decide in a rush as there are experts who can guide you to make the best decision.  

By developing a plan supported with a thorough assessment as provided by the professionals, rest assured that you’ll have the most essential storage management devices and systems which can help propel your business towards success.  

 

 

How Businesses Can Get the Most from the IoT

While people are largely in favor of the benefits that the Internet of Things will bring, they remain skeptical of the companies that bring these services.

Assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home will likely become the focal point for a connected home or business. They are the products that allow customers the ability to control the thermostat, adjust lighting, or monitor utility usage. They allow customers to make simplified purchases when possible, and they serve as the operational hub for the Internet of Things.

There has been a widespread concern throughout the media regarding these home assistants, however. Stories appear on a regular basis about whether Alexa is eavesdropping on you. There is a concern over the level of data these companies can now collect by simply leaving the microphone on, and how much easier these devices make it for law enforcement to conduct surveillance.

Regular household devices and appliances are being manufactured with the ability to make the home and office more efficient. From washing machines to refrigerators to light bulbs, our inanimate objects are developing the ability to communicate with each other.

The companies that provide these devices will need to overcome consumer fears in order to make the most out of the Internet of Things. People can make their homes and businesses endlessly more efficient and they are likely ready to do so, but they need to have trust in the products that fill their home.

Below are a few simple steps IoT companies can take to earn and maintain their customers’ trust.

Remain Vigilant on Security – Many tech companies have adopted Facebook’s motto: move fast and break things. While it’s an inspirational approach to innovation, the problem is that it allows security to be treated as an afterthought.

There are common IoT security exploits that must be addressed in order to help consumers better trust the devices in their homes.

Clarify Your Data Policy – Europe’s GDPR regulations are pushing tech companies in this direction. A clear data policy that allows customers to understand what data is being stored and under what conditions will minimize customer fears and more effectively build trust.

Customers need to be able to trust that when the device has not been woken up, that it’s not listening to every word.

Transparency – The companies that make smart home devices need to remain transparent about the purpose for their data collection. Customers want a simplified shopping experience and a better home assistant. It’s good to remind them of those purposes once in a while.

Otherwise consumers may feel like their privacy has been invaded when they receive emails or Facebook ads for the products they were shopping for. The same thing goes when they receive reminders to purchase products they are almost out of.

Remaining transparent about the purpose of IoT products will help customers to build more trust and use them for the long haul.

Recent Cyber Attacks and Vulnerabilities Worth Our Attention

The reality of cyber attacks is upon us – whether we like it or not. These attacks are not just something that faceless governments and organizations need to worry about. Individuals need to take steps to protect their personal data online as well.

Events over the last year give off the impression that nothing seems safe online. Below are some of the most prominent attacks and what individuals and companies can learn from the experience.

Equifax

Hackers broke into the Equifax database and compromised the personal data of 145 million people. This was considered among the most significant data breaches because of sheer size, and the sensitive information exposed – everything from social security numbers to addresses.

The company also delayed two months before reporting the attack – and the public doesn’t know who is responsible.

Lessons

The Equifax attack raises concerns of how much information data brokers are able to obtain, and who maintains responsibility for that information. It’s also critical for businesses that undergo a breach to report it immediately, to begin the process of damage control.

Businesses also need to do everything possible to quickly patch vulnerabilities, so they don’t remain exposed to hackers.

Yahoo

Every one of Yahoo’s 3 billion email accounts were hacked in 2013. The company only found out about the breach in 2016 – and first reported that 1 billion accounts were attacked. No one yet knows who was responsible for that breach.

Lessons

Email provides a wealth of unencrypted user data. The hackers had total control of the accounts, security questions, and could also access recovery accounts listed that were outside of the Yahoo system. End-to-end encryption with no centralized points of attack can help cut down on vulnerability.

FedEx

An unsecured Amazon S3 server has exposed the personal information of tens of thousands of FedEx users. There were scanned documents such as passports, driver’s licenses, security IDs, and more. FedEx certainly isn’t the only company to experience data vulnerabilities this way.

For example, Tesla’s AWS servers were hijacked by cryptominers. It’s a vulnerability not unique to Amazon, but possible with any cloud provider.

Lesson

You can make use of new AWS tools to create a more secure experience for your customers. It also helps to schedule more frequent audits of your cloud platform and to better look for security risks on your own.

Conclusion

Advancements such as cloud computing, open source software, and SaaS make it possible to run your business more efficiently than ever. But these conveniences often come with a price. It’s critical to factor in the security of your customers’ personal data into the development process.

New regulations such as Europe’s GDPR make it increasingly important to take these extra steps to guard the data that is crucial to your business. Let these examples be a lesson and make sure that you are doing everything you can to protect sensitive information.

What Are the Best Cloud Computing Resources for IT Professionals?

Cloud computing is a field that’s always changing, and with that, it takes a continuous vigilance to protect your clients’ data and information.

There are new tools, resources, and training options available on a regular basis.

We have listed some of our favorite blogs and web resources for cloud computing. Go forth and explore. Bookmark these sites as you need them. They will help you to better understand the technology you’re working with on a daily basis.

Security Week

This publication is a go-to for any IT professional who is looking for more information on how to protect cloud-based platforms from the variety of threats that they face. There is a wealth of content on this site about malware, cybercrime, and mobile and wireless threats.

This is a great publication to read for understanding data protection in the 21st century.

https://www.securityweek.com/

SC Magazine

Companies and organizations worldwide are taking more steps than ever to protect their data. This is a necessary, positive step. SC Magazine explores the stark look at what happens in a world where data protection fails.

This is a great source for the latest in malware, hacking, phishing and more. It’s a great place to stay current on industry threats.

https://www.scmagazine.com/cloud-security/section/6948/

InfoWorld

This is a great resource for those looking to brush up on AI/machine learning, big data analytics, cloud computing and more. They also highlight various aspects of cyber security. InfoWorld remains a great way to stay ahead of the ever-evolving technologies that dominate the business world.

The also offer a variety of industry white papers and case studies to further your knowledge.

https://www.infoworld.com/

The Cloud Lawyer

Usage and compliance are increasingly important aspects of cloud data. This is a great place to brush up on other aspects of data security. Cloud law, technology contracts and data security are growing in significance – especially as the European Union has implemented GDPR.

Make sure that you are up on any relevant rules and regulations.

https://thecloudlawyer.net/

Adventures in Automation

This blog is written by TJ Maher, who has worked in the software testing field since 1996. He’s been an automation developer and blogger since 2015. He writes about issues such as automated testing frameworks, security testing, and software quality assurance.

There are also pictures on recent posts of his new baby – which should also be good for readership!

https://www.tjmaher.com/

David Strom’s Web Informant

Strom’s blog offers a number of insights on a variety of IT and computing topics. A B2B IT journalist, he writes about how to protect your computers from cyberattacks, and lists some of the most notable vulnerabilities.

This is a great blog for keeping up on the many issues surrounding cloud computing and security.

https://blog.strom.com/

Conclusion

Keeping data secure is critical – especially as cloud computing changes what it means to conduct your business online. The above sites are some of the best out there for keeping track of news and changes in our industry, but there are many more.

What You Can Do Today to Protect Your Data

We’ve all experienced the pit in our stomach – the bottomless anxiety – that comes with lost data. This is especially true if it’s data or information critical to the central nature of your business.

There are active measures you can take to make sure that you can do to better protect your data. As mentioned below, regular backups help. But there are measures you can take to make your data safer and reduce the chances you’ll end up in a compromising situation to begin with.

Back it Up

This is among the more common sense yet overlooked solutions. Too many businesses have an inadequate strategy when it comes to backing their data up. You can use external hard drives or cloud solutions to provide a duplicate copy of your most important data. This makes the recovery process simple.

Data Encryption

There is more than one way to have your data stolen. One scenario is being hacked, but another scenario may involve having a laptop or mobile device stolen. We’ve grown so comfortable with the conveniences of easy access, that we often forget the downsides.

If you have access to customer or client data, bank information, or other sensitive data, your devices should likely be encrypted. A secure password, key file, or special USB device can all be used to encrypt files. You don’t need to be an IT specialist to encrypt your data anymore. There are practical solutions that make safeguarding your data easy.

Power Off

Shutting off your computer when you’re done with it is a common piece of advice for saving energy, but it has another benefit as well. It removes your computer from the internet, and takes away the ability for hackers to install malware or commit any other type of cyber crime. Simply narrowing this window of time can help.

Disable File Sharing

If you’re not frequently sharing files back and forth through this method, the risk may outweigh the benefits. File sharing makes the contents of one computer visible on another. This can open you up to a significant level of unnecessary risk.

Protect Your Wireless Network

There are a lot of reasons that people may try to access your Wi-Fi network, and not all of them are outright malicious. For instance, you may simply have people near you who are looking for free Wi-Fi access. But without a secure password, your data may be at unnecessary risk.

You can hide your W-Fi network so that it does not broadcast the name.

Install Updates

These updates can be a gigantic inconvenience for the user, but they really do keep your equipment safer. The updates contain security patches that protect your computer, and failing to do so can put your computer at risk. It’s best to set your operating system to update automatically. Many systems allow you to schedule the updates so that they don’t interfere with working hours.

Conclusion

When data is lost or compromised, it can be devastating to your business. Taking these simple measures can help keep your business safe. Don’t take the day-to-day operations of your business for granted. Make sure that you do everything you can to protect yourself in a worst case scenario – and minimize the odds of data loss from occurring in the first place.

How Will SaaS Products Make Your Business More Efficient?

It used to be that when you wanted to add Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop or any other program onto a computer you had to go to the store and buy a box. Inside that box was the disk you needed to load the program onto any given computer.

A lot has changed over recent years, including the use of SaaS, or software as a service products to run your business. This is true of the programs listed above, but there are also CRMs, accounting software, and other options.

How SaaS benefits IT and Small Business

A SaaS model is simply the usage of software that is maintained by its creator and hosted remotely. These are programs no longer downloaded on each computer, but instead run in the cloud.

Everything from content management systems to the more routine software used in daily tasks can now be purchased on subscription basis and hosted in the cloud.

Saved Time and Money

If you’re part of a large business or organization, a new software install used to take months to get to a point of operation. With a SaaS solution that time until your business is fully operational can drop to weeks, days or hours.

This ease of installation can save your business a significant amount of money on implementation. This savings is realized in less work for your IT team. It’s also realized because you won’t need to make any modifications or expansions to your company’s hardware for hosting capabilities.

SaaS has a significantly lower cost of entry.

The SaaS Vendor Will Increase Security

It’s only natural to be skeptical of what falls outside your control. Many companies and IT professionals become skeptical when the security of the programs they use takes place externally.

But the truth is that the cloud offers SaaS programs added levels of security. There are more secure data centers at your disposal. The data your company relies on pass through more secure checkpoints.

SaaS products also benefit from more frequent automatic upgrades – making the software itself more secure. All of these added security features allow your IT team to shift its focus and concentrate on other aspects more central to your business.

When it comes to data security, companies that use SaaS products have added peace of mind.

With an SaaS Solution, You’ll See Benefits Faster

Many SaaS companies offer free trials so you enter into usage knowing exactly how this software operates, and what benefits it can provide to your business. SaaS vendors operate with APIs that can complete the order within minutes.

Since the software is based in the cloud users can access it via mobile devices or from home. This added flexibility allows your business to quickly adopt to any situation.

SaaS products not only let you run your business more efficiently, but they can actively help you safeguard your data. They offer another layer and another means for your business to recover lost or stolen data.

More software solutions are becoming available in this space on a daily basis. At We Recover Data, we encourage our customers, and all businesses to experiment with, and implement the appropriate SaaS measures to more effectively manage their business.

Cloud Vs. Shared Hosting

All websites need to be hosted somewhere, and the most conventional answer for most companies or organizations has been shared hosting.

We think nothing of calling large hosting companies such as GoDaddy, HostGator, or Blue Host and asking for their most affordable shared plan. In certain circumstances this may be all you need to solve the problem. But it’s important to understand there are other options available.

Let’s look at the benefits and risks of both shared and cloud hosting. It’s important to understand the difference when you look to safeguard your company’s digital presence.

Shared Hosting

This is the most common type of hosting plan, and it’s easily affordable. A shared solution means that the user shares the server space with other users. All applications and data resources that are being used by your account are being shared across the server.

Common resources such as the server’s CPU, memory, disk space, bandwidth and more will be shared with all other websites being hosted on the server. Most hosting companies tend to keep their servers full.

This means that if one website experiences a significant spike in traffic, it can have a detrimental impact on everything on that server. It may cause all the websites on the specific server to experience slower speeds and downtime.

Shared hosting is still one of the more affordable ways to host your website. If you are an individual or small business with a smaller online footprint, this can still be the way to go. But if your client runs a larger company with more online features, cloud hosting can offer a stronger alternative.

Cloud Hosting

With cloud hosting, your site is stored on multiple servers in the cloud, to improve resources and maintain consistently high up times and speed.

This gives you a dedicated hosting space – meaning your site is not lumped into a mass of other sites. This is a critical advantage for high traffic sites, or sites for companies that are looking to rapidly expand.

Below are a few circumstances where it might make sense to go to a cloud hosting option:

•  Website downtime or slow speeds could be devastating to your business.
•  You are anticipating spikes in traffic.
•  You need features or applications that aren’t typically available on shared hosting accounts.

While cloud hosting plans are typically more expensive, they are also more dependable.

Finding the Right Hosting Plan

Finding the right hosting plan will depend on your needs, or the needs of your end client. There are certainly more advantages to a cloud-based solution – but it may not be within everyone’s price range.

Some small businesses and solo entrepreneurs may find the costs associated to be prohibitive.

That being said, if you are a larger business or a startup that is depending on a strong digital presence at the core of your business, a cloud solution will be a more dependable choice.

December 2018 Newsletter

What Are the Best Cloud Computing Resources for IT Professionals?

Cloud computing is a field that’s always changing, and with that, it takes a continuous vigilance to protect your clients’ data and information. There are new tools, resources, and training options available on a regular basis. his publication is a go-to for any IT professional who is looking for more information on how to protect cloud-based platforms from the variety of threats that they face. There is a wealth of content on […] read more

---

---

---

Where Artificial Intelligence Is Right Now, and Where it is Going

You just returned from vacation on the California coast, and sit down to upload a few of the best photos to Facebook.

 

As you pull your Samsung S8 out of your pocket you look into the camera, and the iris scanner unlocks the phone for you. Facebook asks if you want to tag your wife in the photos you’ve uploaded. (It’s probably a good idea. Thanks Facebook!)

 

When you confirmed your Airbnb location before the trip, the app asked you to take a selfie, which it compared to the driver’s license you scanned in to create the account. The airline compared a scan of your face to a passport photo to automate the bag check in. This made the lines move a little faster.

 

These are just a few examples of artificial intelligence at work around us. There’s also our trusted home assistants Siri and Alexa. Netflix is even using AI algorithms to improve streaming quality and offer recommendations based on past viewing. Countless apps and vehicle technologies are making our commutes a little easier.

 

When it comes to AI there is a tendency to romanticize the future and downplay the present as simple machine learning. But there was a time when all of the above capabilities were romanticized too.

 

Below are more examples of mind-boggling AI technologies. Some are in the early stages of implementation, and some are still being researched and perfected.

 

Improving Business

 

AI will offer businesses the ability to improve decision-making capabilities in complex situations. Many AIs automate complicated tasks, or evaluate mass amounts of data to make recommendations or decisions. Either can have tremendous value in the business world.

 

The AI community made major advancements in recent years, as computers beat the world chess and go champions. But experts have stated that humans paired with AI would make for an even stronger team. Both have their distinct advantages. The same will be true in business. Businesses that pair AI automations with creative human decision making could benefit the most in the future.

 

Self-Driving Cars

 

Major automotive and technology companies are hard at work perfecting the first self-driving cars. Driving can become a more efficient activity on all fronts. Humans will no longer have to pay attention to the wheel. This can free them up to concentrate on other activities for the duration of the commute.

 

Vehicle efficiencies can reduce carbon emissions. A sounder decision-making paradigm can potentially keep the roads safer.  While there are still significant ethical and programming questions to work out before self-driving cars become the norm, the benefits to this type of travel are apparent and astounding.

 

Improving Elder Care

 

Seniors may struggle with basic tasks as they work out the details of how to age in place. Often a home healthcare professional is needed. AI, or a home robot may be able to help seniors move around the house, use the bathroom, or simply sit down. With the right kind of assistance, they can trust they can live independently for longer.

 

Dangerous Jobs

 

AI robots can help out in high-risk situations. Drones have been used to spot who needs help in the aftermath of a hurricane. Robots can also perform some basic welding tasks, or even diffuse bombs.

 

These machines will be able to help with high risk jobs that can put human lives at risk. A human may still be needed to control the robot from afar, through some of these tasks.

 

Reducing Commutes

 

AI and machine learning have the capability to reduce the amount of time you spend on your morning commute. First, apps such as Waze can make it easy to avoid routes with construction and accidents.

 

Ridesharing apps such as Uber or Lyft are using artificial intelligence to predict the ETAs for their rides, and the estimated time of delivery for food. This advanced knowledge can make the roads more efficient for all.

 

Conclusion

 

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a significant tool in our lives. Those who know how to use it in their day-to-day lives will benefit the greatest. It’s adding an extra layer of efficiency to everything we do.

 

What are some of the ways you’ve seen artificial intelligence impact the world?

 

How Increased Data Will Transform the World

There are more than 3.5 billion Google searches conducted on a daily basis. Amazon and other online retailers track our history and purchases in order to show us new products we might like. Every time we talk to our home assistants, that information is stored. Wearable technology collects data as well.

 

This data is already making a tremendous impact on the world. Businesses and organizations can make more informed decisions with a wider view of human behavior. Below are just a few of the ways that big data is impacting the world.

 

Changes in Healthcare

 

Easier access to health data could lead to a more personalized healthcare approach. Wearable technology can track more information on a consistent basis.

 

If your wearable bracelet is telling you that you didn’t burn as many calories yesterday as normal, it may be able make diet or exercise suggestions to accommodate. Or maybe a new type of toilet could help you detect for disease in your home.

 

Genome tracking can give doctors a complete picture of your health history, and where you stand today. All this data paints a more complete picture that allows for better, more accurate treatment – improving the patient experience.

 

Law Enforcement

 

Data allows law enforcement to examine where crimes may occur and who may commit them with startling accuracy. With this information, departments are able to adjust how they staff certain shifts, and where they patrol. They are able to anticipate and be proactive.

 

This is called predictive policing, and some large city departments are already employing these tactics – resulting in a correlating drop in crime.

 

Business Opportunities

 

The department store Macy’s uses analytics software that digs through social media, store transactions and data from their own website to provide customers with real-time pricing, that reacts to tiny fluctuations in the market. Another example is how Amazon ads for a product you just searched for may pop up in Facebook, or other websites.

 

Companies have new opportunities to provide value to their customers. Data allows companies to make more informed sales and marketing decisions. They can send reminder emails to customers who may be about to run out. Businesses are now given the opportunity to reach out to customers at the perfect time in the sales cycle – making their marketing more effective.

 

Protecting the Environment

 

Data can allow us to track the health of the environment in specific locations in real time. We can more accurately look at the effects of carbon emission, and greenhouse gasses. Wearable technology can tell us where we might need to focus future efforts.

 

Residents can benefit from this information, too. Weather alerts for pollen and ozone levels allow those with allergies and asthma the ability to adjust their plans.

 

Education

 

You no longer need to be admitted to an Ivy League school to receive access to elite data or information. Cloud computing and the advances of the internet allow users all over the world to download lectures and learn valuable skills. People from middle class or poor backgrounds can learn valuable skills by watching YouTube videos.

 

The prevalence of cell phones allows people to walk around with massive amounts of data in their pocket. It’s no longer necessary to go to the library to look up all 50 state capitals or the list of American presidents. It’s what we do with the available data that will set students apart. The ability to think creatively and innovate will be at a premium.

 

Conclusion: Focus on Results

 

Increased data allows for more informed decisions. These decisions are starting to benefit humanity across the board in everything we do. As we continue to develop new data and find ways to employ it for our benefit, that data will need to be protected.

 

Make sure that you are backing it up in multiple places including the cloud, and external hard drives. Make sure that you are taking added security measures to protect and encrypt it. But also, understand that if it is lost, you have options. We Recover Data is experienced in helping businesses and organizations recover lost data under difficult circumstances. Contact us today to find out more about who we are and how we can help.

 

Can You Recover Deleted Files?

The Stresses of Data Loss Can Be Overwhelming

 

Your clients can almost always recover deleted files…

 

When your IT clients lose data or documents, their sense of panic is real – and understandable. It might be a report their boss has been after for days, or an Excel sheet with sensitive data. Maybe it’s accidentally deleted emails.

 

Whatever the case, data loss can put a lump in their throat, as they wonder how to explain the missing nature of critical documents to their superiors. As IT professionals, it’s our job to provide a calm sense of optimism in a world swirling in chaos and uncertainty.

 

To them, the outlook may seem dim, but there is always some level of hope that you can recover deleted files. We’ve seen data recovered in all kinds of cases. There are reasons for your IT clients to remain optimistic that they can recover whatever valuable files may have been lost.

 

The First Line of Defense

 

The first line of defense is usually somewhat obvious – but well worth noting. A file that appears to be lost to your client may not be lost at all. Maybe it’s not where they originally created it, but that document has had a life in other locations:

 

• Was the document ever emailed?
• Has the computer ever been backed up on an external drive?
• What about cloud storage, or a company server?

 

IT professionals can easily create a mental checklist of possibilities, but someone in the midst of panic over the loss of a critical document may have a tough time thinking clearly about alternative locations. It’s understandable under the stress they’re probably feeling.

 

From there, the options are more complex.

 

Diagnostics or Reformatting a Hard Drive

 

Let’s say for example that the client took precautions to protect their data. There was a significant number of important documents, so they used an external hard drive and regularly performed backups.

 

If the office switched from PCs to Apple computers, or the other way around, those external hard drives would likely need to be reformatted. If the data is still on the computer, it may be ok to reformat the disk and then back it up again.

 

If the data was lost due to an accidental reformatting, erased or repartitioned, a data recovery specialist can still help. With the right care, the ability to recover deleted files is still very possible.

 

Many clients will want to run their own utilities on the disk at this point in a last-ditch effort to recover the file. We wouldn’t recommend this. Many well-intentioned efforts can damage the ability of a future recovery.

 

Running (or Trying to Self-Repair) a Damaged Internal Hard Drive

 

A client may be tempted to fix an ailing hard drive on their own. Again, their motivation is perfectly understandable, but the risks in this situation are high.

 

If they hear a clicking noise, the best thing they can do is to stop any attempts to repair the drive on their own and contact a data recovery specialist. That way the data can be saved before the hard drive completely fails.

 

The Good News in the Attempt to Recover Deleted Files

 

You’ve probably dealt with the clients who believe that their situation is beyond hope. Some may have even been told by other companies that the data was unsalvageable. Maybe you’ve had to tell clients that data is unsalvageable.

 

The good news is data is often recoverable. We can help recover data in a number of complicated situations including:

 

• Flood and fire damaged hard drives
• Drives that have been reformatted, erased or repartitioned
• Accidental deletions
• Situations where other companies said a recovery would be impossible

 

It’s the data that keeps your clients’ businesses running smoothly. Losing critical data can have a devastating impact on their day-to-day health, and livelihood. It may make sense for you to partner with a company with a proven record of being able to restore that data when things go wrong.

 

If you have any questions or would like to talk further about what we do, contact us today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2018 Newsletter

Latest Testimonials:
Case No: 433144 | “Previously sent job to DriveSavers and the recovered DB was unusable, but then I sent the drives to WeRecoverData.com the recovery was successful. We got our data back and it saved us two years of rebuilding information. Thanks WeRecoverData.com!!” Geoff Windsor, Geoff,  Tulsa, Oklahoma	Case No: 431209 | “We had an IBM RAID 6 array that may have been expanding from four drives to five. Something went wrong and there was at least one incorrect rebuild done after that. Kroll Ontrack performed a recovery attempt without success. We didn’t give up and we found WeRecoverData which claimed they recovered successfully many of these RAIDs. We were very hopeful and they finally did it. They recovered it all successfully! They were able to recover all of our files, excellent job in recovering our data… Very fast service, reasonably priced and excellent customer service… very responsive… Would definitely recommend…” Nerissa Beekharry, Controller, Hi-Tech Metals, Maspeth, NY
	Read more: Why us

---

Interesting Reads:

 

Can You Recover Deleted Files?

The Stresses of Data Loss Can Be Overwhelming. Your clients can almost always recover deleted files…   When your IT clients lose data or documents, their sense of panic is real – and understandable. It might be a report their boss has been after for days, or an […] read more

---

---

---

4th of July

Use this promotion code to receive a free 2tb drive with any recovery: 

 

Free 2tb drive: JULY418FR2TB 

(use this code when you submit a case – valid with new submitted cases on July 4 and July 5)

Data Recovery Services from Hard Drives, RAID, Servers and Media.

OK Relax… we can probably still save it!

•  If we cannot recover the data – no one can!
• *100% data guarantee
• WeRecoverData.com is a world leader in data recovery services and is one of the only companies to invest in data recovery research and development

 

Netherlands – Amsterdam – European HQ and 24/7 Lab

WeRecoverData.com
Kingsfordweg 151
Sloterdijk
1043 GR
Amsterdam MAP

Tel. + 31 (20) 3690725

 

New York

Corporate Headquarters
Primary 24/7 Lab

WeRecoverData.com
148 Madison
9th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Tel. 212-594-5946
Toll Free 866-400-DATA (24/7)

Germany

WeRecoverData.com
Germany

+ 49 (32) 214219688

 

Canada

24/7 Lab & R&D

WeRecoverData.com
200 Consumers Road
Suite 511
Toronto, ON M2J 4R4 MAP

Tel. 416-619-5252
Toll Free 866-400-DATA (24/7)

UK – London

WeRecoverData.com
18 Soho Square
London
Greater London
W1D 3QL
United Kingdom

Tel.+ 44 (800) 0903179

UK – Birmingham

WeRecoverData.com
43 Temple Row
Birmingham
West Midlands
B2 5LS
United Kingdom

Tel.+ 44 (800) 0903179

UK – Manchester

WeRecoverData.com
82 King Street
Manchester
Lancashire
M2 4WQ
United Kingdom

Tel.+ 44 (800) 0903179

Spain

Spain Tel. + 34 (800) 080040

 

Mexico

Distrito Federal

Mexico City

WeRecoverData.com
Paseo de la Reforma 342
26Floor
Mexico City, 06600, Mexico MAP

Tel.+52 558 526 2541

 

France

+ 33 (805) 321066

 

USA

 

 

New York

Ontario

North York

 

 

Why Choose Us?

• We are industry pioneers and one of the only data recovery companies to have in- house Research and Development (R&D).
• Our R&D team allows us to recover any technically possible case. If we can’t recover it, no one can!
• We have state-of-the-art equipment and the most advanced technology.
• Highly trained data recovery management experts, ISO 4 Class 10 and ISO 5 Class 100 clean rooms enable us to provide optimum solutions to your recovery requirements.
• We have fast and friendly customer service available immediately.
• We offer a free initial consultation and free extensive evaluation for your storage device.
• Our Data Recovery Guarantee Policy is No Recovery = No Charge.
• Contact us about free overnight shipping and we will provide you with a shipping label (in North America).
• We have emergency response, on-site and in-lab, available 24/7/365 and worldwide.
• Our client list and GSA government contract speaks for itself.

Why Not Try Another Company First?

• We often get cases from other recovery companies after they failed to recover the data. (In many cases, we get the data, but the chance of a successful recovery decreases significantly after the first attempt.)
• Other companies put a time limit on your case of only a few hours; they do not invest more than the allocated amount of time before they call it unsuccessful.
• In many cases time is critical. Valuable time is wasted when a less professional company attempts a recovery.
• The first attempt at a recovery has the highest chance of being successful.

*if we cannot get the required data, no recovery fee will occur.

Interesting Facts About Hard Drive Data Recovery

If you are as invested in research and development in data recovery as we are at WeRecoverData.com, you quickly build up a list of interesting facts about the subject.

There are a lot of misconceptions about hard drive data recovery that are circulated both online and through general information. In some cases, IT professionals may also be providing misleading information that is outdated or no longer relevant in the data recovery industry.

To clarify some common misconceptions and to put the role of hard drive data recovery in the age of cloud-based computing in perspective, here are some interesting facts that explain the importance of our service – now more than ever.

• Businesses that are struck by a natural disaster that destroys their server or data center or data storage system are very likely to close within one year if they cannot complete data recovery. In a study by Geek World News, half of these businesses that are struck by fire, flooding or other natural disasters will fail in the first year after the incident.
• One-third of businesses do not have a backup plan for their data. They rely on a single server or another storage device as their sole data storage option.
• Remote recovery of data through internet connections is a highly beneficial option to quickly restore mission-critical aspects of the business. Our team of engineers can remotely restore data in many types of situations, eliminating the need to send the drive for data recovery. With this process, the system can be restored using secure encryption and typically within a few hours of the call.
• Even badly damaged hard drives that have been dropped, hit, submerged in water or are in a fire can go through our hard drive data recovery process. As we offer a no recovery no fee policy, there is no risk to our customers.

If you have any questions about our process or data recovery, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-866-400-DATA for USA/Canada or internationally at +1-212-594-5946. Click here for more information.

What Not To Do If You Need Data Recovery Services In London

Sometimes, knowing what to do is not all the information that is required. For individuals and businesses in London that have experienced a hard drive failure, there are also some important things not to do before you give our data recovery experts a call.

Unfortunately, many people, including some IT teams, will make the mistake of trying to complete data recovery on their own. Not only can this make it more difficult for our technicians and specialists to extract and recover data, but it may wipe out data that could have been fully or partially recovered.

What To Do

If the hard drive starts to act differently than normal, it is important to discontinue use immediately. For an external drive, this is a simple disconnection of the drive from the device. Internal hard drives will continue to attempt to read and write over existing data, so immediately shutting down the computer or device is essential to prevent further data loss and fragmentation.

On our website, we provide information on removing an internal hard drive as well as how to pack the device for shipment. For our customers in London, we have an office in Soho Square that offers 24/7 service by appointment, which is a critical consideration for many of our corporate customers. Once we have the drive, we can begin the process of data recovery, starting with evaluation and analysis of the drive.

What Not To Do

To maximize the potential data recovery, even with physically damaged drives or devices, do not attempt to use utilities or software downloads to recover the data on your own. We have the cutting-edge software, which will be more efficient at recovery and provide a higher recovery rate than online software options.

For more information on the services we offer at WeRecoverData.com, contact us today at 1-866-400-DATA for USA/Canada or in London at +1-212-594-5946.

The Time it takes to recover data

The Cost of Data Recovery

The cost of recovery is based on several factors including:

• Cause of the data loss and its effect on the media.
• Severity of the data loss.
• Amount of data or media size in some cases may affect the cost.
• Amount of work necessary to retrieve the critical data.
• Resources our company need to allocate for the specific case.
• Expertise within our company who can perform the recovery.

The first step in the data recovery process is for our engineers to conduct a thorough diagnostic evaluation of your media and put together an accurate recovery plan specific to your case.

This comprehensive analysis gives our engineers insight into the underlying issues regarding your case and allows us to develop a custom recovery plan that provides the best chance of recovering your critical data.

There are many data recovery companies that are not reputable offering flat rate pricing or exact pricing over the phone prior to even seeing the media.  This is designed to get your case in the door where the price can either change from that point or they can charge you for a recovery that may not even be successful or what you are looking to recover.

If you request an estimate or contact us directly, we will provide you with a range of pricing based on the details of your case, so you know upfront what to expect from us.  This eliminates any surprises and provides utmost transparency which is what you would expect from a reputable professional data recovery company.

WeRecoverData.com offers both competitive pricing and industry leading data recovery times to help minimize the downtime you are experiencing with your data loss.   Furthermore, we guarantee the success our data recoveries!  If we cannot recover your critical files, there is no charge for the recovery fee!

 

Our US Hard Drive Recovery Process

At WeRecoverData.com we have developed a streamlined, efficient and highly effective way to recover data from a wide range of data storage devices. We can provide recovery services for memory cards through to complex RAID arrays, virtual servers, and databases, and we also provide hard drive recovery for businesses as well as private individuals.

In the US, as well as in Canada, Europe, and South America, we offer locations in the major centers. Our largest network is here in the US, and we have physical locations in many states with the option to mail in your hard drive for recovery services from any location both nationally and internationally.

Regardless of the type of hard drive recovery service required, we follow a specific process throughout all of our service offices. This allows us to provide consistent, cutting-edge technology to recover files from any data storage device.

To help you to understand the process, here is a general overview of what we will do for your hard drive recovery.

Submit Your Case

The first step will be to use our web portal to submit your case. This is a form you will complete online through our secure site. Once you submit a case, you will receive a case number. This number can be taken into one of our locations, or we can generate a free US or Canada shipping label to send your drive to us.

The Next Steps

Once we receive the hard drive will evaluate and analyze the drive. This allows us to provide you with an accurate quote for the recovery process. Once we have your approval, we will convert the unreadable or inaccessible data to readable data in the format of your choice.

We will then send you the verification of the recovery and then copy the recovered files to the media you request. This process allows you, as the consumer to understand how the process is going throughout the entire recovery.

To learn more, browse the website, submit a case or call us at 1-866-400-DATA for USA/Canada or internationally at +1-212-594-5946.

Important Factors In Hard Drive Recovery Services

There are a lot of very good reasons why Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and home computer owners turn to WeRecoverData.com when they have hard drive problems.

Our extensive experience in providing hard drive recovery services gives us an advantage over general computer repair services or even other specialized data recovery services. Keep in mind; we also provide recovery for RAID arrays, servers, removable media, databases and other types of storage devices.

There are several key factors in our hard drive recovery services that make us very different from the competition. These factors are always important to our clients where data recovery is needed for an enterprise or to get the family photos off a memory card.

Fast Turnaround Time

Our goal is to have an evaluation of the hard drive completed within 24 hours of submission. This provides you with information on the cause of the failure as well as the cost of recovery given the issue, the amount of data and the type of device.

Then, most data recovery will be completed in three to five business days. We also offer priority hard drive recovery services in one to three days and the same period for weekend services. For those clients requiring emergency recovery, we can provide 24/7/365 remote recovery, in-lab recovery or even come directly to your premises.

Unbeaten Ability to Recover Data

We offer the highest industry success rate in data recovery. This is a big advantage for our clients as many have been told by other very good data recovery services that the hard drive is not recoverable. With our state-of-the-art labs and our ongoing research and development, we offer cutting-edge technology that is capable of significant recovery even with flood or fire damage.

WeRecoverData.com also offers a no free for recovery if we can’t capture the data. To learn more about our services, call us at 1-866-400- DATA in the US and Canada or +1-212-594-5946 internationally or contact us online to submit a case.

 

The Importance Of Our Hard Drive Recovery Lab

At WeRecoverData.com, our focus has always been on providing cutting-edge data recovery programs for our clients. This includes the Fortune 500 companies we work with on an ongoing basis in their global enterprises as well as the home computer user who has just experienced a hard drive crash.

One of the ways that we can continue to provide state-of-the-art services to our clients is through our emphasis on research and development. Unlike some data recovery services that use the latest in technology, we are at the forefront in creating that technology to keep our company in as a true industry leader.

The Importance of a Clean Room

In our hard drive recovery lab, we use very specific protocols to maintain the clean room environment. This is essential to prevent small debris, microscopic dust, and organic materials as well as dust and even lint from clothing from becoming a problem while we are working on the hard drive.

This same type of clean room technology is also used in our research and development labs. Like our hard drive recovery lab, this is an area that is completely isolated from the rest of the facility, even to include specialized air filtration to remove microns sized dust and airborne matter.

Our Research is in the News

Through the work of our engineers, scientists and technicians working in our hard drive recovery lab and research facilities, we have developed new software to clone disks and safely copy data from physically damaged drives or unstable drive areas.

We have also made the news from our hard drive recovery lab in recovering information from damaged optic discs and in recovery from OCZ SSD drives that was previously thought to be unrecoverable.

Take a few minutes and browse through our data recovery research and development section and read the press releases and our case studies. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-866-400- DATA in the US and Canada or +1-212-594-5946 internationally. Click here for more information.

What Is The Cost To Recover Hard Drive Data?

Perhaps the most common first question we get from anyone new to working with the team at WeRecoverData.com is about the cost to recover hard drive data once the hard drive has crashed.

It is only natural that people want to know how much the service is going to cost, something that is very understandable. However, there can be many things that have contributed to the hard drive problem, with the potential for all of those factors to make a recovery more difficult and time-consuming.

Two Categories

There are two general categories of hard drive failure. The first one is a logistic or software problem that has corrupted or affected a part of the drive. This may occur with incorrect formatting, accidental deletions, re-partitioning of the drive or any number of non-mechanical or physical types of issues.

The second reason people may need us to recover hard drive data is a result of a mechanical or physical failure in the disk. There can be several things that contribute to this including spindle motor problem, degradation of moving parts in the hard drive or even a fuse problem.

With software problems, it may be possible to use software to remedy the situation. Our cutting-edge software can often recover data that other programs are not able to find and restore.

Mechanical problems will require our technicians to attempt to fix the hard drive and retrieve the data. This is a more complex issue that can take more time.

A Quote

After we understand the cause of the hard drive failure, we can provide a quote for the cost of the recovery. If we are not able to recover hard drive data for some reason, we do not charge a fee for the recovery attempt that was made.

To learn more or to get started in submitting a case, visit us online. We can also answer any questions you may have at 1-866-400- DATA in the US and Canada or +1-212-594-5946 for international clients.

What To Do Before Calling A Hard Drive Rescue Service

While we are called by our clients and those looking for a hard drive rescue service after the drive crashes, there are some important things to do before you get on the phone.

The technicians at WeRecoverData.com will be able to analyze and evaluate your drive and determine the most efficient and cost-effective way to recover the data once we receive your drive. However, before we do anything and before you do anything else, here are some important things to do immediately when you have a hard drive failure.

Ideally, and this is a very critical point, take these steps as soon as there are any issues with the hard drive. Crashes on startup, grinding noises when the hard drive is running, strange messages or files disappearing or being randomly renamed are the most common signs you may soon need our hard drive rescue service.

Shut Down the Computer or Disconnect the Drive

It is important to prevent further loss of data with internal hard drives to immediately shut down the computer and stop using it at all. The system will continually try to read and write to the drive, which may include writing over files that you want to recover.

For external hard drives, disconnect them from the computer and do not use the drive until you talk to our experts.

Avoid Running Utilities

While it may be tempting to try to do a scan, defrag or use a downloadable “fix” for the hard drive, these can just make the hard drive rescue service more complicated. Unless you understand the reason for the problem, such as a formatting error or other type of software-based issue, don’t use the utility programs.

When in doubt, call our experts at 1-866-400- DATA in the US and Canada or +1-212-594-5946 for those outside of North America. We can provide you with information specific to your hard drive problem.

 

Make Us Your US Hard Drive Recovery Company

At WeRecoverData.com, we realize that our clients have a lot of different options when it comes to hiring a company for US hard drive recovery. With our headquarters in New York and locations all across the United States, Canada and in Europe and South America, we are a world leader in the industry.

Focus on R&D

Our focus always has been and will continue to be on continual research and development into US hard drive recovery. Unlike some companies that use the existing technology, we are also creating the technology of the future, setting the bar for other hard drive recovery companies.

With our experience in RAID arrays, flash drives, hard drives, servers, magnetic media, memory cards and even tapes, we can provide a complete service for personal use devices, corporate and business computers, laptops and devices and everything in between.

Hiring the Best

In our US hard drive recovery locations as well as our international locations, our labs and facilities hire only the best in the industry. This allows us to quickly and effectively analyze the cause of the hard drive or storage device failure and provide an accurate quote for recovery.

Additionally, we understand that this is a process that can be time sensitive. Typically, most orders are completed in 2 to 3 business days, but we also offer expedited services to meet your timetable.

We also recognize that your hard drive doesn’t fail only during business hours, so we offer a full 24/7 emergency response service that can quickly get critical systems back up and running with minimal disruption to your business.

To learn more about our services or to take a look at our list of clients and case studies, browse the website werecoverdata.com. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-866-400- DATA in the US and Canada or +1-212-594-5946 for international calls.

Managing Broken Drive, Lost Data Recovery Requests

At WeRecoverData.com, we work with all types of clients. We provide full data recovery services for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, independent professionals and even home computer owners.

To accommodate this wide range of different clients and needs for data recovery services, we have developed a very streamlined process that provides for quick, responsive data recovery with full transparency for our clients.

When we get a broken drive lost data recovery questions from any new customers, we can quickly provide information on what people want to know. We also provide a quote for the cost of the recovery services within 24 hours, which is essential in giving people the information they need to decide if they wish to complete the data recovery process.

Time is Important

Some of the most common broken drives lost data recovery questions we get to include the time for the recovery process to take place. We will be able to provide an analysis of the hard drive within 24 hours. Often, we can complete services on the same business day depending on when it is received by our team.

Once you have approved the process, we will complete most recoveries within one to two business days. We will then provide you with a list of the recovered data and, once you have verified the ones you need, send it to you in the format required.

Cost of Recovery

We will provide the information on the reasons for the failure and a quote for the cost of the process. This is a no-obligation quote as part of our broken drive, lost data recovery process. There is no charge for the evaluation unless the seals on the drive have been broken or cracked.

The specific cost of the recovery will be based on the type of media, the condition of the media and the amount of data to recover. Each data recovery process is unique, so each quote will also be slightly different.

It is important to note that when using WeRecoverData.com if we are unable to recover the data there is no fee. This is an important point for most of our clients and sets us apart from the competition. To learn more, give us a call at 1-866-400- DATA in the US and Canada or +1-212-594-5946 from international locations.

Submit a Case