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
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 […] read more
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[…] 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:
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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. 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
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 […] read more
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 […] read more