File and Data Backup Is Moving to the Clouds

Perhaps that very soon will pretty much also be true of all computer activity but here I am limiting myself to a look at digital data backup primarily from the home user's standpoint.

The sobering fact is that our natural world dictates it is merely a question of time before our individual pieces of computer hardware fail to function for one reason or another or perhaps suddenly become misappropriated by unwelcome visitors or passersby before even that death-knell day arrives. That is, quite simply therefore, why we are advised, even if the common-sense ruling has somehow eluded us, to make sure we have an up-to-date backup of all our computer data on hand all the time.

There was a time, really not so very long ago when perhaps a few floppy disks might have done the job. You could have set the backup operation rolling and it would perhaps have nicely finished the chore in the time it took to make your cup of coffee.

Keeping one's eye on the ever-rolling ball of technological advancement and how that advancement may affect us is becoming ever harder so perhaps we should be glad to latch onto the occasional distinguishable pivotal point in the unfolding drama and make best use of it while it lasts. Such a pivotal point has announced itself of late for computer file backup and is surely to become the firmly entrenched way of performing the task and that is online cloud storage.

If, like me, you thought that cloud computing referred to the fact it was so named because data is stored in a kind of invisible world far away and metaphorically high over our heads then you would be just plain wrong. Quite simply cloud refers to an abstracted drawn representation of the complicated network diagram such a system entails.

Like many great advances it is made possible by the advance of other technologies. The end result and benefits are soon obvious with this online format bringing the ability to supplant the whole floppy disk copying and coffee-making routine.

I say supplant because online storage of data makes hard copy redundant and the whole backup operation can be running effortlessly in the background. There is of course no computing reason why you should have to forsake the coffee-making part of your old routine but you can now enjoy your coffee that much more knowing you will always have a secure backup available at the click of a button should you ever wish to recover a file, a folder, a directory or even a complete copy of all your stored information.

I think where this form of backup system really grabbed my attention compared with the old on-site hard drive and coffee routine was when I realized the huge benefit of having a full backup on hand regardless of whatever calamity or disaster my computer equipment might face. If I needed any further persuasion then the freedom of movement it affords further sold me on the idea. When on the move it is no longer necessary to carry around additional plug-in devices or even your main device itself. You can access your stored information from wherever you have an internet connection.

It is a very satisfyingly full-proof arrangement which you can use to replace or augment any current on-site scheme you might be using.

6 Reasons Why You Need Online Backup

If you have plenty of files on your computer you know how important it is to back these files up. With file sizes growing at a rapid rate as more people use videos and photographs you need more than just regular storage options for your home computer. Many are turning to online backup as a way to have instant access to all their files wherever they are.

6 Reasons Why You Need Online Backup

1. Drive Failures

Most computer users are eon their machines each day and this can take its toll on the hard drive over time. You need to backup files online because you never know when your computer drive is going to fail. Even if you have an external drive this too can fail.Backup files online gives you some extra security with your files so you have them when that drive finally fails on you.

2. More Reliable

Online file backup is more reliable than your drives at home and it gives you instant access to your files as long as you're connected to the Internet. When you need your files the online backup solution just makes more sense as they are protected and you won't lose them. There are many companies and storage options online such as Google's Drive, Mozy, or Dropbox.

3. Mobile Needs

Many people take their work with them on laptops, smartphones or tablets but it's difficult to get all your files onto those devices to work with them. Having an online backup solution allows you to access all your files when you need them. You can also work on a file when you're mobile and then sync that file so it updates on all your devices that need that file.

4. Low Cost

Many online data backup solutions are low cost and have free versions which get you started with some disc space to work with. If you run out of space many of these services have additional space upgrades you can get so you always have enough room for your files.

5. Protect Valuable Data

Online backup solutions help you protect valuable data that is lost if there's an earthquake, flood or other natural disaster. Using online solutions allow you to protect all your valuable date so you can get back up and running again as soon as possible and still have all the files that you need to work with.

6. Theft

One of the most common computer items stolen is a laptop and a smartphone. If you can't access your files because of theft then you need to have this solution in place. A good online backup can allow you to access all your files even if your laptop or other device has been stolen.

What the Best Solution is.

Online data backup is really your best solution for all your storage needs and it's a low cost way to have all your data and files available to you when you need them. Online backups allow you to stay mobile and still access the files you need to work on whenever you need them.

Computer Backup: Are You Willing to Roll the Dice?

It is estimated that about 90% of households have at least one computer in the home. Computer Industry Almanac reports that at the end of 2011, there were 310.6 Million computers in use in the US. Studies suggest that the average adult spends between 5 - 8 hours on the computer per day between work and home. I believe that it is safe to say that computers play a huge part in our lives.

Computers are interwoven into just about every aspect of our lives. We use them to pay bills, preform business transactions, connect with our loved ones and the world. We use them to play games, check the weather, gamble, make travel arrangements and the list goes on. In the process of doing all those things, the computer has also become a place where we store important documents and pieces of information, as well as priceless memories, making computer backup essential. We want to keep our cherished memories and data for the long term.

Computer backup is simply the storage of your computers files on a medium other than hard disk. The process is done in order to protect your valuable information in the event it becomes inaccessible or unrecoverable via your computer. Backing up your computer is one of those things that you should just do. You don't want to learn about losing all your invaluable documents the hard way. Trust me.

I'm writing this article because I am one of the unlucky ones. The hard headed ones. I was one of the ones who put of today what I could do tomorrow. Mix that with my "It wont happen to me" attitude and you have the perfect cocktail of disaster. Goes down sweet but leaves a bitter aftertaste. The day of reckoning came and I was completely devastated. Backup your computer people!

I had an online jewelry business on Etsy.com. Building up my site, I had accumulated pictures and documents that I used to promote my business. This vital information was all neatly saved on my laptop. I was going about my business when Mr. Virus decided to pay me a visit. My computer was corrupted with no remedy that I could apply. There were mucho tears. I couldn't just take the hit and reboot from the factory settings, so I had to bring in the big guns. The Big Guns are NOT cheap. They were able to recover a large majority of my material but not all of it. Don't get me started on the money I lost because I had to close down my shop those few days while my computer was being fixed. It was a major headache and I had a major headache at the end of the ordeal.

This article is your life preserver. I'm trying to save you before you become me. Be smart and save yourself. Save yourself time and more importantly, save yourself money. Backup your computer today.

Cloud Storage Allows Access of Data All the Time and From Anywhere

Storage of information has gone way beyond the conventional methods which people have known for a very long time and now storage has moved to the remote systems which are now called the cloud. Information here is usually saved and stored in a data center which is a series of servers. These have totally eliminated the need for individuals to wholly store all their data locally on a computer. The whole concept of the cloud storage can be explained as data floating in the cloud or sky and that the location of the data is unknown to the individual.

The biggest advantage with the cloud services is the fact that the data stored in the cloud is certainly accessible from anywhere in the world. Data availability is one thing which many businesses and individuals will want to have anywhere and at any time. These are the benefits which the different businesses and organizations will want to tap into and which provide that data just as it was stored and from all around the world provided there is an internet connection. The next advantage is that the data will not only be accessed via a computer but also through many other devices which people have like the mobile devices like the tablets and the smartphones.

The backing up of the data on the cloud has become very popular especially with the increasing internet speeds and this is year after year. The backing up of data to the cloud will not entirely wipe out the back ups on the external hard disks. But comparatively, data on the cloud is an excellent backup solution and definitely the direction into the future. This is the approach to data storage and backup for the future and will surely continue growing. The range of services which are offered by the cloud services has been improving and they are moving towards the automation of storage and backups. This will entirely eliminate the need to worry about the backups and any other problems coming up during data storage.

The most notable and definitely what will endear the cloud storage to businesses as well as individuals is the fact that the limitless amounts of data can be stored up in the cloud. Still many people and businesses do not understand the cloud services and the impact that they have in the storage and backing up of data. But far from being a fad like it was some while ago, the service is now popular and as more and more people adopt it, it has become a necessity. Some of the most popular services are the Dropbox, Google Docs and even the Amazon S3 services.

Cost implications when it comes to the storage of data have been greatly reduced to a very basic level. This is unlike the previous methods of storing data where equipment cost was just very high. The external hard drives and other storage facilities will often be a big cost when it comes to the storing data whether it is the small volume of data or the big volume of data. It is especially a very high cost outlay when it comes to the storing large amounts of data.

Cloud services have invested in multiple data centers and they are offered to clients based on the redundant operation such that even if a server is compromised, data will still be accessed since it has been stored in different locations on a number of different servers. This mode of operations ensures that they are always available and they are reliable. There are numerous options of different storage set ups which can be said to be in the hundreds. Some have been designed for specific purpose, such as only storing a single type of data, whereas others are much more flexible and can handle all sorts of data. This has allowed that whatever the data business may hold, all of it can be stored and backed up effectively and efficiently. Having said this and even without exactly described how cloud storage works, it is important to say that cloud storage is here to stay and offers options to every kind of business or all individuals to backup or store data irrespective of the type of data.

Disaster Recovery Plans to Safeguard Against a Virus

As the IT industry has evolved, so has the threat of data loss because of a virus. The importance of email in the daily operations of a business has caused many companies to adapt their disaster recovery plans to include a solution for virus protection. Unfortunately, many backup solutions do not combat the threat of a virus being backed up.

Virus Protection
To protect your data, you should start at the source. Virus protection should be deployed on every system, regardless of the operating system. While Linux or Mac systems might not be susceptible to Windows based viruses, they still can spread the virus. Hackers are also beginning to focus their efforts on creating viruses for these operating systems, increasing the importance of protection for these machines. If the file contains a virus, any copies of it will transfer the virus. If this file is ever opened in the operating system it was made for, it can cause data to be destroyed throughout the network. This is why every computer and network should have the appropriate virus protection in place to ensure that all data entering the network is clean of any viruses. If no such protection exists, data can be altered or destroyed with little hope of recovery.

Disaster Recovery Plan
Every company should have a disaster recovery plan in place. This plan safeguards against viruses destroying any data on the network. An optimal plan includes virus protection that scans files that enter the network and makes point-in-time data copies. These copies must be stored separately from the network to ensure that they do not get infected as well. To shield a network from data loss, their backup solution must be robust enough to restore data from multiple points. Backup system software often conflicts with antivirus software because of the immense amount of data being transferred at one time. For instance, incoming data from a whole network would all need to be scanned. While this might not be an issue for very small companies, larger companies could cause the backup system to slow down significantly. This must be taken into account.

Backup Solution
Common backup solutions, such as replication, are not optimal for restoring data damaged from a virus. If an infected file is transferred, the current backup solution is no longer safe to use. Ideally, a point-in-time backup system would be used as a disaster recovery solution. This would allow files to be restored before they were corrupted. However, it is important to install or enable antivirus protection during restoration to ensure continual file integrity. Otherwise, the network would be open to virus attacks without any safeguards in place.

A company can never have too many precautionary measures in place when their data is at stake. Having an appropriate disaster recovery plan in place will minimize a company's downtime and help safeguard against any data loss due to viruses entering the network. Incorporating antivirus programs into your business is a start, but incorporating a point-in-time backup system will ensure that data can be restored confidently.

Effective and Efficient Backup and Recovery Strategies

The backup and recovery systems are aimed at restoring data and configurations such that a catastrophic event will not leave individuals or businesses suffering drastic losses. The reason behind this is that even in the event that all precautions are taken, it is impossible to plan for disasters which will in one way or the other have to happen.

There are several ways through which data can be lost. These vary from large data losses or small losses but whichever the loss, it can come up with a lot of costs to the concerned party. These losses can be through hard disk failure, system crashes, power failures, accidents as well as malicious damage. Other ways that data can be lost can be through corruption by viruses or natural disasters.

All organizations dealing with massive amounts of data have to recover it as quickly as possible when any loss occurs lest they suffer a loss in their business. Even the small enterprises also will be gravely affected if any loss occurs in their data management and storage. This calls for meticulous planning for any type of loss or data failure that is likely to occur. Data backup and recovery architecture is a system that takes account of every aspect of the system requirements and contents and configuration of the server. Some of the consideration to make when assessing the type of data backup architecture include: what are the likely scenarios where data can be lost, is the data critical and how often will the data be backed up. These considerations together with others such as the manner in which the back will be done and the backup media to be used are critical questions that will need to be answered before the actual backup and recovery strategy is come up with.

Most data and recovery systems will often include ways in which the common data loss methods are avoided in the first place rather than recovering them later. However not all disasters or accidents can be entirely avoided. The system should give details of the procedures to be followed in the recovery process.

Back up design will often determine how often data and which part of data will be backed up. This data will either be backed up manually or automatically and either offline or online. There are some best practices in data backup management include remote storage of data, geographical redundancy where data is stored in a different geographical location to avoid the catastrophes that strike a wide region to avoid adversely affecting business in case anything happens. However these data back up plans come up with costs and the business has to assess the amount of capital that the business can afford to pay.

A good back up should be able to make a business continue with the normal day to day operations when a disaster strikes or during outages which include power and network outages. For effective back up a business should keep a dedicated employee who looks into the back up and also the software and hardware administrator who is capable of quickly identifying the problem when it arises and taking the necessary steps to solve it.

There is one mistake that most people commit when doing back up by thinking that they will keep on backing up but this is not sustainable in the long run and is also very expensive to maintain. Scheduling of backups should be done carefully taking into mind the importance of the data. Smaller volumes of data are also easy and faster to perform. If the system is heavily required by the users then it should be up within a short time and thus the backing up should be done on the most important files at predetermined times.

To be sure that the backup and recovery will perform when required then it is important to test the system at least once to make sure that everything will work when needed. This is usually known as a trial restoration. It aims at trying to reinstall the operating system, the backup software and the backup files. When these work, then your data is safe and only scheduled maintenance checks will be carried out.

Disaster Recovery Due to Human Error

Human error happens even with the most diligent individuals. If a new employee or even an owner accidentally deletes important data, it can take drastic disaster recovery measures to restore it. While there are some programs that can find and restore deleted data, it is always a gamble that businesses cannot afford to take. Human error can even occur in the restoring phase where the backed up data becomes invalid. No matter what the case may be, there are options to ensure that data can be recovered quickly and easily.

Human Error with Data

There are many cases in which data can be destroyed or deleted. While this might not seem like a common occurrence, it happens quite often in the business world. When this happens, customer data or weeks of work can be irretrievable. What would happen if your businesses customer database was accidentally destroyed? Would customers understand if months of work suddenly disappeared? Of course not, but an appropriate disaster recovery plan would practically eliminate this issue from occurring.

Human Error Restoring Data

While human error can be reduced greatly with the proper measures, there is always a chance of it occurring. If data is properly backed up, but gets damaged while being restored, what ramifications would this have on a business? Would they be able to clone the drive and hope to retrieve the data? Honestly, any chance of losing data would be too much for a company to risk. This is especially true with the amount of backup options that are available. The cost of these solutions is very minimal compared to the loss of company data and perhaps company downtime caused by such an occurrence.

Backup Solutions

Errors can happen even in the most restricted of systems. Regardless of file permissions, accidents do happen. These would call for an appropriate backup system that not only syncs current data, but has a solution for retrieving older data as well. Ideally, a backup solution would include:

Data replication: Data that is replicated to an off-site facility is typically used to ensure damaged data can be restored promptly. Not only does this solution provide one of the best options for recovery, but it is utilized by many of the largest businesses in the world. It is a proven method for disaster recovery.

Point-in-time Restoration: While data replication ensures that the latest files are retrievable, deleted data might also be removed from the backup. In optimal situations, data replication would be accompanied by a point-in-time restoration option. This would allow the data to be recovered closest to its stable state.

The data and information a business collects is what allows them to retain its client base. If something were to happen to the company's data, it could possibly lose months of work, client information, and virtually every important piece of data that it has collected. However, this does not have to be an issue if a business has a robust disaster recovery system in place. Not only can a company's data be damaged, but the backups can as well. A tiered solution would safeguard data and would offer the highest possibility of data restoration.

Disaster Recovery Strategies Used in Cloud Hosting

Cloud computing and hosting has revolutionized the way in which businesses, small and large, conduct their operations. While the cloud environment allows users to easily scale their websites, there are additional concerns with disaster recovery. Since this type of hosting service is drastically different from the traditional shared or dedicated hosting options, there must be more diverse ways to protect vital data.

Data Replication
Data replication is a concept that everyone in the IT industry should be well versed in. This is when data is duplicated from one system to another. Essentially, any changes to the current data on a server are automatically replicated on another machine or portion of the cloud. While this might result in the loss of some data in the case of an immediate failure, most of the data will remain in place. Depending on the replication system being utilized, a server might replicate to multiple physical locations. In the event of a failure at one replicated location, another could be used to restore services, in the event of a disaster.

Managed Service Provider
When consistency and data is important, many businesses will essentially outsource their disaster recovery to their managed service provider. Many hosting services will offer a managed level of service, but this comes with an additional cost. When this type of disaster recovery option is being employed, it is essential to have a reliable SLA, or service level agreement, in place. The SLA will ensure that an appropriate measure of service is offered to maintain a good quality of service. This will also state the allotted amount of time it should take for any restorations, if they are needed.

Restore From Backup
Many websites will have their data automatically backed up into the cloud. This allows for an easy recovery, but at a cost. While backing up data is relatively cheap in this instance, restoring it can be very time consuming. Depending on the amount of data, the restoration process can take minutes or hours. These backups come in two different types: an interval backup or a synced backup.

Interval backups are usually set on a predetermined interval and will not contain any new data that was written since the last backup. This might be ideal for a small blog, but many businesses cannot afford to lose any of their customer's data. Synced backups work very similar to data replication, but they are different in that they can be stored on the cloud or sent for on-site restorations. However, this will require a third-party service, which can be very expensive.

Hosting a server on the cloud has many benefits. The ease of use, scalability and affordable pricing model has made the IT world adapt their disaster recovery options rapidly. While large companies have the means for more expensive recovery options, small businesses also have affordable options. This allows virtually every website owner to start their endeavors without worrying about their data being lost. Diligence and proper testing of disaster recovery options will ensure that rapid recovery is possible, and feasible, in an appropriate amount of time.

The Importance of Regular Backups for Your System

Data loss can wreak havoc on anyone's life, but for business owners, this will ring particularly true. Because losing data is such a common occurrence, and one almost impossible to protect yourself from in all circumstances, certain precautions must be taken in order to keep the information on your computers as safe as possible. By backing up your system regularly, you are giving yourself and your business the best possible chance of going on uninterrupted by a frustrating data loss occurrence. It may feel unnecessary if you have not yet experienced such an unfortunate accident, but consider how much critical information is kept in your computers. What would happen if it were all lost? Unless the answer to this question is something other than catastrophic amounts of damage, be smart and keep your system backed up.

Unavoidable Circumstances

The list of events that could cause you to lose critical data is almost endless. Hackers are running rampant these days, targeting any system flaws in order to "helpfully" point them out, and their malicious attacks can be devastating. Computer viruses can sometimes slip through your defenses, corrupting critical information. There are many causes, however, that are much simpler and without cruel intentions at all. A simple power outage can cause a major loss of data. You may have fair warning of such an event, perhaps if there is a big storm forecast to come through your area, but sometimes we simply cannot know when a power line will be hit, and our computers and businesses affected. For this reason, even if you feel like you are generally pretty safe, having your system backed up on a regular basis will keep you covered for those unexpected moments when the plug is pulled on your normal flow of information, and critical items lost.

Keep Your Business Moving

It is true that sometimes not even a well backed up system will be able to have one hundred percent of information recovered after an unfortunate event like a power outage. However, as long as the last backup was relatively recent, most of your data should be safe and ready to be returned to you, intact. This may mean that you lose a day's worth of work, but this is almost certainly preferable to losing an entire project. In those panicked moments when you are still considering the possibility that weeks' or even months' worth of work has been lost forever, you will be glad to have the relief of a safely kept duplicate, so that you can continue with business as usual.

Have a Data Recovery Plan for Your Business

Can you think of anything more frightening than turning on your computer one day to discover everything you've had on it is gone? If you rely on your computer for work or day to day activities, you would understandably suffer some kind of panic attack. As a business manager, what you lose could mean the difference between a setback in your company or serious damage.

It's important, therefore, not to put off devising a data recovery plan. It doesn't matter if you are self-employed or have an office of 50-100 people. If the bulk of your work is stored on computers and servers - and chances are this is true of you - you need to have a system in place where you can easily recover data in the event of a natural disaster or virus threat. If your business collects sensitive data like personal information, Social Security numbers, or bank routing numbers, make this a priority.

So, what does a data recovery plan entail? Data recovery is the process by which you retrieve files and other material from a digital storage facility, typically in the event of damage or an infection that renders the source unreadable. This is possible with everything from hard disk drives to CD-ROMs, USB thumb drives and older devices like ZIP drives. As technology changes and the equipment evolves, you may one day end up having to retrieve something from an obsolete source (remember the five-inch floppy?). Data recovery is one way to help.

Some actions you may wish to consider include:

    Regular backup of systems. Talk with a technology provider about your options. Is isn't uncommon for businesses to back up data on a nightly basis to make sure everything is up to speed. Cloud computing may be an option, but risks exist.

    Protection of secondary drives. If you use USB drives and disks, keep everything in protective cases and make sure they are not exposed to the elements. Being careless with disks increases the risk of unreadable or damaged files.

    Use recovery data software with caution. These programs may work in a minor situation, but if you sense your hardware is not working correctly, you could experience problems and make things worse.

If you do not have an IT department to handle disaster recovery, contact a local company that specializes in data recovery. The process is quite delicate, and a certified expert will have the tools needed to get you back online with your files.

How To Recover Data From Corrupt ZIP, RAR, TAR, TAR-GZ and 7z Files

Compressed files are the most common and safe way to reduce the files size, store and send them over the network. They are small as they are compressed by a safe compression algorithm. This technique is very safe as it only reduces the file size, it does not alter or modify the data. The files which are in compressed file formats take less space in our system hard disk and due to compressed form they can be easily shared or transmitted over the network. We usually compress our computer data to get more free space in our hard disk and by doing this we can easily and quickly share them via email.

Generally there are five main compressed file formats:

    ZIP: ZIP stands for Zicxac Inline Pin is used for data compression and archiving. It can contain one or many files in compressed form to provide more space in hard disk and good transmission speed. It can be easily created by WinZip or WinRar program.

    RAR: RAR stand for Roshal Archive is the best data container to store various files in compressed form. We can create a RAR file with the help of WinRar program. It has some more advanced features than ZIP archive.

    TAR: TAR stands for Tape Archive is actually not a compressed file format however it is known as a compressed file. It is commonly used to store many files into a single large file. It is best known for archiving files in Linux operating system. It can be created by using TAR program.

    TAR.GZ: It is the most common compressed archive file format in Linux operating system. It is much better than TAR file as TAR file is archive file format while tar.gz is a compressed archive file format. It is not only used for archiving but also for data compression. It is also created by TAR program.

    7-z: It is one of best archive formats with a high-compression ratio. We can easily compress files up to 16000000000 GB of size. 7-Zip program is mainly required to create 7-z files.

But unfortunately none of them are immune to corruption. All these files are prone to high level of corruption as corruption is an inevitable occurrence. They can be easily corrupted at any point of time and in this circumstance we cannot extract our data from it.

There are various unavoidable reasons which are mainly responsible for the corruption in these files, such as:

    Computer bug and viruses are very harmful for our files. They can easily damage our files and make them unusable or corrupted. If a compressed file is damaged by virus attack then it becomes inaccessible and unable to be extracted.

    These types of files get mostly corrupted or damaged while sending or downloading through internet. Bad or weak network connection can easily damage our files and make them corrupted.

    If we have used any faulty or outdated program to compress our files then it could be corrupted or damaged and the data can be lost forever. And sometimes mistakenly we add some invalid data in our compressed file and this can damage our file.

    As we know that our files can be damaged or gone if our system crashes down or error occurred in system hard disk. It happens due to bad maintenance of hard drive or any mechanical problem in it.

    While opening a file or extracting data from it if our system suddenly turns off then this can damage the file or make it corrupted.

In all these critical happenstances we cannot open our files and data cannot be extracted from them at any cost. But we have a valid backup then we can restore the backup copies of our corrupt files from it. But if we do not have any backup then we must not worry as one more solution is still there. We can use a third-party tool to recover our data from corrupt compressed files. But before using any third-party tool we must use its demo version to check its performance. Generally demo versions are free which can be easily downloaded from the website.

Generally most third-party tools only support one or two files recovery. But if we have several compressed files of more than two file format, i.e., ZIP, RAR and TAR then it will become little difficult for us. We need to buy more than one tool to recover data from corrupt files which must be little expensive. But there is a tool named as Archive Recovery tool which supports all five file formats, i.e., ZIP, RAR, TAR, TAR.GZ and 7-z. By using this tool we can easily recover our data from corrupt compressed file of any format.

Archive Recovery tool is multipurpose tool offered by SysInfoTools at very affordable rate. It is only tool that supports all five compressed archive file formats. Due to this it is highly recommended by most computer experts and many satisfied users. It can easily recover data from a large corrupt archive file, i.e., one TB. If corrupt archive files are stored inside an external storage device it will recover the data from it. And to check its features and high performance we must use its free demo version.

What Businesses Need to Know Regarding Disaster Recovery Planning

The goal of disaster recovery planning is to make sure that a business can survive an event that destroys the IT network. Many businesses never financially recover from an event that destroys its servers because they don't have a short-term way to restore network capability. A large percentage of them go out of business less than a year after the event. Most businesses are aware of the need for a recovery plan, but some do not realize that the plan should contain knowledge that typically comes from speaking with recovery planning IT consulting groups.

More Than Data Storage

Some businesses believe that storing data offsite is an effective strategy for recovering from the destruction of the IT network. Nothing is further from the truth. Although backing up data offsite is an essential aspect of a recovery plan, businesses need a way to migrate offsite data onto new servers after a catastrophic event. They may also need a temporary business location for the servers and other network components. This is where a service partner that specializes in recovery planning can help. In addition to helping the customer develop a plan of action, the partner also deploys temporary hardware and establishes a temporary business location, where the company operates until a permanent location is found.

Developing the Plan

For some companies, carrying out the recovery plan is actually easier than developing it. This is often because the plan experiences internal obstacles to its development and implementation, especially at a time when cutting costs often takes precedence over new initiatives. According to IT consulting groups that specialize in disaster recovery planning, developing a plan typically consists of the following steps:

    Building a Governance Structure - The governance structure is composed of a working committee and an oversight committee that address the financial and technical aspects of the plan.

    Selecting a Service Partner - The governance structure selects a service partner to help develop and implement the plan. If necessary, the service partner will help the plan's advocates build a compelling initiative for its implementation.

    Developing a Plan and Strategy - The customer works with the service partner to develop the best plan and strategy. A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is performed, which helps form the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) goals.

    Executing and Maintaining the Plan - After the plan is developed, it is tested. Over time, the plan is adjusted according to the customer's needs.

These are the basic steps that companies take to develop and implement a recovery plan. A provider of business continuity services will discuss the steps in greater detail.

Conclusion

Without a recovery plan in place, many companies go out of business when an event destroys the IT network. Although companies cannot prevent unforeseen disasters, they can plan for them by taking the steps listed above. For more information on keeping businesses viable in the wake of an event that takes down the IT system, speak with IT consulting groups that specialize in disaster planning today.

Recover Pictures on Your Android

We all take plenty of pictures on our phones and there are times when we go ahead and delete a few either to make space for more or maybe the pictures weren't good enough.

Whatever be the reason, there are times wherein we delete pictures by mistake and want to get them back. Well, if that's your problem, you need not worry as you could always retrieve lost data.

Do you own an Android?

Well, that's the question people ask - I've accidentally deleted photos on my Android Phone - is there a way to recover them? Well, as you know Android is just an operating system and not a special kind of phone - therefore, there's a way to recover pictures just as in the case of other mobiles.

Your pictures are originally either stored on your phone's internal memory, your sim card or your added memory. Therefore, before you decide to recover a picture, you should know where you stored it. It's not necessary; but, does make the task a lot simpler.

What actually happens?

Whenever you delete something from your Android Phone, whether it's a message, picture or something else; it's never permanently wiped off your phone. The data is actually stored until it's re-written upon.

Therefore, you should try to recover something the moment you realize that you're missing it. This would reduce the chances of you permanently losing it. The more you use your phone after you've deleted some data the harder would it be to recover this precious information.

If at all you don't know what needs to be done, it would be wise to contact someone who knows exactly what needs to be done. Until then, stay away from the phone as any small change that you make - even sending a message could over write the stored data.

Recovering the pictures

Recovering the pictures or any other data that you lost from your phone is possible; but, it's not an easy job if you've never done it before. All you need to do is get yourself card recovery software.

Note that most of these software aren't free and you would have to pay a small amount to buy them. If you're lucky you'd find an amazing piece of software that's got a free trial period - you'd find quite a few on the Android Store. The reader reads your phones memory and gives you a list of possible lost files. You could pick the one you need if it's still there.

Using most of the common photo recover software

Most of the photo recovery software work the same way, let's take a look at what needs to be done in most cases:

1. First and foremost you would need to connect your Android phone to your computer

2. Launch the Photo Recovery Software or App and you would then see a sort of removable media on the main control panel.

3. Once the software/App is launched make sure to begin a scan of all your images, music as well as videos.

4. After the scan is completed you would get a list of lost and deleted pictures, music as well as videos.

5. Pick the ones you wish to restore and hit the Recover button.

That's it! You could find plenty of free recovery software - they may not be totally free; but, if you don't need it often you could always get back what you need during the trial period.

Laptop Repairs - Data Recovery Options By Dominik Barth

If you are a computer, laptop, netbook, iPhone or android phone user you are not safe from data loss. It can strike at any time, and as most of us have experienced, it happens when we need the data most. We have all been told, backup! backup! backup! but statistics prove most of us don't. Laziness being the most likely reason. So what now, who do we turn to, types of failures and how much will it cost?

When disaster strikes it can cause enormous stress for those involved. Since computers have replaced the humble writing pad, nearly everything is stored digitally. Data Recovery is big business and its very important to realise data damage falls in a few different categories. These distinctions are vital to the user because of two factors, and those are recovery rates, and cost.

First things first.Turn off the device you are using. Most important! further damage can result from the user constantly switching the device on, in the hope their data will magically appears before their eyes. It wont happen and it can potentially cost you more to have the data salvaged.

Data recovery companies are located in most major cities, and can be searched for either online, or in the yellow pages. Type in a few different keywords in to the search engines and those firms which consistently appear in the major search engines would be the best to go with.

Essentially there are two types of failure categories; no physical damage ( logical damage) and physical damage ( failed components within the drive itself).

The most common type of failure is due to the operating system, which is generally the easiest and cheapest recovery scenario. It usually involves copying all wanted data onto another drive. The next level up being file deletion when the contents of deleted files are not removed immediately from the drive; instead, references to them in the directory structure are destroyed, and the room they occupy is made available for later overwriting. The original file contents remain, in fragments and may be recoverable.

More expensive scenarios involve a disk-level failure, an example being a compromised file system or disk partition.This involves repairing the file system, partition table or master boot record, or hard disk recovery techniques ranging from software-based to hardware replacement on a mechanically damaged disk.

The most expensive of all involves damaged components, whether it be the printed circuit board underneath the drive, or any part contained inside the drive. It could be the motor spindle, platter(s), read/write head assembly and matching parts. All this involves dismantling the drive in a clean room, with specialised tools and expert skill and finding donor parts which are not readily available. This takes time and money.

Average costs start from $300-$500 for basic to moderate data recovery, then go up from there to $2000 to $3000 dollars for advanced, hardware failures. Whether it be for pc repairs or mac repairs, backup your data regularly, and to as many devices as you have at your disposal, either external drives or online with the many cloud storage facilities available. There is no excuse and if you can't afford to lose the data, then it's most important for you to save it.

Best Way to Recover Data From Corrupt Backup File of MS Exchange Server

Nowadays backup has become an essential part of our life. As the utilization of computer has been increased a lot from last decade we have become more cautious for our computer data. The computer can store a large amount of data which is one of the most valuable things for its users. And the backup is a process which provides security of our computer data. We can easily backup all our data by using NT-Backup (Windows free utility) or any third-party tool. It helps us to restore our data from it when situations like sudden data loss and data corruption takes place.

In these days emails are playing an important role in communication especially in corporate sectors. If we are a part of an organization or a business (big and small) we need a safe and secured platform to send emails and other data items to our clients or users. Microsoft has designed a client-server application program for this purpose known as MS Exchange Server. By this program we can easily send, manage and store all the data items related to our organization such as emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, et cetera. All the data and information stored in the exchange server is very important for any organization. Sometimes MS Exchange can be crashed due to any particular reason or the data inside it can be deleted mistakenly. To prevent such situations we can create backup copies of all the data from any one of them: NT-Backup utility, VERITAS or any third-party tool. But we must update it regularly as a lot of data is added in exchange server every day. Though its backup can be done by NT-Backup utility but it is very different from Windows backup. The data of MS Exchange are saved in.bkf file extension but has a different file format than a Windows backup file. In MS Exchange backup there are three types of files: EDB (Exchange Database), STM (Exchange Streaming Media File) and Log file. Each file type contains a particular type of data, i.e. EDB stores all the exchange information, STM stores all the internet content and Log file stores all the changes to the exchange server databases.

No computer file is immune to corruption as it can take place at any time. The backup file of MS exchange can also be corrupted or damaged due to several unforeseen reasons. And if the file gets corrupted or damaged we can't restore our data from it. A BKF file of MS Exchange can be corrupted in many conditions such as: serious virus infections, improper system shutdown due to sudden power failure or intentionally, missing catalog files, unexpected interruption in the backup process, crash in system hard disk or hard disk failure, software and hardware malfunctions, cyclic redundancy check fails, and many more.

Unfortunately if we have lost our exchange server backup file due to corruption then we can repair it or recover our essential data from it. But we can't do this manually, so a third-party tool must be considered by all of us. It is one of the most effective and the safest solution what we must have in this situation. MS Exchange BKF Recovery can be said the best solution to recover the data from corrupt or damaged BKF file of Microsoft exchange server. Generally other Exchange BKF recovery tools recover EDB, STM or EDB+ STM files but this advanced BKF recovery tool recovers all three files, i.e. EDB, STM and Log files of exchange server backup. This is one of the most reliable and easiest ways to restore data from corrupt BKF file of the exchange server. This tool smoothly runs with all major versions of MS Exchange Server and Windows.

This tool is the perfect solution to recover data from corrupt BKF file of MS Exchange Server. It has a wizard interface that will be very beneficial for non-technical persons and before going for its full version we can check its demo for free examining.