Choosing the Most Suitable Data Recovery Company

So while their history dates back several decades, it is only in the late 1980s that they began to gain any relevance for people in general. Over the turn of the century, data recovery through professional firms has at last come within the upper middle class budget.

Finding the Company

How you will find the data recovery company best suited to your needs depends on the following factors:

• What is you specific need? If you are a home user and have lost holiday photos from your camera, you may consider using downloaded software. If you are a corporate house, you have no choice but to go for the best bargain. However, if you are running a small business or you are a student, you may have to weigh your options carefully.

• What is you budget?

• What is the volume of data that needs to be recovered?

• How important is the data and is it possible to rebuild it? What are the costs involved if you rebuild it (and take the time into consideration too)?

• How have you lost the data? If it is through a physical means, then you have no choice but to head for a recovery company.

Whom to Rely On

Who should you ask for advice on this matter? Always rely on expert advice rather than listening to your friends or family. If you know someone who has been benefited by a company’s services, you may take his or her recommendation. Check on the internet, and use the yellow pages. There are several online directories available for data recovery firm listings. Shop around a bit, short-list about five companies and then take your pick from them.

Below are five important points to keep in mind while you are finalising your choice:

Experience and Market Reputation

Data recovery is an area that requires a high level of professionalism. You can’t take a risk here since your precious data, your money and your time are at risk. So you can’t afford to leave your damaged server to your brilliant young nephew; you need to find someone more experienced. How long has the company been around? Do they have a proper licence? Are they listed in the directories and yellow pages? Do they have a satisfied clientele that is ready to recommend them? Do they have a solid market reputation? These are the questions that you need to ask to assess the company. Do not feel self-conscious about it; you need to know who is going to handle your data and how reliable they are.

Clean Room and Other Infrastructure

The importance of proper infrastructure in data recovery cannot be overemphasised. The company you choose must have a clean room of at least Class 100 standard, if not Class 10. Remember that your disk is a very delicate object and it is going to be taken apart in that room. You can lose whatever is left at one go if the person handling it has not worn all the mandatory protective gear. Skill is not all. Make sure the infrastructure you are paying for is in place.

How They Treat Your Disk

Some companies may employ a lossy technology to recover your data. While you get back the information you wanted, the guarantee of the hard disk is nullified due to the degree of tampering with it. There are some companies that make a copy of the disk and work on that instead of using the original. There are some companies that can even recover data remotely without touching your disk physically, depending on how the data loss has happened. These are better options as your disk remains untouched.

The Time Factor

The turnaround time needs to be fast. Whether you are an SME owner biting your nails to the end in anxiety or a student whose thesis needs to be submitted at the soonest – you have a deadline in mind. You are paying for the speed too, not just the services. So get an estimate about the time involved before you sign the papers and start the recovery process.

Attractive Policies and Offers

Some companies have a no recovery, no charges policy; some give special package deals; most evaluate the damage to your media for free and provide an overall estimate. Some companies deal with all your queries promptly and keep the progress of the work very transparent with regular updates.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk