Disadvantages of Professional Data Recovery

There are other causes like hardware malfunction, user error, software corruption, computer viruses, natural disasters which can be brought on by power surges, static electricity, lightning strikes, fires, floods, sabotage, and accidents and so on.

Fortunately, the loss is reversible in most cases. Data loss does not always mean financial loss. Data like personal photos and videos are of great emotional value. A majority of users tend to store their data directly on their computers with no handwritten or hard copies available. This is a distressful situation to be in.

Data loss in big organizations can be accidental or intentional through sabotage and theft. It can endanger even the survival of the company. A lot of times their data is crucial and of a sensitive nature and time spent in its recovery means great financial loss for the organizations.

This calls for an efficient and fast data recovery option to be employed. These are either DIY software or professional data recovery firms. Each option has its list of advantages and disadvantages.

The first option of DIY software is available in hordes on the net. These are cheap and convenient. Some of them can be downloaded for free. It is a quick solution and can be used conveniently from the comfort of your home/office. DIY software is especially useful for software errors or operating system failures.

The disadvantage of using DIY software is that it is ineffective in incidents of hardware problems and physical damage. DIY software have little credibility and it is difficult to find references or use customer care service as most of them have only net outlets. DIY software are also inflexible and pose a grave danger of overwriting the very information that one is trying to recover. Keeping this in mind, it can be concluded that DIY software is not a very reliable option and is more useful for individual users.

The professional data recovery firms, in comparison, offer a more reliable and effective service .Its advantages are that only experts handle your data. Their years of experience ensures a quick and accurate assessment of your problem. Also, data recovery firms are equipped with state-of-the-art, dust-free clean rooms to protect the processed media.

They ensure comprehensive recovery of recent data unlike recovery from database backups which are often outdated and corrupted leading to partial recovery or no recovery. They also provide a prior assessment of costs involved in the recovery procedure even before you decide to hire them.

Despite these advantages, professional data recovery firms have their disadvantages which often make users skeptical about using them:

1. Transportation Inconvenience: To use professional data recovery service one needs to either courier or personally deliver the storage device in question to the recovery company. Not only is it full of hassle, time-consuming but can also result in further damage to media due to improper handling.

2. Time-consuming: The whole process of searching, hiring a firm, then sending them the media and the actual recovery process can take days or even weeks. This does not work for emergency situations where there is an urgency to get back to work or meet deadlines. Also, if you first send the media for assessment and they send it back after diagnosing that the problem is irreversible, a lot of time is wasted in the meantime before you search for an alternative.

3. Expensive: Data recovery firms have their paraphernalia and the services provided by them increase overheads and other expenses. These are additional to the transportation cost and the revenue loss while waiting for data recovery. For big businesses, time is money and more time spent in the process gets converted to more money wasted. Sometimes the processing cost exceeds the worth of the data even.

4. Trust Issues: Consumers often hesitate before handing over their precious data to complete strangers. Some firms put up a false front and outsource the work from someone else to earn a commission. A novice can easily get fooled.

5. Danger of Leakage: Data recovery firms store your recovered data on a new hard drive. There is always the possibility of illegal copies made of the confidential or sensitive information comprising your data. These may fall into wrong hands. Also, the processing takes place away from your eyes increasing the apprehension of data leakage.

Data recovery service has its drawbacks and one needs to consider all the pros and cons. Keep the minimum risk factor in mind and decide on a mode of data recovery best suited to your needs.