Q. What Is data recovery?

A. Simply put, data recovery is a system of processes used to recover lost data from a variety of sources, including hard disk drives, floppy diskette media, or tape backups. Performed by trained experts, data recovery is the last resort when all other methods, including commercial software, fail.

Q. What causes data loss?

A. Data can be lost due to a number of circumstances. The largest contributing factor to data loss is hardware or system malfunction, followed by human error, accounting for almost 75% of all incidences. Rounding out the list is software corruption, computer viruses and natural disasters such as fire and water damage.

Q. How Secure Is Your Data?

A. When it comes to securing data on your hard drive, an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure. In fact, prevention is the real name of the game here, because even a pound of cure isn't always a reliable solution. And security matters, because it's the nature of business these days to entrust critical data to a computer's hard drive. When that data becomes vulnerable, so too does the business organization itself.

The fact is, your data is only as secure as you make it.

The reality of hard drives is that they're going to crash sometime - it's not a question of if, but when. And broken hard drives are vulnerable to those equipped with determination and the right set of tools. (In fact, the only guaranteed secure solution to protecting data on a hard drive is to melt the drive down - not a practical option for most users.) The recovery of the content of failed drives - and the subsequent exposure of sensitive data - is of particular concern to law enforcement and government agencies.

Backing up information as policy ensures your access to data should you suffer a hard drive failure.

It's necessary, however, to think beyond mere backup. Encryption offers a heightened level of security, ensuring that significant data is locked away to everyone except those who have the right to access it. Encryption tools are commonly available and reliable, depending on the complexity of your needs. Encryption is a necessary part of hard drive security, because even data on a crashed hard drive can be recovered by a determined professional.

Life is full of surprises. Hard drives crash, sometimes with serious consequences. However, if the data on a failed hard drive has been encrypted, the likelihood of recovering meaningful data by any means can be rendered significantly improbable. With a suitable level of care, and some thought to appropriate back-up and encryption, even surprises can be taken in stride

Q. How is data retrieved?

A. There are many methods by which data is retrieved, both conventional and non-conventional. In fact, there is no one set way to retrieve data. Each project is analyzed on an individual basis and only then can an action plan be developed. MindPride prides itself on being unique in its approach. While other data recovery players test and re-test their clients' media, MindPride employs state-of-the-art replication technology to duplicate clients' data bit by bit reducing the risk of causing further damage to the data.

Q. Can all data be retrieved?

A. No. There are occasions when damage to the data is permanent. However, it is a rare case when absolutely no data is retrievable. Most times, MindPride can recover some of the data even in extreme conditions. On average, the company boasts an 85% data recovery success rate.

Q. How long does data retrieval take?

A. Each project is different and requires unique processes and timelines. Upon receipt of damaged media, MindPride will provide a report within one business day outlining the specifics required to perform the data recovery. While some projects may require several days, even weeks, about 75% of all jobs have a turnaround time of less than 48 hours.

Q. In what format is retrieved data delivered?

A. MindPride will return data with the same file names, in the same data type, with the same characteristics, identifiers and in the same structure and location as before the failure.

Q. My documents contain confidential information.

How can I be sure they'll remain confidential?

A. MindPride offers clients a secure environment so that they can rest easy knowing their information is kept private. Every member of the MindPride team is under non-disclosure. Furthermore, a special secure isolation room with controlled access is available when confidentiality is of the utmost importance such as in the case of government data. MindPride also offers an Online Remote Repair service for certain types of data recovery projects.

Q. Can data loss be prevented?

A. Backup, backup, backup. Nothing can prevent data loss better than performing routine backups of all your data. Users can save hours, days and weeks of downtime by minimizing their data loss through routine backups. A good anti-virus software package, updated regularly, will also offer some protection against data loss.