by Who hasn’t lost something important on their computer? Back in the day of coal and steam-powered computers, I’ve lost a few college papers to bad disk drives or faulty floppies. Even as recently as a few years ago, a fatal hard drive error resulted in my spending two weeks rebuilding several layout projects from scratch.
It took a while to recover.
Older and wiser now (well… older, at least), I’ve gotten better at protecting my data not only from the ever-present threat of malware and computer viruses but hardware failures as well. This failure could be a problem with the hardware itself or outside factors such as fire or flood.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an individual or a business; data loss can cause significant headaches. Not all threats are cyber. Some are physical.
It’s in your best interest to consider these tips toward protecting your important data.
Follow the 3–2–1 rule
The 3–2–1 backup rule is an easy-to-follow method for keeping your data safe from just about any threat. Simply put, the rule set for backing up your data is:
- Backup at least three copies of your data.
- Store two copies on different storage media (such as a portable USB drive or backup computer that can be disconnected from the rest of the network).
- Keep one copy located offsite (such as the cloud or remote server).
This increases your chances of having recoverable data available to you, one way or the other, should your hardware or data suffer catastrophic failure. Most businesses would do well to create backups daily. At the very least, it should be done weekly.
The more often you back up, the less data you’ll potentially lose.
Upgrade hardware when problems first begin to occur
Are you starting to see problems occurring with your hardware? Unexplained shutdowns or other odd behaviors?
Computer hardware does wear down over time, and, as the saying goes, “they don’t make ’em like they used to.” If you’re experiencing reliability issues, it may be time to upgrade your hardware (and software, while you’re at it).
The cost for upgrades will pay for itself in the form of less downtime and less hassle in scrambling to recover lost or corrupt data.
Use surge protectors and alternate power solutions
Whether it’s a sudden power outage or unexpected power surge, you should have something taking care of how electric power is handled regarding your system. While most new buildings have surge protectors built into standard outlets, if you’re running off older wiring, you’ll want to have a surge protector set up between your power outlet and devices. This will keep a sudden surge of power from frying your hardware.
In the case of an outage, a backup battery system is a good idea for smaller systems. These sit between your outlet and device, serve as a surge protector, and also hold a reserve of power that, in case of an area outage, keeps your system stays running and gives you time to save and backup work before conducting a proper, safe shutdown.
For more extensive networks and systems, you may want to look into having a diesel engine onsite to serve as an alternative power source that can start up as soon as area power goes out. This not only saves your computers and data but can keep you or your business in operation even in instances of widespread power outages.
Invest in hard drive repair/recovery tools
If this is a case of your computer or server’s hard drives becoming corrupt, you don’t have to say goodbye to all of that data right away. You can use hard drive repair software to recover. The success rate isn’t always 100%, but they can often recover significant portions of data that could be crucial to you or your business.
Suppose it’s a hardware problem that’s affecting access to the hard drive. In that case, simple accessories are available that easily allow you to connect a removed hard drive to another computer as a USB drive, allowing you to transfer the contents of the old drive to a new one.
Connect with a hard drive recovery specialty service
Sometimes even the best over-the-counter tools aren’t going to be sufficient. That’s okay. Don’t write off your lost data just yet. Check locally for businesses that could help. I’m not talking about a neighborhood computer repair shop (although I wouldn’t discount them entirely), but more a professional disaster recovery business that includes specialized data recovery knowledge.
These businesses are usually called upon to rescue data lost after floods and fires. They know how to safely crack the case on your drives and extract information from seemingly destroyed media. The service can cost a bit, but it’s worth it compared to the cost of never recovering the data at all.
Conduct regular maintenance and recovery drills
You wouldn’t skip oil changes or other maintenance tasks for your car, would you? Then why would you skip taking care of your hardware?
Like anything, computers need to go through maintenance from time to time. It could involve optimizing a hard drive or cleaning out extraneous apps. It could merely mean dusting it and the surrounding area. Check that any cabling is in good condition and not broken or twisted anywhere.
Little things mean a lot and will extend the life of your equipment and keep them reliable longer.
Businesses may want to hold a yearly recovery drill in which employees practice dealing with emergency data backups, hard drive scanning, and simulated power outages.
Consider it time well spent that may save you much more lost time down the road.
A worthwhile investment
Should the tech fail you at any point, take some comfort in that you are not without options when it comes to recovering your important data. Whether it’s a term paper or a customer database, there’s no reason to experience panic or dread in many cases.
That said, it’s good to follow the old axiom, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Follow good maintenance habits and preventative practices. They’re easy, and the time invested in taking care of your equipment will pay off in not having to worry about what could happen when things go wrong.
