Data loss is way too common. Every organization will suffer at least a minor data loss at some point. Data loss can occur due to multiple reasons that include external, internal, as well as human errors. Unless you have a solid data recovery process, what you lose may never be able to be reclaimed.
External factors such as water or fire damage caused by disasters can take down entire data storage systems. Frequent power outages or surges can also hurt computers and can cause file system corruption. Mechanical issues such as the hardware wearing out because of usage, electrostatic discharge, and impact due to accidental drops are among the most common external factors that lead to data loss in an enterprise or an organization.
Internal factors are often software-related issues or failures that lead to data loss. While the majority of the issues are caused by external factors, internal factors also constitute a considerable portion of data loss globally. File system failure, malware, file corruption, or software corruption are among the most common reasons for data loss. Human errors are also a common reason for data loss or corruption and can be avoided with care and caution. The major part of data loss or theft in an organization comes from employees who aren’t aware of the risks associated with their negligence or carelessness. Here are the most common human errors that can lead to a data loss:
- Configuration errors
- Tampering with data files
- Improper installation of software or hardware
- Accidental deletions
- Improper drive partitioning or formatting
Although storage systems today are more reliable than ever before, any one of the failures mentioned above can be the cause of data loss. Having a copy of all essential data is the first line of defense against a data loss. However, having a proper data recovery mechanism in place is just as crucial, especially in the case of accidental data deletions.
Whenever a file is deleted from a system, the operating system just deletes its directory listing of that particular file. The actual data corresponding to the file, however, remains on the disk until it’s overwritten by new data. Before we proceed further, it is important to understand that no data recovery software or service can ensure 100 percent data recovery after a data loss.
Before a company can start choosing feasible data recovery software, there are a few crucial aspects that need to be considered. This includes the tools’ industry reputation, compatibility, support, ease of use, and quality of data recovery.
Here are the best data recovery software products available in the market:
EaseUS
EaseUS data recovery wizard is one of the most respected data recovery software for business ranging from small to medium scale. The tool offers an easy to understand intuitive interface, making it perfect for users of all skill levels. The tool comes with a well-polished streamlined set of steps to be followed for data recovery and this saves a lot of time and efforts of the users using it.
Features
EaseUS data recovery offers a lot of options and features for businesses to ease the data recovery process. This tool also comes with a remote network access feature, allowing users to recover data and access the files from the remote location over a network. This allows an easy recovery for organizations whose systems are being operated from a geographically distant location. EaseUS also works for RAID systems, just in case your business uses a RAID system to store data.
The data recovery in EaseUS starts with a quick scan of the data drive or partition selected. If no files are found, then the software automatically triggers a deep scan to extract the data lost or deleted data. The software also allows the user to do a specialized scan for a certain type of data to be recovered for both Mac and Windows operating systems.
EaseUS also has an active customer support channels and every user will get access to the technical support team through live chat, email, or phone call.
Plans and pricing
EaseUS data recovery comes in two modes — Professional and Technician. The Professional plan is a common and simple means of data recovery for all the regular data losses and costs $69.95 USD for a single-user license per computer. There is also a professional data recovery mode along with the support for bootable media for emergencies costing $99.90 per license per computer.
The Technician plan, on the other hand, is meant for businesses, IT professionals, and service providers. Each Technician plan license costs $299; multiple computers or devices can be used on a single license.
OnTrack
OnTrack is yet another comprehensive do-it-yourself data recovery software, which is available for both Mac and Windows systems. OnTrack allows its users to easily recover permanently deleted files, corrupted files on a storage device such as hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, and more.
Features
OnTrack is a powerful data recovery tool that can retrieve data from a variety of storage devices such as HDDs, SSDs, and even from RAID volumes. It comes with quick and deep scanning features, which lets the user either quickly scan for recently deleted files or run a thorough deep scan to recover hard-to-access lost files.
Restoring deleted volumes or data with OnTrack is easy and it can locate and rebuild the corrupted data files in multiple drives such as HFS, HFS+, FAT, NTFS, or exFAT volumes. The software allows the user to easily start, stop, and resume the scanning process. With OnTrack, users can do data recovery at their own pace, at their own time, and at their own comfort level with an option to resume.
Versions and pricing
OnTrack comes in four different versions that are available for both Windows and Mac systems.
Free
The free version of OnTrack data recovery allows for free data recovery of up to 1GB per user.
Home
The home variant of OnTrack data recovery costs $79 per year for use on one machine at a time. The version includes quick and deep scanning features to recover the lost data.
Professional
The professional version is meant for small to medium-sized companies. This variant offers a professional grade recovery of lost folders, files, documents, photos, media files, and more. This version can run data recovery scans from multiple data loss events such as accidental formatting or deletions, drive corruptions, and mechanical failures. It costs $139 per year for use on one device at a time.
Technician
This is meant for IT professionals and this version of OnTrack data recovery allows users to perform RAW data recoveries on lost data volumes and can also form encrypted file systems. The technician version costs $499 per year for use on one device at a time.
Data Rescue 5
Data Rescue 5 is a feature-packed comprehensive data recovery software with a very clean and easy-to-understand user interface. The tool also packs in extensive configurational options to enable the user to have a full control over the data recovery process. Data Rescue 5 comes with an easy installation and setup process and it offers clean and professional layouts of options to choose and use from.
Features
Data Rescue 5 can recover data from all files or just the files you need. The recovery process is aided with multiple features that include filtering data to be recovered based on its type. The tool works on almost all storage devices such as memory cards, flash drives, HDD, SSD, and is even RAID compatible. Data Rescue 5 also hard drives that were corrupted due to a malware or operating system failures.
Data Rescue 5 comes with a drive cloning option, which can scan and make an exact scannable clone of your primary hard disk drive. The software supports both HFS and NTFS file systems and can perform deep scans to recover data. It comes with a dashboard, which shows you the recovery process, information about the scans, creating a separate recovery drive, and managing the partitioning. The tool works well with both Windows and Mac systems.
Versions and pricing
Data Rescue 5 comes in a Mac and Windows version. Cost of license for each of these versions costs $99 per device for the lifetime. However, the professional version costs $299 for an annual subscription for the first year, after which it’ll cost $199 for every year. The professional version offers unlimited recovery for unlimited devices and comes with a professional grade user interface and support.
There are several other data recovery tools and services available in the market apart from these mentioned here. Again, remember that not every file can be recovered using data recovery tools. Therefore, having your crucial business data backed up is the best practice to ensure business continuity.
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Sukesh you are the bomb, thank you keep up the good work.
Saverino..
Thank you Saverino.