Brace for Data Loss this Monsoon

Control Humidity

Rains bring in moisture & humidity that can be catastrophic to electronic and magnetic storage. The moisture level in the coastline area is comparatively higher than the inland area, increasing the hard drive failure chances by 40%. To protect hard drive and storage media from corrosion you must ensure that computer and storage is kept in moisture free environment. Good air-conditioning is of great help here. However, be cautioned sometimes air-conditioners malfunction when humidity is high and water accumulates on the AC units. If the AC's are kept right over the computer; water can drip over the computer and cause disaster.

Prevent Power Fluctuations

Rain and heavy thunderstorm result in frequent power fluctuation and loss. This causes sudden and abrupt system shut down hence, increased chances of hardware/operating system crash, and data loss. Power surge generated by electrical equipments, such as AC is responsible for 20% of hard drive crash. To prevent data loss due to interrupted power supply you must use UPS. Also, using voltage stabilizers helps prevent power surge and fluctuation. In case you fear that the battery or generator is going short of power backup, save your files and do a clean system shut down.

Don't Store Media at Low-Lying Area

Do not store data in low lying area or sumps. A low lying area lacks proper ventilation and accumulates heavy vapors and smoke, causing corrosion in storage media. There is also risk of sudden water inflow and flooding, which permanently damages the storage and data. Store computers and storage devices min 5 ft above ground level to prevent damage from vapor accumulation, sudden water inflow, and flooding. However, if you need to store data for long, ensure that the media is properly packed with shock-proof material and place moisture absorbent granules or powder pouch to work against vapors and moistures

Track Hard Disk Health

About 60% of all hard drive failure takes place due to mechanical failure. Mechanical failure is a result of slow, yet recurring process of gradual degradation of the storage surface and mechanical wear. A regular eye on the S.M.A.R.T. features of the hard disk is enough to get a hint of a likely hard disk crash. Monitoring S.M.A.R.T. status, updates about major hard disk parameters, such as drive temperature, disk performance, faulty sectors, distance between the heads and the disk platters etc. Though predictable, the symptoms of a mechanical failure are often ignored by many those; and the consequence is data loss. If you cannot afford the time to track the health of your hard disk, an efficient third party SMART monitoring tool can help you in this regard.

Backup Important Data

In the event of unexpected loss, the backup of your important data comes out as an alternative to recover the loss. Make it a practice to regularly backup your important data. The medium of storage must be external sources, such as CD's, DVD's, and external hard disks, instead of the same storage used in your computer. For best, save backup in a remote server (usually FTP server) that is hardly damaged, corrupt, or misplaced. However, the backup is also not entirely protected against damage caused due to rain and flooding. To be safer, keep multiple backup of all your vital data and save the backup in different locations, so that if one is damaged , you can make use of the others.

Don't Open Media on Your Own

Data lost from the rains and flood damaged hard disk is recoverable. However, it requires special techniques and tools to recover data from such a hard disk You should refrain from tempering a water-damaged hard disk causing more damage to the electro-mechanical parts of the hard disk. Also, the read-write head and the magnetic platter of the disk tempt to get worse, leaving the hard disk valueless for recovery and reduce the chances of data recovery. So, why to take risk! If the data matters, consult experienced data recovery expert to get it back

Data Loss! Consult an Expert

Data loss brings in panic situation and makes you restless and impatient. However, do not lose your calm. Do not attempt recovery by your own or ever depend on unskilled technicians Any mistake done though worsens the situation and permanently ceases the possibility of data recovery. Always consult an expert. Data recovery experts have the crucial tools, techniques, and infrastructure to bring back your much essential data. At Stellar, we have developed our expertise with experienced data recovery experts and the essential infrastructure of CLASS 100 Clean Room to recover data from the simple to the most critical case of data loss.