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Preventing Data Loss from Computers

By: James Walsh

Data loss can have devastating effects both to individuals and businesses. It should be avoided at all costs. According to IT experts of the SMB survey of 2002, usually data loss occurs due to human error.

Data Loss: Data loss can be described as the inaccessibility of previously accessible data. It means that data does not disappear from the hard disk or the data storage device in question. It shifts location. Previously stored data on the C drive now shifts to the computer desktop. This shows that data loss is temporary and with correct recovery procedures can be recovered.

The user looks to the original saved location for the data. In this case, the C drive and when he or she does not find the data there, he or she thinks that the data has been lost. Data loss can take place due to a multitude of reasons. Usually, human error and head crashes account for more than 36% of data loss problems.

Prevention of Data Loss: The prevention of data loss can take place at two levels. This is because users can be classified under two heads of personal home-based users and commercial organisations. In the former, the user has to deal with one computer. In the latter, the organisational IT personnel manages the computer systems of many employees. Thus, the approaches to data loss in both cases differ.

Personal User: The onus is on the user. The user is advised to take several precautions to store data as a safety net.

Maintenance

  • Never holiday with the data storage deviceM


  • Do not expose it to extreme conditions and temperatures of heat, light and humidity


  • Keep physical movement to a minimum


  • Avoid excessive G force i.e. avoid throwing the device from a height


  • Clean the device with wet-dry tissue


  • Never handle the device with bare oily hands


  • Always protect the device in a sheath


Commercial Organisations and SMB: These businesses use a three-pronged data loss prevention method of:

Administrative and Physical Controls: It usually involves data protection and security by physical means of passwords, swipe cards and employee fingerprinting. The logic behind this approach is that data loss can be avoided to a minimum if only a few right people have access to it. The method tries to keep data theft, hacking and human error to a minimum.

Security Control Systems: This system involves the protection of data by using a combination of data protection methods. The popular data security system in place is the continuous data approach or the CDP. The CDP uses a combination of backup, monitoring and data duplication methods to prevent data loss and its tragic ripple effects.

The CDP basically uses mirror imaging of the data storage device. The copy is kept secure in a secondary site geographically removed from the primary site. This ensures the safety of data even if data in the primary site is struck by natural disaster. CDP also keeps track of personnel entering the system to use and modify the data. It automatically backs up data in accordance with relevance and time.

Methods

Prioritise Your Data: It is not possible for SMBs to back up all data everyday. IT experts suggest that the way out is to prioritise the data. Every SMB should have a method wherein the data to be backed up is decided. The SMB should determine the backup protocol including the type, day and time of backup. The protocol also determines who has access to the backup.

This ensures security of the original and backed up data. A graphic arts agency that develops intricate print designs continuously backs up large image files, page layouts and video work. The firm uses a backup protocol of CDP in a limited sense. Similarly, a small firm of high-end audio products backs up data once a day using a bulletproofed backup system.

The method also involves saving or backing up data on a device external to the computer C drive being used. In addition, the backed up data needs to be archived for long term use. In archival cases, it is best recommended to use tape storage devices.

Proiritising backup data is not simple. It is a complicated process requiring the services of experts. In short it involves:

  • Backing up on drives external to C drive of computer


  • Archiving data for long term purposes


  • Prioritising data for disaster recovery: This includes prioritising every system and related data i.e. e-mail, telephones, databases, file servers and Web servers. Usually, systems are prioritised into three categories requiring differing levels of recovery time from zero to days. This means the recovery time can be slated into redundant i.e. immediately category, highly available, which includes minutes to hours and finally the backed up category, which includes four hours to days.

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James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk

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