MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kroll Ontrack, the leading provider of information management, data recovery, and legal technology products and services, today announced its annual Top 10 Data Disasters for 2011. From human error to natural disaster, this annual list of real data loss situations compiled by Ontrack Data Recovery engineers from more than 30 Kroll Ontrack offices around the globe, reveals data loss is often inevitable, but not necessarily permanent.
2011 Top Ten List of Data Disasters Compiled by Kroll Ontrack
10. Bad image
An actor deleted her entire
portfolio including her model card samples and recent pictures by
accidentally selecting the wrong externally attached USB drive using the
MAC disk utility program. Kroll Ontrack was able to recover her image
entirely.
9. Virtual reality
To increase system performance, an IT
administrator split the C & D partition of his virtual server across two
different systems. Running out of space, the admin needed to rush and
consolidate C & D onto the same system. Not knowing that the same naming
convention already existed on the target system, he copied over the
important data set.
8. Magnetic attraction
A laptop was set down on a desk near
some rare earth magnets. The earth magnets came into contact with the
laptop and when the user went to turn on the machine, it did not boot up
all the way and there was a clicking noise. While there was physical
damage to the platters, proprietary techniques overcame the damage and
the data was recovered.
7. End of month disaster
A corporate accounting department
stayed late to reconcile the books for the month. While rejuvenating on
a coffee break, a power outage occurred. All of the computers shut down
including the financial server. Luckily the department’s computers were
connected to UPS. However, the continual brewing of their cups of java
drained the UPS battery, resulting in a crashed server.
6. Sunken business deal
Two businessmen met in a pub to
discuss their future deal over a beer. The server accidentally knocked
over one of the glasses she was delivering, soaking the laptop which
contained the business plans. A paper towel was not enough to save the
laptop and its important deal files.
5. Smoking kills
A newly hired security guard was doing his
first evening security check in a chemical ingredients warehouse. While
he was informed that smoking was forbidden, he pondered who could
possibly spot him enjoying a cigarette after company hours. After it was
lit, the fire alarm sounded and prompted the anti-fire sprinkler system.
All the electronic equipment, including 44 desktops and two servers,
were flooded.
4. In the safe not on the safe
To avoid arriving late to a
business meeting, an IT person opted to put a tape drive on top of the
waterproof safe instead of inside it. Within an hour of doing so, the
city was struck by a powerful earthquake and the tape was knocked to the
ground. Then, the premise was engulfed by mud, water and sand. The tape
looked unrecoverable, but Kroll Ontrack proprietary tape recovery
technology was able to recover 100 percent of the data, which included
one year of TV and web animations.
3. A little piece of history
A freelance photographer
happened to be with a camera in the midst of the recent London riots.
Some rioters saw they were being filmed and opted to smash the camera in
order to destroy the potentially incriminating evidence. The camera made
its way to Kroll Ontrack where 100 percent of the data and the video
footage was recovered and supplied to the police.
2. Doggy eat dog world
A man encouraged his girlfriend to
back up her photo library, which contained thousands of high-resolution
photos from her photo studio. She diligently moved the data from her
laptop to an external hard drive, and unfortunately that became the only
good copy. A friend then pulled into the driveway and the couple went
out to meet her, but not before the hyper, happy family dog heard
someone at the door and came tearing out from underneath the table where
the drive was sitting. The drive went crashing to the floor, damaging
the only good copy of this data.
1. Triple whammy
When a lightning strike caused a fire that
sent a famous Caribbean island home up in smoke, the computer servers
were burned and then doused with water by the fire squad. The media then
corroded while the building sat idle until it was safe to re-enter. In
the end, the triple whammy of a lightning strike, fire and water damage
was overcome in the Ontrack Data Recovery cleanroom.
“If your data is important or valuable, it is important to go straight to a professional for the best chances for data recovery success,” said Jeff Pederson, manager of data recovery, Kroll Ontrack. “Not only do we regularly recover data other companies have deemed not recoverable, but all too often, we see individuals attempt recoveries themselves or opt for the least expensive option, which ends up resulting in more cost.”
To learn more about these cases or enter your own data disaster for a chance to win an Apple iPad visit the Kroll Ontrack interactive data disaster lab and cleanroom.
About Kroll Ontrack Inc.
Kroll Ontrack provides
technology-driven services and software to help legal, corporate and
government entities as well as consumers manage, recover, search,
analyze, produce and present data efficiently and cost-effectively. In
addition to its award-winning suite of software, Kroll Ontrack provides
data recovery, data destruction, paper and electronic discovery,
document review, computer forensics, and ESI consulting. Kroll Ontrack
is the technology services division of Kroll
Inc., the global risk consulting company. Kroll is a subsidiary of Altegrity,
an industry-leading provider of information solutions. For more
information about Kroll Ontrack and its offerings please visit: www.krollontrack.com.