Technology Consulting Tips for Creating an IT Disaster Recovery Plan

Few businesses would survive without access to information technology. For this reason, every IT consultant and CIO recommends creating a strong IT disaster recovery plan.

To create an IT disaster recovery plan for your business, begin with a list of requisite IT tools that are needed to operate in a skeletal way. You may require access to company databases, on-site computers, email accounts and so forth - an IT consultant can help you determine which resources are essential to your operations. How long are you able to pause business to repair those tools?

Next, set up a phone tree for disaster communication. You'll probably settle on a disaster leader as you create a communication web. Your marketing department can help you decide how to communicate with customers in the case of a disaster.

Generally, IT disaster recovery plans incorporate the following components:

Consistent backups of employee desktops and laptops. Most employees find it handy to save items on their computers' desktops. However, if a disaster strikes, those documents could be permanently lost. Consistently backing up company computer is also wise for other reasons - in case a machine is stolen, hacked or lost, for instance. Basically, backing up your data ensures smooth operations regardless of circumstance.

Good technology defense. An IT consulting firm will often check the health of IT systems by testing for potential failures. By conducting such testing, companies proactively defend themselves against attack. In addition, it's a good idea to install virus protection and firewalls on each computer. Finally, make sure employees immediately say "yes" to system update messages. (Conduct regular trainings on the importance of installing updates, which are patches for known weaknesses in software.)

Offsite storage for backup data. Don't ignore the possibility that your entire office could be destroyed. In case of a total disaster, offsite data storage could save your company. Computers may be replaced; crucial data can't. If your entire office is ruined, access to key data makes continued operation possible. You can take the classic technology consulting approach and store data on tapes. Mobile cloud backup products and disc-to-disc solutions are more cutting-edge data storage methods. However you store your backups, check their functionality before they leave your office.

Once your disaster recovery plan is official, don't forget about it. Think about your disaster plan as a living document that will require regular updating. At the very least, your plan should have a formal review at least once a year. In this time, it's likely that you'll have changed out some major equipment and will need to revise insurance numbers and recovery techniques.

IT Consultants & Disaster Recovery

An IT consultant can be a valuable asset in creating your disaster recovery plan. Here are some of the things a technology consulting firm can help with:

Virtualization. One popular gig for an IT consultant is setting up server virtualization. By allowing a large amount of data to be stored on a single server, virtualization creates large amounts of data storage space at a small cost. Many technology consulting firms also recommend virtualization because it can cut down on hardware costs.

Disaster recovery testing. Recovery testing makes any company more likely to survive a disaster. Technology consulting firms conduct disaster recovery testing to make sure all systems will work as planned in an emergency.

Recovery plan design. IT consulting firm representatives are knowledgeable about the latest developments in IT disaster recovery. They can recommend the best backup methods for your organization.

Tips to Recover Excel Files from Microsoft Office-Excel Recovery

Excel is one of the most important programs in Microsoft Office. It helps you organize your data such as financial information, monthly sales reports, or competitor's analysis. It is much more complex to recover Excel than to recover photo or Word documents if you accidently deleted, or formatted them, because Excel files are sensitive to data gaps and lose information. Therefore, before you become a victim of losing Excel files, I share some experiences with you to avoid data loss.

Backup. Backup your important data by burning copies of your Excel files on a DVD/CD, saving them to other external hard drive/USB flash drive/memory card or store them with online storage program with the "Cloud" technology like send them into your Email. And keep update at least every three day or five if possible. In this way, you can recover Excel with those copies at once even though you lost it.

AutoRecover. When you lost Excel files because you don't save them on time when unexpected computer crash happens. It is extremely easy to retrieve Excel files with the built-in safety mechanisms in Excel program. Restart your computer and open your Excel file. Click "Microsoft"->"Excel Options"->"Save". You will get the "AutoRecover file location" for your auto saved document. Open it, you can restore Excel to the last saved version (Most likely it is the last saved ten minutes before accident happens). Here I need to mind you that you had better set the automatic save every minute or two (Excel's default setting is ten minutes), the short time you set, the more cells you can recover.

File Recovery Utility to Deal with Data Loss

Losing valuable computer file that you require for your work, accidentally through careless use of delete key or corruption can be a real stressful experience. But thankfully there is way to retrieve the lost data and salvage the situation. File recovery utility provides the much coveted medium that can be used to store your important business documents and restore them if there is a data loss incident. This kind of file recovery software is programmed to conduct backup of the computer data at regular intervals and recreate any lost file within a short span of time.

File recovery utility to restore deleted file
Computer data after being deleted is usually relegated to the Recycle Bin (if it's a Windows Operating System) or Trash (in case of Mac) folder. In that case you need to search those particular folders to check if the file is still there. If the file is there you need to drag it to the desktop and then return it to its original location by clicking on the file and then restoring it. But in case the file is not found in the Recycle Bin or the Trash use a file recovery utility that will scan your computer's hard drive for recognizable data. When a file is deleted, the operating system typically does not erase the actual bits from the hard drive, making it possible for you to recover some data.

Why Backing Up Computer Files Is Essential?

In a large company the department of Information Technology (IT) is in charge of backing up computer files.

In spite of this, since you are responsible of the data on your computer it is wise to know and learn why backing up computer files is so essential.

For users of Windows 7 there is an easy tool that you can use to back up computer files. Additionally, there are more advanced programs and services that you can pay for to make sure that your files are safely backed up.

If you have ever been through a complete computer crash where you lost important docs like pictures, emails, music, and videos you certainly know why is critically important to schedule daily, weekly or monthly backups.

In most cases, people just forget to run backups. They usually have the intention of doing so, but they keep putting it aside. Do not risk your files just because you are not willing to buy an external hard drive, otherwise you will regret it. Ive had unpleasant experiences having to reload the entire system several times a year.

Really, a secondary or external hard drive should have sufficient space not only for the files on your hard drive, but also for a system image. If you use CDs, DVDs or USB flash drives Windows won't have enough space to create a system image which you can use to recover from hardware failures.

Backing up computer files locally is something you should always do, although there are online services where you can back up data "in the clouds", or on remote servers. An external drive works better than an internal secondary drive because you can take it from one place to another, and it is easier than having to open a computer to remove the drive to take it to another system.

For security reasons, it is more save to use an internal hard drive since it resides on your computer and it is moved around less. Many external drives get damaged when they are accidentally dropped.

With the improvement of technology there are tons of online backup providers and backup software solutions. You can start some of the services free and then upgrade for additional options. The features, advantages and benefits of these services are above the conventional back up procedures that were mentioned before.

Backing up computer files over the internet is something you need to contemplate since your data will be kept on highly secure and redundant servers conveniently located at several data centers, and you can easily restore or access these files no matter where you are in the world by only having an internet connection or even via mobile devices.

What do you understand by business continuity management?

Business continuity direction is a operation of direction that identifies any impacts that potentially threaten an methodicalness and then provides a frame for snap construction as recovered as the aptitude for a response that is effective and that safeguards the interests of all its stakeholders. It hence includes disaster recovery, crisis management, job feat, brake management and incident management among others.

A business management scheme leave typically run via a web application so anybody can admittance it anywhere. The web application port testaments then assign you to generate reports, graphs and commodity beat aggregation. A business direction system will make the aptitude to be linked with more devices in your building so you can control many systems with one straight interface.

Disasters can be torn into 2 main categories:

  Natural disasters - these may countenance hurricanes, floods, earthquakes or flatbottomed tornadoes. Though it is kind of trying to standard physical disasters, better planning can play restrict or avoid losses that could rise from these disasters.

Some of the Challenges of Cloud Computing

As people start to get involved in more advanced Internet and networking platforms, they are starting to hear more and more about cloud computing. This is one of those concepts that has been brewing in the corporate world for years and is just starting to see the light in the consumer world. But there are several hurdles that this new technology will need to overcome before it can be accepted by the mainstream Internet user and tap into the general Internet market. Some of the problems are with the platform while others are problems with perception. As more people start to use the service, it will become more widely accepted. Until then, it will face a long list of challenges.

One of the main challenges that cloud computing faces is with the perception that it is just not secure. Internet companies have been quick to admit that the early days of Internet security were challenging. But it has been shown that people who follow good Internet safety procedures can protect their personal information and safely purchase products and send information over the Internet. The concept behind security in the cloud is exactly the same. The cloud providers know that people are extremely concerned about the security of their personal information and that is why many of the newest security innovations are being developed for the cloud first before any other platform.

As was discussed earlier, some people avoid the cloud because they just do not understand its benefits. One of the key benefits of the cloud is being able to save your data to a source that you can access from anywhere in the world. That spurs some people to ask why they would use cloud computing for something that they can do on their computer's hard drive. The answer is that when your hard drive fails, you will lose everything on it. A cloud computing system is backed up several times to prevent failure. Your data is just as safe, if not safer, being saved in the cloud.

Another popular misconception about cloud computing is that it requires the user to buy special equipment. The only people involved in the cloud that have to buy special equipment are the providers. Users can keep using their existing computers and buy any kind of computer they want to access the services and benefits offered in the cloud. It is a platform that is ready for users to enjoy regardless of what kind of computer they have. If you can access the Internet, then you can access the cloud.

Fear, Loathing and Disaster Recovery Planning

"One of the most overused and abused statements used to scare small and medium-size businesses into buying a disaster recovery plan goes something like this:

"According to SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Businesses, 50% of businesses who suffer a data disaster lasting longer than ten days will go out of business within five years."

These mythical, Armageddon-like statements are usually written by backup and recovery software makers do a Google search on "disaster recovery statistics" and find the statements on other disaster recovery software sites. Following these statements to their source almost always proves futile, and if you can track the statement to its source, as I have, it's common to find the statement was based on a published figure that may be seven to as much as 10 years old.

Still there's a kernel of truth to it all

While these statements perpetuate a myth, there is, as with any myth, a kernel of truth: you have a right to be afraid of you, your customers, and your partners lose access to your application data for an extended period of time. How long depends on an evaluation of each application and how important it is to your internal staff, your customers and the partners who are tied into it. Whether you're looking for Windows Server Recovery, Exchange server recovery, VMware Server recovery or Hyper-V server recovery, here are four steps you can do to get your own DR plan off the ground, and reduce the fear and loathing you may have for the process.

1) Prioritize on recovering first those applications everyone depends on first, like Exchange Server email and SQL applications, along with mission-critical infrastructural components like your domain controller. Move down the list to more static back office functional areas that you can put on a secondary recovery tier, like your Human Resources applications.

2) Concentrate on protecting all these resources from a single management point. If you've recently virtualized some of your physical servers, it's likely you used a different backup and recovery product to protect them, compared to either your physical machines or other virtual platform you may also be running. This can come back to bite you in a disaster recovery situation, where pressure is high and speeds is of the essence. It's always better to try to consolidate all of your disaster recovery under a single solution. After all, a single solution is much easier to master than two or three, and it's cheaper to pay for and easier administer one product.

3) Keep your recovery plan up to date. Using the same example as above, let's say you've gone through a significant virtualization effort in 2011. Are your new machines as well protected as your existing stable of machines? Review at least annually and be safe.

4) Practice, Practice, Practice!

It works for every profession, whether you're a soldier going out on combat, a baseball power hitter taking cuts in the batting cage or an IT administrator encountering a fire or flood in the server room. If you've practiced, you're more likely to be able to recover successfully. In the end, that matters the most, for your company and for your job. Quarterly "events" and annual DR simulations will keep you sharp, and you'll learn in advance what needs to be fixed before you really need to carry out a disaster recovery.

Custom USB Drives: The Next Big Thing

In today's techno savvy world the USB drives have become an indispensable part of everyone's life. Can you imagine working on that office project (or college and even school project!) without these small wonders? Definitely no! Right?

But did you ever think that you can even use them as a marketing tool? Just imagine, if this small wonder does great wonders to your business! In fact this is the growing trend in the present times. The reason being quite simple- they have access to a large number of people, irrespective of the age group (don't you think that your grandpa and your 6 year old son both are pretty addicted to these?) or the profession (it is just that the use may differ!).

Now if you are planning to use these custom USB drives as a marketing tool, make sure that you take care of some things like

Get a design to suit your aura

The design you choose for that USB should suit your image. At present you have a lot of options to choose from. For example you can opt for curve style drives or the wrist style ones. In fact any single dealer can provide you with hundreds of options to choose from! Also you choose them in the color of your choice. Make sure that you brand it with your logo and some text (the latter only if you want to).

Procedure To Play Mp4 On Ipad

Mp4 is among the latest innovations in the arena of music and videos. Professionals atone mutually that mp4 have specifically surpassed all attributes of the prior generations with MPEG utilizing its advanced options and updated features. For people who may have heard rather a lot about mp4 players, but try not to know what actually the term mp4 indicates, mp4 files are instead multimedia files. Mp4 is the container format, ideal for storing audio, video clip, and subtitle facts as well.

As stores for example iTunes uses the mp4 container structure, actively playing mp4 on ipad currently is a typical try filmed by many users. The following, you'd obtain the tips on how to play mp4 file types on your pc on numerous players using various modes. Even so, for accomplishing this, you must know the mp4 as well as other video files format.

When considering mp4 files, you could use the mp4 file types on ipad easily. Nevertheless, sometimes you could experience certain difficulty convert mp4 to ipad not to mention for actively playing mp4 on apple ipad 2 or the previous variation of ipad. The content aims at describing the factors why sometimes we fail easily to send the mp4 file types on ipad and the ipad2. By using it, the article content also explains the best way to solve this challenge and play different varieties of mp4 on iphone, iphone, or even ipad2.

Information On How To Play Mp4 On Ipad

Mp4 is among the latest innovations in the market of music along with videos. Industry experts atone combined that mp4 seems to have strikingly surpassed all popular features of the previous generations involving MPEG with its advanced options along with updated features. For people who might possibly have heard a lot about mp4 players, but do not determine what specifically the term mp4 implies, mp4 files happen to be multimedia files. Mp4 is actually a container format, great for storing audio, video recording, and subtitle info too.

As stores for instance iTunes makes use of the mp4 container file format, to play mp4 on ipad currently is a standard try provided by many users. In this article, you would probably have the tips the best way to play mp4 computer files using the pc on several players working with various modes. Having said that, for carrying this out you must learn the mp4 and also other video format.

In regards to mp4 files, you may execute the mp4 computer files on ipad quickly. Nevertheless, sometimes you might experience a number of difficulty transmit mp4 to apple ipad besides for playing mp4 on ipad2 and the previous type of ipad. The article is aimed at describing the factors why sometimes we neglect to move the mp4 computer files on ipad and the ipad2. By it, the content also explains easy methods to solve this challenge and play different varieties of mp4 on ipad, iphone, or maybe ipad2.

The Top Enterprise Online Backup Systems

Enterprise online backup solutions are options which exist to provide online backup of important files and data. A sense of security comes from knowing your personal or business data is safe, regardless of what may happen in daily events. Knowing what to look for can help when it comes to choosing the best option for backing up the files of a large company or organization online.

Choosing the features best suited to your organization will aid in selecting the best option available for your enterprise online backup solutions.

The most important feature to consider is reliability of the service provider you choose. What is their reputation? Reading the reviews and the ratings of the various companies you are interested in can provide valuable information. Also consider asking people you know and do business with who they trust with the responsibility. Knowing what customers say about the company can help you decide if they are the right one to trust with your online backup storage.

Consider the costs of free accounts versus paying an annual or monthly fee. Free accounts typically may have ads and little to no customer support. However, if you pay a regular fee, you can usually expect no ads and customer support is more readily available. This is important in enterprise online backup, given the larger scale of services required. Also consider how they charge, some companies may charge by amount stored, others may require an additional fee per user.

Flexibility of the account and plan is also important. It is a good idea to go with an account that allows for changes as needed based on the requirements of the business.

If you find you have an account with too few features, you should be able to upgrade to cover what you need. The same should apply if you find you have features you are paying for but not using, and downgrade to a more manageable bundle of services.

Researching the flexibility of the accounts available will help you decide which is better suited for your purposes.

Finally, be aware of any contract terms you have to follow before making a decision in your enterprise online backup needs.

Find out who will have access to the data and who will not. Depending on the sensitivity of the information, you may opt for the company that cannot read everything you backup. Be aware of what requirements the company will place on your network for backup purposes. If your connection is slow, yet they are backing up large quantities of data, your internet connection may be useless to everyone but the company providing your online backup services. It is always important to be aware of what you are buying, and to know what you are looking for.

The business of online backups is a growing one, with new companies surfacing daily.

By doing your research and knowing what you need, and who can provide that service will aid in choosing the right company for you. Making the right choice can ensure your enterprise online backup needs are met now and in the future.

Tips for Data Loss Prevention

Unexpected computer crashes that lead to a total loss of important business and personal data are making data prevention software essential for anyone who uses a computer. Almost anyone uses a computer to store files, from photos and music to secure documents. Professionals especially those who make their living online tend to have a majority of their business data stored on computers. This is the reason why you need to use software that will secure your files for you before a computer crash wipes your drive clean.

Top Features Available in the Best Data Loss Prevention Software

Top features to look for in good data loss prevention software include fast backup, minimal maintenance, efficient use of data space, easy accessibility, and high scalability. You also need data backup software to perform secure backups, which only accepts backup requests from clients.

Most users prefer software that perform fast and non-intrusive backups. Installation should also be easy. Most top-rated software can be installed in less than 20 minutes and the software automatically deploys clients to linked devices such as your phone or tablet. The top-rated software also performs automatic software updates but you can schedule when your computer checks for updates and how to install them.

Top-rated DLP software are also app-aware. This means that they utilize the minimum amount of disk space through an efficient system of duplicate reduction. Backups are made faster this way since you utilize less bandwidth. Quality DLP software also tweak how bandwidth is utilized in order to further increase the backup speed by choosing the optimal packet size coupled with the use of up to 8 threads in one network to make the best use of the bandwidth available. Administrators can further tweak this feature with the use of smart percentage bandwidth caps.

Quality data loss prevention software also allows users to restore their data using various devices anytime whether they are using browser-based restore options in their laptops and other mobile devices such as the iPhone or iPad.

Excellent data loss prevention software can be the fine line that divides a successful business from one that you have to rebuild from scratch. If you do business online or if you store important data on your laptop, you need the security that only high quality data security software can give you. Start with the features mentioned above to find data loss prevention software that can give your files the protection they need.

How to revocer photos on mac

Did it ever happen that you unintentionally deleted all the precious pictures, and images stored on your Mac? On the other hand, did you format your digital camera or memory card while you were accessing it on Mac? If that is the case, then one faces lots of problems and photo loss situations might turn to havoc. One will then quickly need to recover or retrieve your photos deleted on the Mac. In any data loss situation where you did not make a back up, you will need to recover deleted photos on the Mac through an efficient third party Mac photo recovery software/utility.

Remo Recovery Tool Ensures comprehensive Mac photo recovery after all the below circumstances:
* File system corruption
* Unexpectedly camera turned off
* Accidental deletion
* Corruption/damage of storage media
* Formatting

Six Backup Practices to Give Up for the New Year

According to Don Jones, in his The Definitive Guide to Windows Application and Server Backup 2.0,the first step in any healing process is admitting your mistakes, and these may include your current backup practices. Don suggests six things an IT professional should be willing to reject to provide better backups and surer recoveries:

Point-in-time backups? "Horrible," he intones. "You're always going to lose some data if you have to rely on point-in-time backups, and who wants to lose data?"  He suggests that continuous backups deliver far more flexibility, involve a lower loss risk, and, all in all, require less manual effort and overhead. But that's not all. Point-in-time backups also lack granularity, he says. "Even those quarter-hour SQL Server transaction log backups leave too much data at risk and don't let you roll back the server to a precise point in the past, if needed."

Backup windows are horrible too, he continues, pointing out that taking servers offline does nothing to enhance the value of an organization. Sure, from time to time, maintenance is unavoidable; but backups force you to choose what data to back up: "You can only grab what will fit within the window," he explains, and goes on to say that continuous backups don't require a window since snapshots don't require a server to be taken offline, "so you are free to make better decisions without all the time constraints."

Another thing to reject: Duplicated data, which by definition means you're backing up lots of things more than once. Bloating backups, consuming more computer and administrative time, and taking a whole lot more storage space than they, a real problem in a time when data growth is exploding. Things get expensive when you consider the cost of offsite storage), and since there's more data, backups can get longer than your backup window can support. Jones suggests, "Look for solutions that can automatically integrate date deduplication software when making backups."

Incomplete backups. "Backing up anything less than the entire server is horrible," he continues. "Sure, your worst nightmare might be losing a single email from the CEO, but that's far from the only nightmare you need to prepare for. Don't make decisions about what's important—back it all up. With the right solution, that one all-inclusive backup will enable everything from message level restores to bare-metal server recovery—and everything in between, including restoring an entire application to an earlier point in time.

Corrupted backups—also horrible. Backup solutions should tell you when something goes wrong—not wait for you to find out for yourself.

Old-school backup software. Finally, Jones concludes, "Old-school backup solutions make it incredibly difficult to actually test backups." He recommends finding a solution to make it easier to test backups, and suggests considering an ‘app-like' approach that restorations to either a virtual machine or dissimilar hardware, which can make it easier to test restorability.

To learn more about a unified, cross-platform backup, replication & recovery software from AppAssure, click on www.appasure.com/solutions/backup/. 

For a free trial download please click here.

Maximum Protection With Cloud Backup

Cloud backup is an important element of any reliable computer system. If you do not have a good backup system, you are at the mercy of chance. Data can be wiped quite easily as soon as a hard drive fails, and it may not be possible to retrieve it. However, backup solutions differ, and choosing the right one can sometimes be difficult if you do not know what criteria are important.

Durability

One of the most important elements of any backup solution is durability. The cloud server from which you intend to retrieve your data must be available. If it is unavailable for any reason, your data will be irretrievable. Therefore, a large uptime proportion is vital for any business that values its data and needs quick retrieval.

Bandwidth

A single user rarely has severe problems with bandwidth. However, cloud backup for an entire company is a different story. It is entirely possible for the system to become saturated with constant backups and duplicate data. Therefore, a system that keeps only a single copy of each file but shares it among all users is better than one that stores separate copies for everyone.

Access

In this modern age of smart phones and other portable devices, it is important not to limit access only to full-size computers. Many employees will find their jobs easier if they can access their files through their phone or tablet. The backup solution should cater for this and be compatible with all operating systems across all devices if it is to be genuinely universal. Therefore, look for cross-platform compatibility with any backup system.

Security

Your business's data is important, and it is very important to keep it private. Most importantly, your employees' and customers' privacy is at stake. Your business will also suffer if your competitors get your data. Advanced encryption and security systems are therefore a vital part of any cloud backup system.

Conclusion

No backup system should be without these features. Your employees should be able to access the necessary data anywhere at any time, easily and cheaply, while being safe in the knowledge that everything they do is hidden from prying eyes. Many popular backups systems have some implementation of these features, but the best ones are those that make these criteria primary. When choosing a cloud backup system, spend some time making sure that it fulfills your criteria as well as you and your company deserve.

Is Online Data Backup Safe?

Backing up your data online is one way that you can transfer your files from your personal computer to an online offsite storage facility. The act of backing up your data is one of the best ways to ensure that if your computer were to fail, your personal data would still be recoverable from some source. Having the ability to back up your data is a brilliant advancement in technology but the main question is, is it safe?

Choosing the Right Company

Backing up your data with an online backup service can be extremely safe if you are able to do your research. There are hundreds of companies that offer online storage but you have to ensure that they are reputable and have existed for an extended time. There have been cases where companies have gone bankrupt without any warning and their business has closed down which is why it is important that you choose a service that has outstanding customer reviews and that has been around for a while.

SSL Encryption

Disaster Planning Evolves With the Rise of Disk-based Backups

Surveys of small and medium-size companies indicate this: for an increasing number of mission-critical applications, recoveries that stretch into hours can impact business revenues just as badly as recoveries that – just a few years ago – took a day or more.  The need for faster recoveries has risen following server-room restructurings where administrators deploying new virtual machines and they worry about backing them up with the same comprehensive solution they previously applied to backing up physical machines.

The potential for a failed disaster recovery is increased when backup protection is inadequate. That is forcing administrators to reconsider their current backup solutions, and evaluating whether or not their current recovery scheme is robust enough to survive a disaster. One of the prime issues is the large number of tape-based backup systems, which have a tough time keeping up with today's ‘on all the time' application server requirements.

Tape on the way out as a backup medium. Traditional backup schemes have for decades included tape, but that is rapidly changing. File-and-folder tape backup schedules that could stretch for hours without impacting productivity are now butting up against uptime requirements that can, in many cases require servers to be up 24 hours a day except for planned machine updates.

Ideas To Play Mp4 On Ipad

Mp4 is one of the latest innovations in the area of music and videos. Specialists atone in unison that mp4 have noticeably surpassed all attributes of the last generations of MPEG using its advanced options and updated features. For individuals who definitely have heard a lot with regards to mp4 players, but try not to know very well what particularly the term mp4 implies, mp4 files are actually multimedia files. Mp4 is actually a container format, ideal for storing audio, video clip, and subtitle data also.

As stores for instance iTunes make use of the mp4 container format, actively playing mp4 on ipad is now a regular try caused by many users. Here, you'd probably have the tips how to play mp4 documents on the pc on several players making use of various modes. Nevertheless, for accomplishing this, you must learn the mp4 along with other video clips format.

When considering mp4 files, you can play the mp4 documents on ipad easily. Nevertheless, sometimes you might experience certain difficulty transfer mp4 to ipad tablet not to mention for using mp4 on apple ipad 2 or maybe the previous type of ipad. This article is aimed at describing the standards why often we neglect to move the mp4 documents on ipad or the ipad2. With it, the article content also explains the way to solve this issue and play different types of mp4 on apple ipad, iphone, or perhaps ipad2.

Helpful Tips To Play Mp4 On Ipad

Mp4 is one of the latest innovations in the world of music and videos. Experts atone in unison that mp4 has strikingly surpassed all features of the previous generations of MPEG with its advanced options and updated features. For whom who have heard a lot about mp4 players, but do not understand what actually the term mp4 signifies, mp4 files are actually multimedia files. Mp4 is a container format, capable of storing audio, video, and subtitle data as well.

As stores such as iTunes makes use of the mp4 container format, playing mp4 on ipad is now a common try made by many users. Here, you would obtain the tips how to play mp4 files on the computer on different players making use of various modes. However, for doing this, you need to understand the mp4 and other video files format. When it comes to mp4 files, you can plan the mp4 files on ipad easily. Nevertheless, sometimes you might experience an amount of difficulty transfer mp4 to ipad let alone for playing mp4 on ipad2 or even the previous version of ipad. The article aims at describing the factors why often we fail to transfer the mp4 files on ipad or the ipad2. With it, the article also explains how to solve this problem and play different kinds of mp4 on ipad, iphone, or ipad2.

Before you know how to play the mp4 files on ipad, you should know for what actual problems one experiences difficulty in playing the files on different players. If you go for reference from the Apple official website, iphone or ipad is compatible with systems such as MPEG-4 or Motion JPEG video format and H.264 with some particular specifications. The specifications for ipad mp4 are:

If you play a H.264 video, it should be capable of meeting up to 1080p, high profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps. Stereo audio in .m4v, 30 frames per second, and .mov files formats. In case of the MPEG-4 video, it should meet up to 2.5 mbps, 30 frames per second, .mp4, stereo audio in .m4v and .mov formats. On the other hand, if it is Motion JPEG, it should be capable of meeting up to 35 mbps, 30 frames per second, 1280 by 720 pixels, pcm stereo audio in .avi file format. If an mp4 video does not contain a technical specification, you would not be able transferring mp4 to ipad.

When you try to play the mp4 files or the HD mp4 files on ipad, iphone 4s, or ipad2, you have to convert them into ipad supported video format containing the some particular specifications. For converting mp4 to ipad, you would have to download converter software at the beginning. Try to find out a video converter that supports all kinds of mp4 files being transferred to ipad with speed and accuracy. The converters are easy to download and install on the systems. After running the programs, you can easily transfer the mp4 to ipad. You can apply the same method to play other videos on ipad such as mkv, wmv, mts, avi, flv etc.

How Online Backup Can Help Your Small Business

If you are a small business owner you know the importance of keeping your information safe today in the computer age. Data loss could be detrimental to your business severely setting it back or worse, it could ruin your business. It is difficult to regularly backup your computer as often as needed as there are other things on the mind, like meeting payroll, sending invoices, receiving orders and all the other responsibilities that come with being a small business owner. That is why online backup is a service that your business should have. Backing up online offers an incredible service for an affordable price that can help your business in more than just the obvious way.

Why online backup? There are many advantages of backing up your information online, the first being having your information stored off site should anything happen to the place of your business. While hopefully this never happens, it is possible that water damage, fire damage or even theft or accidental damage could happen to your computer and even the storage drive you keep on hand. Having all your backup device in the same area as your computer is like keeping all of your money under the mattress, should something happen you will lose everything.

Backing up online also offers several additional and advantageous features like scheduled backups, versioning, remote access, computer syncing and much more. Scheduled backups and versioning are features that can give you some peace of mind because you do not have to worry about backing up your computer as it is done for you and the backup service backs up different versions should you need to restore to a certain point or date. Remote access and syncing are probably the biggest advantages of cloud backup. They allow you to not only access your computer remotely, meaning on any computer with a internet connection but also the ability to sync work files from one computer to another. If you are out on the field or traveling, syncing a file to an employee, another worker or even just your work station at home is an incredibly helpful feature that can be utilized in so many ways.

While backing up online does have some disadvantages like needing an internet connection, it overall is an incredibly sound technology. Many of the best cloud backup services available use state-of-the-art technology when it comes to securing your information. The level of security is on par with that of online banks. Also all of the backup service providers secure your information from even themselves. They can see you have data but they cannot access that data. Some companies go even further and offer personal encryption keys. And almost every company backs up your information with Geo Redundancy, basically in several areas should anything happen to their facilities.

Online backup offers great features for your business as well as performs necessary and vital functions. These days when money is tight getting your dollar to stretch is important and using services like cloud backup helps with that cause. As with anything research is key when making a decision and it is recommended to check out some online backup reviews and check which online backup services match your needs.

Convert Mkv to Dvd with no Lost Subtitle

The entire process of translating mkv to dvd is difficult. To be able to translate the mkv documents to dvd, you need to understand first how one can undertake it. When you learn the technique, it is simple to go through the steps and just turn the mkv documents to dvd. What follows is a short description on how you can move through steps smoothly and also convert the computer files without having obstruction. For translating the mkv files, you should download and install the mkv data files to avi documents with subtitles. You must install and next run the same files in your system. Then after it, click on the open video key, and pick any particular mkv file. Now, click the options button for making the output methods. Next after it, you would require to select the convert key to output the video file.

Perhaps, a quick description won't suffice when you need to know how to convert mkv to dvd. Anyway, before launching the program, make sure you use the mkv codec if you wish to change the mkv data files to avi computer files with subtitle equally. Here, the tab dialogue box is utilized to consider the chances for the output clip. Now, in order to convert it with virtually no subtitle, you should decide on a video compressor plus an audio compressor. In comparison, make sure you set up this mkv codec pack right before launching the program.

Document Scanning - Preserving Information the Modern day Approach

People performing clerical work generally talk about their positions as pushing paper. This is partly correct since aged office strategies concerned lots of paper submitting for file storing functions. If you operate a small business and you find yourself coping with much more paper than you may envision, it is time for you to consider document imaging.

What is document imaging?

Document scanning or imaging is the method in which paper files are changed into electronic files. The apparatus utilized are generally a scanner connected to a computer along with a storage device.

If you wish to save a printed document, for instance, place it under a scanner that is linked to a laptop or computer. The device will then scan the print and have it stored as an electronic record. You may either store the file on the laptop or computer, on a Compact disc, or other storing system. Document imaging methods can also take the form of microfilm, on demand printers, facsimile machines, copiers, multifunction printers, laptop or computer output microfilm (COM) and archive writers.

Information About Restoring Data Recovery Software

Recovery is the process of restoring information from broken, failed, corrupted, or unavailable additional storage media when it cannot be used normally. Often the data are being restored from storage space media such as internal or external hard disks, solid-state pushes (SSD), USB memory stick, storage space tapes, CDs, DVDs, RAID, and other electronics.

Restoration software should be people the first choice for restoring missing file recovering your lost files. A data recovery (daten wiederherstellung) software can be identified as a designed to restore lost data. Based on, which kind of information people want to restore, recovery software can be separated into multiple categories.

Email Recovery Software: The e-mail recovery software allows restoring lost emails, connections, tasks, calendar, and other mailbox items located in e-mail storage file of different e-mail clients like MS Mindset, MS Mindset Express, IBM Lotus Paperwork, etc.

Use of File Recovery Utility in Corporate Set Up

The need to preserve valuable organizational data is of paramount importance to any business house, irrespective of its size. Enterprises follow well defined backup policies to protect their important digital data from loss or corruption. And with information security regulations coming into force corporations across industries are required to follow certain rules and methodologies with regard to data backup. Most of the businesses make use of enterprise file recovery utility to schedule their backups. This allows them to facilitate easy data storage and subsequent recovery if required.

File recovery utility for daily backup
File recovery utility with incremental backup functionality is used largely by companies to perform daily backups. This kind of data recovery software is programmed to process only those files that have changed since the previous backup, thereby saving processing time and media resources. Although some backup systems can do a full backup daily, they often have short-term retention policies and therefore are not suitable for large corporate establishments with critical backup requirements.

File recovery utility with long term retention property
A number of companies run weekly and monthly backups in addition to the daily backup schedules. These types of backup tools usually perform full backups by taking snapshot of the system that marks the start of the system restore. This in conjugation with incremental backup completes the process of system restoration. Weekly and monthly backups can retain data for longer periods of time, even years in order to conform to regulatory requirements.

Migrate between email clients with a checklist

Migration from one email system to another may sound simple while deciding but it actually involves meticulous efforts. Email systems are complex, layered applications and important user data can easily be altered, tangled or completely left behind without careful planning and an understanding of all the elements involved in the migration.

Email migration involves many tasks such as data migration, training, change management, hardware purchases, and licensing. However, data migration is the premier and most important aspect and here the focus remains on the same. For a proficient email data migration, take a tour of all factors before jumping in the actual migration process:

List the data to be migrated.

Match the list with migration software products.

Evaluate and select the best suited migration software.

Perform a demo migration test and seek feedback.

Finally perform the complete migration.

Here the case can be seen with the most common migration situation, i.e. migration from Lotus Notes to Outlook. A common delusion is that you can connect your Lotus Domino server to your new Exchange server using the new server's migration connector, let the connector perform the user account migration, and then your new server will have all of your user's migrated data.

Rectify the PST file issues with the Inbox Repair Tool

The Inbox Repair Tool otherwise known as the Scanpst.exe is a Microsoft based tool for repairing the Personal Storage files (PST) and Offline Storage files (OST) of MS Outlook. It can be used if the MS Outlook is slogging or not responding.  This tool scans the corrupt OST and PST files and restores them back in their normal positions. Scanpst.exe is even capable of resetting file structures and rebuilding headers. It is preinstalled in the system and located at - drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\LocaleID folder. This tool doesn't scan the MS Outlook but it scans only the personal storage files.

Similar to Inbox Repair tool there is another tool called the OST Integrity Check tool or Scanost.exe. Like the Scanpst tool it also resides in the program files - drive: \Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\LocaleID folder. By clicking the Repair Error command of both the files a user can rectify the Outlook file errors.  

Steps to rectify the errors in MS Outlook

Heavy and bulky PST files slowdown the performance of MS Outlook. Moreover, MS Outlook can show you error 80040813 after exceeding the 2GB limitation. For rectifying the error 80040813 a user can try the Scanpst tool.

Things You Need to Consider on Electronic Document Management

Knowledge is power, as they say. The possession and proper use of information can give one the edge in almost any aspect of life. With that in mind any business would be wise to keep information safe through document protection and scanning services, which can make sure that along with a system to protect such data, you also have a way to access them quickly when needed.

The right idea can mean the difference between success and failure of a business. For instance, the right type of information can give you the idea for a hit product, which can drive your sales up. Or, getting the right information in time for your product or service launch can give you that much-needed edge over a competitor.

Keeping Your Information Safe

Important information for a company can be defined as information that is vital to the continuing operations of its business. For the other company this would be the formula for their top-selling drink; while for Kentucky Fried Chicken it would be the recipe to their world-renowned food. These types of information should be guarded at all times, after all, if a competitor happen to acquire these recipe and successfully replicate them, the top companies may go out of business. With the right type of data storage and document scanning services, a business can do just that.

It isn't just that prized recipe or that secret formula you want to keep safe. Even supplementary information such as employee records, accounting ledgers, and the like should be kept safe and filed properly through proper scanning services and document storage system.

How Do You Keep It Safe?

Companies used to keep important files and information in paper form, stored in numerous file cabinets. This was effective then but is obsolete now. Any and all documents should be kept in digital form today. The reason is quite obvious. A fire could hit your offices and burn your company archives to the ground; all your paper records would be lost. One way to avoid this is to keep a digital record of all your files through document scanning services.

Digital Scanning - What It Can Save You From

Document scanning is the process of using a digital scanner to scan and convert a paper document to a digital file. This is most useful for companies who want to back up their paper archives and convert them to digital form. This not only saves space but also makes documents more manageable. Instead of keeping a lot of file cabinets, you can store all your files in portable hard drives. You don't have to go to your archives room anymore just to get a file that you need - all you have to do is access it through your computer, instantly. This saves you space, time, and money, and gives you the peace of mind knowing that you have a backup of all your information.

Linux Data Recovery After Sever File System Corruption

In your computer hard drive, file system has a really important role to play. They are responsible for systematic storage and access of data from the drive or volumes. Be it ext2, ext3 or ext4, if it goes bad, all the data in your LINUX system becomes completely inaccessible. Sometimes, due to unexpected system shut down, virus infection or operating system malfunction, the file system of your LINUX computer gets corrupt. As the files system provide information about data areas in the system, the operating system fails to fetch any information from the damaged one and the data becomes inaccessible. However, with the help of any LINUX recovery software, all your lost or inaccessible data can be recovered.

In case of a corrupt files system, LINUX flashes various error messages on the screen. One of those error messages can be read as below:

"Activating swap partitions: dup2:Bad file descriptor [FAILED]

Setting hostname Leshkow2: dup2Bad file descriptor [FAILED]

................................

Grep: /proc/mounts: No such file or directory

Checking root file system

dup2: Bad file descriptor [FAILED]"

After encountering such an error message, the entire hard drive or the corresponding LINUX volume becomes completely inaccessible. Here, the cause behind the above error message is the corruption of the '/dev/null' entry inside the device inode permission. This means, file descriptor has been corrupted or missing and thus the OS has failed to locate the file, needed to mount the volume.

Resolution:

Following methods may help you resolve the above problem -

Run the FSCK utility to repair the corrupt file system.

If FSCK fails, try the below steps:

Mount the root file system by running the command -

'mount -n -o remount,rw /dev/hd0'

Note: Here, hdo is the root partition of your LINUX hard drive.

Run the command - 'rm -rf /dev/null' and remove the entry from '/dev/null'.

Run the command - 'mknod -m 666 /dev/null c 1 2'. This will create a new writable entry.

Restart the system with the command 'shutdown -r' or 'shutdown -h'. This makes the changes to take effect.

If you still getting the same problem and the LINUX volumes are inaccessible, for the volumes and restore data from backup. In case, if you do not have any valid backup, run any LINUX data recovery utility.

These data recovery utilities are designed to retrieve any deleted, formatted or inaccessible data back from the LINUX hard drive. With highly interactive user interfaces and clear instructions for each step, even a normal non-technical user can use these software, without any problem.

A Brief Introduction To Data Recovery And Data Protection

Protecting one's data is important for anyone, whether we're talking about businesses protecting their client and proprietary data, or just someone at home protecting their spreadsheets and media files. Many people, however, don't back up or protect their data, and if something happens, such as their hard drive failing or data becoming corrupt, their only option is to look into data recovery services.

So what is data recovery?

Data recovery refers to accessing data from hard drives or other storage media that has failed and is not otherwise readable. The data is then copied to a working storage device where the user can access it.

There are a few different situations that call for data recovery:

Recovering deleted files - When files are deleted, they are not usually immediately deleted. Rather, they are given permission to be overwritten in the future since they are no longer needed. Because of this, there are various "undelete" programs that can be used.

Recovering from physical hard drive failure - Sometimes hard drives can fail. In some cases it may be a physical component that failed and the data on the drive itself is still there, the hard drive just isn't working mechanically (for example, the power source has failed) so it can't be accessed. In these cases, physical repair of the drive will solve the problem.

Physical damage to the media, such as a scratch to a CD, can cause the disc to be unreadable by computers but can still be recovered in some situations by using special software.

In other cases the drive may actually be physically damaged and may be unable to be repaired, such as if the drive has been exposed to fire or has been drilled through and has physical holes in it.

It is important to remember that just because you cannot access your data does not mean all is lost. Sometimes people worry that their data is lost forever and they will have to "start over" with their business or personal activities. There are different types of software that can be purchased to recover data as well as professional shops and technicians that can be consulted who may be able to help you recover your data.

Many people also take warning from a hard drive failure and begin backing up their data for the future. If your data is regularly backed up then a loss of data on your main hard drive is more of an inconvenience than a big issue.

How to Deal With System Recovery?

While working on the computer it so happens that we unknowingly or accidentally do something that becomes counterproductive and then we look for ways to undo the action. Working on a Microsoft Word document or Excel spreadsheet is a simple affair that is done by a mere click of a button on your keyboard. But when you need to restore the entire computer it gets complicated and time-consuming as well. Well-trained and certified technicians from a computer support service are however the best to perform System Restore but with moderate knowledge about computers even you can do it.

In this article we have outlined facts and steps about system recovery if you have a laptop that needs a system restore.

How system recovery helps you?

System Recovery is an inbuilt tool offered by Microsoft with Windows to undo the changes that you have made to your system and thus restoring the system to the time when it was working perfectly. This tool helps you restore the system settings and configuration to the time when it was working without any flaws. In every Windows-based system the System Restore tool is kept ON by default so you do not require to do anything about it. When you perform actions like installing a new software or driver it gets recorded by this default tool as different system events. These system records, also known as Restore Points get saved with data and time at the time of creation. Later by using the System Restore you can reset the settings and configurations of your system to a particular restore point.

How to use system restore?

System restore is a utility tool offered with Windows-based systems and you require it when you are facing technical issues after the installation of new drivers for Windows. For using the system restore feature on your laptop you need to have the administrator rights.

Follow the below mentioned steps to restore Windows to any of the previous restore points:

• Click 'Start'
• Click 'All Programs'
• Click 'Accessories'
• Select 'System Restore'

You can also access System Restore by typing the following command in the 'Run' command box:
"%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe"

To restore the system you finally need to select 'Restore my computer to an earlier time' and then 'Next'.

At this point you are given options to choose a particular date to which you want your system to be restored. These dates that refer to restore points appear in bold so that you can select them easily.
You have to select one of them depending on the restore point where you want to restore the system.

Now click 'Next' and then 'OK'.

After you perform these steps your system gets restored and reverts to a previous restore point that you had selected in the last step. System restore is a very useful feature of Windows that gives you an opportunity to rectify your mistakes and bring back your system to a previous state when it was working fine.

Considering the technical aspects involved in the entire process it is advised to call an experienced computer support service provider. One wrong step is capable of causing serious harm to the Windows that can create a different issue for your laptop. Consult an experienced and certified technician and get it done online.

Has Your Computer Hard Drive Crashed? What Will You Do?

One of the worst things that can happen to a person's computer is the failure of a hard drive. Most things that go wrong with a PC are easily repairable. A power supply goes out? Replace it. A memory stick goes bad? Replace it. A CD/DVD drive goes bad? Oh well, it can be replaced for thirty dollars or so. A hard drive goes out? Sound the alarms, take evasive action, do whatever it takes to save it.

What is the difference? Why do people accept that other pieces of hardware fail but go crazy when a hard drive fails. Well, quite simply, the majority of the time, it is hard to place a monetary value on a hard disk drive. Sure, a new hard drive can be purchased for around one hundred dollars. That's no big deal. What is the big deal then? How about the two years worth of hard work stuck on that disk? What about the fact that a person's entire family's digital photo album is now in digital purgatory? These are very real problems when a hard drive fails.

What can a person do when a drive fails? Well, that person needs to take action quickly. If the issue is a hardware issue, often a company that specializes in data recovery can replace the broken parts of the drive or put the hard drive platters in a known good drive. This allows them to retrieve the data off of the disk in most cases. Some of the data may be corrupted, but generally most of the data can be pulled off of the disk without too much of an issue.

If there is a software issue, the process is different, it may be a bit more time consuming, and it may be a bit more expensive. Most often, when the issue involves software, somehow the file system on the disk got corrupted. The data recovery company will most likely need to install the disk in a known good PC and then run specialized pieces of diagnostic software to determine the root of the problem and if possible, rebuild the file table / bad data.

Regardless of the cause of the hard drive failure, hard disk failures are inevitable, and it is important that a person is prepared. Keeping a proper backup is the best way to prepare for the inevitable hard drive failure, but if there is no backup available, data recovery is typically the next best option.

IT Network Services: Obtaining Increased Value From Necessary Technical Processes

A compromised economy, lack of resources, and various other factors have made third party IT professionals a very viable option to countless organizations. Networks are considered to be a critical business technology area since downtime can affect a company on every level. Web services, internal operations, customer aspects, and suppliers may be hindered if networking components do not work harmoniously. Numerous complications can arise when these aspects are handled by an inexperienced technical staff. Payroll is one of the first items an organization looks at when attempting to reduce their total operational costs. Technical personnel are a high paid business area where organizations reduce job positions to make up for necessary infrastructure costs. Reduced expertise leads to infrastructure down time which directly affects process dependability. A reliable provider of IT network services can appropriately fill these gaps by providing necessary skills in conjunction with monitoring or administration of this critical business resource. Organizations are finding this possible alternative to be an effective approach to maximizing IT funding and acquiring necessary infrastructure support expertise.

What Are the Benefits of IT Management Services?

IT management services allow an organization to be free from necessary but difficult or time consuming technical operations. A managed services provider can take care of ongoing processes such as networking or data recovery. They provide assistance for any contracted systems or functions in regards to administration or problem resolution. Alerts, patch management, security, data backup support, and various other tasks may be handled by these professionals. Supplied services are determined by the areas in which an organization is lacking necessary skills or simply does not have the staff to support. Networking expertise is becoming harder to come by as the technology advancements continue to occur rapidly. Viruses, security, new innovations, and remote capabilities have increased the amount of knowledge needed to accomplish basic tasks between networked systems. Professionals take the pressure off of a business by providing extensive knowledge for increasing system dependability, decreasing costs, and obtaining better overall efficiency.

A multitude of benefits may be received from IT management services as a whole, but a select few are most significant when speaking of network related assistance. The most vital advantages offered by this type of service are the ability to follow best practices, enhanced network operations, cost reduction opportunities, dependable data recovery, and a higher degree of specialization. Strained budgets make it difficult to obtain these same benefits when hiring internal technical personnel. In addition, many companies can utilize twenty-four hour monitoring which is not always possible with payroll employees. Loss of control, limited flexibility, and minimal customization options are common reasons as to why businesses hesitate with this decision. While these things might be a viable concern, they are far less of a problem with a quality provider. IT network service providers offer a greater amount of flexibility due to the significance of these concerns. All concerns may be alleviated by choosing a highly experienced service oriented company. Smaller companies without the funding to support needed IT functionality or enterprises with too much on their hands can acquire significant gains when utilizing these services.

Understanding RAID - Part 1

Working in the IT industry comes with so many different problems that it borders on the ridiculous. I decided to start writing about something that may actually be of interest to small businesses when deciding to upgrade their servers or implement new servers to an existing network. There are many things to consider when this happens but I thought that explaining something that most people would not know or understand seemed as good a starting point as any. This is also quite important to your business for several reasons which I will illustrate further into the article.

RAID Configurations

Doing server installs got me thinking about RAID configurations and the different setups and reasons behind using each different configuration. From a business stand point most companies just trust their IT technicians to use the best suited configuration for their business, without actually understanding the reasoning behind the RAID setup. Sometimes we are given system specs from our clients which include the required RAID setup although having done some of these installs I am still not convinced that they fully understand why the setup has been used.

First off what does RAID stand for? Redundant Array of Inexpensive (or Independent) Disks. This is basically a system of using multiple drives to act as one and as such you get several benefits out of them, such as redundancy in case a drive fails or speed for reading files faster and in some configurations you get both. However you do lose disk space for e.g. if you use 2 x 100GB drives in a raid configuration, you will essentially have only 100GB of storage space.

And This Means....

Understanding the use of RAID setups is helpful for when your business needs to upgrade your servers or just change the current setup for something that suits your business better. Budget and downtime constraints are also things that should be considered before making any changes to your currently installed configuration. It's also useful to note that some setups are more effective while utilising multiple RAID configurations on the same server.

Apples and Oranges or Bananas and Muffins

When data is written to multiple disks it is either striped or mirrored. Some RAID configurations use both methods and some use only one or the other. Further into this article I will explain which configuration uses which method.

So what is the difference between striped and mirrored? Basically striped RAID is used for speed as part of the file is written across two or more drives, however if one of the drives fails you have lost all your data as there is no redundancy with this method.

Mirrored RAID is slower than striped but has the added advantage of redundancy, your data is written twice, once to each drive so if one drive fails you have all your data safely on the second drive. This method is very important if you have sensitive or important data that requires backup. Please note that using a mirrored RAID configuration is no excuse to not have a reliable regular backup system in place!

Next week I will go over the different types of RAID configurations and explain their differences as well as their pros and cons.

Dealing With Computer Data Loss and Recovery

Data loss is one of the scariest things that can happen to a person or a company that works primarily from either a personal computer or off of a server. It's also one of the most avoidable situations a person can face. Almost anyone asked will say the same thing: having a good backup is absolutely necessary for anyone who uses a computer for more than anything that browsing the internet. Backups can be done on tape drives, DVDs, flash drives, external hard drives, etc. If a person or a company doesn't have a good backup and a hard drive fails, it is still possible to restore the data, although the process will be a bit more expensive and time consuming than having a backup to begin with.

What is involved in restoring data from a failed disk drive? Well, most often a person or a company will need to have a company that specializes in data recovery work on the drive to restore the data. This is accomplished using a variety of proprietary techniques. Different companies all have different methods of restoring hard drives, whether the issue is on the hardware side or the software side of things. There are programs available to restore drives that have failed due to software and file system errors, and there are technicians that can often fix or restore physically broken drives long enough to get the data off of the drive.

The good news is that if a failing drive is caught in the beginning stages, and isn't use much between the time it starts to fail and the point of absolute failure, most of, if not all of, the data can be recovered. The process may be time consuming and has the potential to be costly, but most often, if the data is important enough to need to be recovered, then the price is negligible compared to the value of the data.

As stated, the easiest way to avoid having to use a data recovery service is to have a good backup, but often times by the time a person realizes a backup is a good idea, it is too late. If it's too late to take preventative measures, it can be comforting to know that there are still companies out there that can help restore and recover data lost due to either a hardware or a software hard disk failure.

Why Online Backup Is Not Always a Good Idea

Although backups are a necessary security measure for anyone who has important files, it should be noted that there are disadvantages to the online process. The negative aspects of online backup are certainly not apparent to those who are desperate to save their data and if you have lost data through a corrupted file or another issue, you will definitely extol the virtues of backing up data. However, there are some reasons why entrusting your data to an online company is not a good idea and we will discuss them below.

Transfer Speed Problems

Backing up your data involves transferring it to a secure and remote location belonging to an online backup company. However, backing up data can be a painfully slow process. If you have vital data that needs to be saved, this shouldn't be much of an issue. However, those with less essential data will not be feeling so patient as they wait hours for their data to be backed up. If you have an exceptionally large amount of data, it could even take weeks. Some backup sites have a rate of transfer that means 100GB of data will take four months to be fully backed up, and that's if your computer is on 24 hours a day! If you are still relying on a dial-up connection, multiply the transfer time by five.

Reliability

Just how reliable is the online backup data service you chose? For example, how do you know that the company you have entrusted with your data will still be in business in three years time? It's not unusual for companies of this nature to go bust in a hurry. What would happen to your data in this instance? The answers to these searching questions need to be figured out and fast. Then you have to contend with the fact that the service you chose is not particularly good. Not all online backup companies were created equal after all. Obviously, you need to read customer reviews to protect yourself but this will not keep your data safe from any changes that happen to the company once you sign up. There could be new owners who do things differently to the company you originally entrusted your data with.

Internet Connection

Not everyone has complete 24/7 uninterrupted access to the internet. If you are one of these people, online services may not be right for you. First of all, if your connection goes down during the backing up procedure, you may well have to start again. The only way you can retrieve stored data or backup data is by going online. This means that if you're away from an internet connection for a few weeks, the online backup service is useless to you. If a data disaster happens during this time, your vital information will be lost forever.

While online backup is important for most people with vital data stored on their computer, it is not the be all and end all of data security. Use an online backup service by all means but have a plan B in case it proves to be less than reliable.

Methods For Dealing With Hard Drive Data Loss And Recovery

The majority of people in this country now use personal computers in both the workplace and / or at home. What is amazing, however, is how many people keep all of their personal and financial information on a computer. The majority of these people also unwittingly put their data at risk. Hard drives have an average useful life of only a few short years, and it can be unpredictable as to when a hard drive will fail. Some drives fail within months due to manufacturer defects and some drives will last ten or more years.

Due to the unpredictable nature of the life cycle of a hard drive, many people will experience firsthand the pain that a broken or unusable hard drive can cause. A hard drive that seems to work perfectly may one day start grinding, parts may break, or logical issues could wreak havoc on the drive. When this happens, if a person doesn't have a backup, things can get really bad, really quickly. Imagine turning on a personal computer and discovering that a hard drive is bad and years of work or financial records are stored on the computer with no other available backup to restore the lost data.

Luckily, there are companies that specialize in data recovery of all types. Whether a hard drive physically stopped working, a virus or piece of malware destroyed the file table, or other software issues have rendered a drive unusable, data recovery companies can often restore most of, if not all of, the lost data.

In the event of a software failure, the company will often hook the drive up to a known working computer and either try to restore the file table or manually piece together the files using specially designed pieces of software. Having data restored after a software failure can be time consuming and expensive, but necessary.

In the event of a hardware failure, the data recovery company will often take pieces out of a no good hard drive to replace broken pieces in the faulty drive or they will take the data platters out of the drive and install them in a fully functional drive chassis.

Whatever method a company uses to restore data, it is important to know that data recovery is more often than not possible. Even in the event of a catastrophic failure, data can often be recovered with a minimal amount of data loss. Many times, it is worth the cost of data recovery if the information on the drive is even remotely important.

IT Network Consultants Offer Better Options to Strained Business Technology Environments

IT expertise greatly depends upon the expressed needs of a business. An organization may require help with a large development project, designing a new system, or in managing their ongoing network processes. Consultants have years of experience in various areas of information technology and can help a company decide which services will best meet specified needs. Organizations today often struggle with the decision between internal technical staffs and hiring a third party to handle specific portions of an infrastructure. While having an experienced staff available on-site is beneficial, it can entail high costs both due to staffing and lack of necessary technological abilities. A business may go through a costly number of individuals without finding someone truly experienced in their networked systems. Years of training also leads to disappointment when a highly qualified staff member decides to leave the company. Lack of skills brings about increased down time or system decision making complications. In some instances, the cost of maintaining an internal technical staff can be too much. Companies turn to IT network consultants to receive expert systems advice and ongoing assistance regarding design, implementation, or needed infrastructure management.

IT Professional ServicesDeliver Solid Organizational Infrastructure Solutions

IT professional services may be acquired for consulting, system design, data recovery, or network management. Consultants have the specific purpose of providing expert advice in multiple areas of information technology to assist a business in meeting set objectives. Providers are capable of supplying advice, offering reliable estimates, assisting with systems management, implementing new infrastructure solutions, and taking care of administration requirements. These services are also referred to as outsourcing, meaning an outside party is taking on the responsibility at a contracted rate. Consulting can be broken down into four categories: IT professional services, staffing, independent experts, and information security advisers. Professional firms typically manage large staff numbers experienced in a broad range of technology fields. Staffing companies provide temporary help to assist with worker deficiencies or missing skill sets. Independent contractors may work within a certain specialty or provide generalized IT assistance. Organizations in need of a well-rounded group capable of supplying advice or hands-on services receive improved results when using a professional provider.

Professional or consulting services may be acquired for various reasons by a company; however, the most common purposes are to gain objective recommendations, additional expertise, receive temporary project assistance, or in outsourcing for particularly lacking IT areas. Small or developing companies have an abundance of business aspects to manage. They are not always backed by the quality experience necessary for smooth transition and growth. While numerous business functions can be supported by staff members with applicable training, IT environments require additional knowledge because systems must be managed appropriately to maintain daily productivity. Companies have a difficult time finding individuals with the necessary skills to properly support and manage these systems. Professionals provide the knowledge needed to maintain a productive, reliable, and innovative infrastructure. IT network consultants, in particular, have extensive knowledge regarding communication, sharing, and storage throughout an organization. Their services can provide a cost effective and reliable solution when a new business or growing company is seeking to enhance this portion of a technology infrastructure.

What To Do If Your Hard Drive Fails And You Need Data Recovery

Having a hard drive crash or some other form of memory (such as a flash drive or CD) stop working can be a source of significant stress and frustration. A common reaction is to assume the worst: "oh no! All my years of data and work is gone! I'm ruined!" It can be even worse if it is a business application and the data that was lost contains client information or proprietary software, for example.

So what should you do if you find yourself in this situation?

The first thing you should do is relax. A failed hard drive is not the end of the world and, in many cases, the data can still be recovered.

If your computer still boots up, there is data recovery software you can get that may be able to scan the affected drive and recover the data from it which can then be copied to another drive and you will be on your way.

If the computer doesn't boot up, it may not even be the drive at all that is the problem. For example, if your motherboard fails your computer won't start, and this may cause people to think their hard drive has gone bad. But in this case, since the hard drive is still fine, it just has to be connected to another computer and the data can be accessed.

If there is actual physical data to the drive the data can still be recovered sometimes. This includes physical damage to hard drives as well as to more portable storage mediums including CDs and flash drives. In these cases there are often online services or companies you can contact who specialize in this area and who may have special software or tools they can use to recover your data. Be aware however that some of the techniques they use require opening up the hard drive and may void your drive's warranty, although for the chance of recovering your data, you may not care about the warranty.

There are also some warnings you should pay attention to: if your hard drive starts making clicking noises (sometimes referred to as the "click of death"), it is likely due to the beginning of a mechanical failure and you may want to begin taking the necessary precautions, such as backing up the hard drive so that if it does end up failing, you will still have a copy of the data you can use.

Safe Keeping Important Data Files: Internet Data Backup

Internet data backup is one of the many ways that you can ensure that your files are safe. There are other ways, of course, to store your data such as external hard disks, CDs or perhaps one of those convenient USBs. However, these devices are still not as effective compared to storing your files online because they are prone to file corruption, which can lead to the loss of your files. Some internet backup storage providers are as follows:

1. For many, Dropbox is considered as the best internet data backup there is today. The first 2GB of storage space is free for you to use. Additionally, each successful referral you make entitles you to an additional space. If you however wish to enhance the storage capacity, you ill have to pay a certain amount depending on the size of storage space you require. What's best about dropbox is that it has a unique file synchronization and is quite easy to use.

2. Another great online storage provider is MozyHome, which initially offered free unlimited storage. However, they must put a price to their services in order for them to improve. They offer $6 a month for 50GB of storage space. This is the rate for most online storage providers but if you sign up to MozyHome for a longer time, you are given discounts higher than that of other providers. Consider this as an investment, just like in a bank as you are ensuring the security of your data. Furthermore, MozyHome needs software installed but not to worry, it can be set up easily. You get three months subscription for free if you purchase their two-year subscription.

3. Another choice that you can make is SOS Online Backup. They offer internet data backup services that are amongst the best there is today. Just like MozyHome, you get 50GB storage for $6 per month. This is applicable to be used in five computers in total, though it won't run with any operating system other than Windows OS. Another downside of this is that it is quite expensive for a service that does not offer unlimited storage space.

There are different prices when it comes to purchasing internet data backup services. Some providers are expensive with top-notch services and others are cheap with a low standard service. Sign up to different providers and explore their services using the free trial. A lot of individuals are using Dropbox, which is not very surprising. The reason for this is that the immediate file synch feature is very beneficial to many, especially to business owners.

Understanding the Risks of Cloud Data Loss

The adoption of cloud computing has been at a moderate pace despite having plethora of cloud service providers offering various aspects of cloud computing services. One of the primary reasons of this is the concerns over loss of data in the cloud where the cloud service customers do not have any control on where it gets stored and how it is secured. Nevertheless there are certain measures that significantly minimize, if not rule out, the possibility of data loss on the cloud. The onus of taking measures to avoid possible cloud data loss is on both the cloud service provider and also the cloud service user.

In the sections below, let us review the aspects of cloud data loss/data unavailability mentioning some real life cloud outages observed in the recent years. Approach to handing features like data backup, redundancy and protection may indirectly lead to risky scenarios of data loss or data unavailability as we will discuss shortly.

Cloud Storage - Data unavailability

Cloud storage is the concept of hosting the networked storage at a service provider's data center(s) and making it accessible via web based interfaces (APIs) ubiquitously on a pay-per-use model by means of a connection to the internet. Obviously storage on the cloud takes away the overhead of managing storage infrastructure in-house. However there are inherent risks of unavailability of data hosted on cloud even at the best of the service levels. This unavailability may be transient - as in data is not accessible temporarily, or may be permanent - as in complete data loss due to severe outage at the cloud storage provider's premises.

There are two different kinds of issues causing data loss/data unavailability - one is due to natural calamities such as lightening, storms or earthquakes causing power failures, external network connectivity failures etc. resulting in damage to the cloud data centers and the data; another is due to human errors in configuration, maintenance operations or unhandled exceptional failure scenarios in the automated scripts that are meant to support the failure recovery processes. In any case the bottom line is the impact to the customer business, minor or major, depending upon the kind of cloud storage service being used.

Cloud service outages

There have been many outages reported in the recent past by almost all major cloud storage vendors. Most of them, caused in the cloud service providers' premises, were transient with no loss of data and were caused by configuration errors or hardware failures (Disruptions to e-mail services provided by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and the downtime of online services provided by AWS, Intuit, Salesforce.com); however there are instances of outage causing permanent loss of user data (Refer to the related InfoWorld article on Microsoft losing sidekick users personal data). Such occurrences raise questions on the viability of cloud computing. Nevertheless in most of the cases, implementing best practices exhaustively across the cloud service providers' premises and periodic audits to ensure compliance will drastically reduce the possibilities of outages due to configuration errors.

A recent outage at AWS data center in Europe was root-caused to have occurred because of power failure; the backup power supply could not kick off in time due to a technical failure causing disruption of services. A large number of storage volumes had to be recovered using offsite storage which took considerable time for recovery of services. Summary here is that sometimes the components meant to provide high availability may fail causing data unavailability. A cloud storage site should be equipped with additional backup power to prevent failure in case of a power outage.

Cloud based backup

A popular use case of cloud storage is the data backup. It has cost advantages in terms of relieving one from the infrastructure maintenance overhead and provides the ability to elastically scale the storage based on requirements without having to procure any hardware / software. However there are certain limitations that need to be addressed. When the data to store in the cloud is of the order of hundreds of gigabytes, then the organization (or even the individual user for that matter) needs to rethink of their decision to use cloud storage. The internet service providers mostly impose limits on consumption of bandwidth or capped usage. In such a situation, the restore time for retrieving such huge data on a limited bandwidth internet connection takes ages, defeating the whole purpose of cloud backup. Hence the size of data and the restore time are important factors to be taken into account before using cloud based storage backup services.

In order to leverage the cloud storage model, different approaches can be considered. First, one can maintain a copy of data locally on the disk before pushing the data on to cloud storage for backup. This approach ensures that the data being backed up is readily available locally on the servers for quicker restores when needed. Second, in addition to having cloud storage from one vendor, it is advisable to opt for another cloud storage vendor for replication of backup data, to account for the case of data loss from the first cloud vendor however remote the possibility may be. Obviously these options will drive the costs up but it is worth the effort to have readily available data recovery option.

Data Redundancy

The cloud storage services are typically offered with multiple levels of redundancy at different price points. Based on the type and the criticality of data being stored on cloud, the organizations need to decide upon the level of redundancy needed. Higher redundancy always implies a greater premium but at the same time, reduced redundancy generally means lower costs but greater risks of data loss. Hence the organizations should strike a balance between the cost and the risk.

Data Protection

Most of the cloud storage vendors have some mechanism or the other to protect the data in transit and the data at rest. Data encryption is one popular mechanism to protect sensitive data from malicious use. Modern encryption techniques offer solid protection to the customer data in the cloud. Encryption key management should be robust as it is a very crucial aspect that can either result in the best possible data protection or the worst possible data loss. A properly managed encryption key mechanism provides the strongest protection such that no unauthorized person can see the data. The flip side of the scenario is when the encryption keys of a genuine customer are lost or corrupted, in which case the data is not accessible forever and hence lost!! To address this kind of scenarios, some cloud storage providers offer mechanism to protect the encryption keys by encrypting the key itself (Nasuni Key Escrow, for example). The cloud storage customers should opt in for such a mechanism to avoid inadvertent loss of their valuable data.

To conclude, the cloud storage options are feasible economically for organization, but the caveats with respect to data loss scenarios mentioned above need to be well understood and handled accordingly by both the cloud storage providers and the cloud storage customers as applicable.

How To Reduce The Risk Of Data Loss On Your Home Computer

Data loss is not just something that should concern business users because nowadays the typical home user will keep many important files on the home PC including irreplaceable photos, music files, video clips and important documents such as word documents or spreadsheets.

Unfortunately all hard drives will fail at some point - they consist of several moving parts and a logic circuit board which due to a combination of electrical migration, movement and heat will result in a failure of some kind. The manufacturers average mean time between failure is obviously very high for every major hard drive manufacturer and quite often PCs are upgraded or replaced before this becomes an issue. As is always the case however, sudden hard drive failure and subsequent data loss can affect even a newer PC through sheer bad luck and the resulting loss of data can be catastrophic for the unlucky owner.

There are however a few steps that can be taken to minimise both the chances of, and the impact of, data loss on your home computer:

1) Backup Your Data - This one is so obvious but you would be surprised how many times peoples intend to "back up their data tomorrow or next week" only for the inevitable to happen and suddenly they find themselves with no data. This is the most important thing you can do and you should do it today (not tomorrow, not next week etc). If necessary go and purchase an external hard drive from a computer store and copy all of your important files to it. A data recovery specialist is going to charge you a small fortune to recover your data once your drive fails so consider this if you are concerned about the price of an external HDD.

2) Keep Your System Cool - Warm hard drives will fail much sooner than cool drives so installing a simple intake fan on the front of your PC to blow cool air over your hard drive/s can do wonders for their lifespan. This can make the difference between your drive failing before you upgrade to a newer PC, or not! - For the sake of a few pounds this is definitely a good investment.

3) Install An Antivirus - Every year numerous home PC users experience data loss due to a severe computer virus infection. A particularly nasty virus or other piece of malicious software can wreak havoc with your important files and make them unrecoverable. Make sure you have a decent antivirus, a valid firewall and check your virus definitions on a regular basis to make sure your PC is fully protected.

4) Defragment Your Hard Drive - A drive with fragmented data will have to work much harder to load /run files in your computer. Every few months use the built-in defragmentation tool in Windows (or download a free alternative) to perform this task and prolong the life of your hard drive.

5) Use a Hard Drive Health Monitoring Program - There are a number of free tools such as HDD Health that you can download via the internet which monitor the health of your system drives. Using one of these tools may give you some kind of indication when drive failure is imminent and give you valuable time to perform a full backup before the drive fails.

Final Thoughts - Data loss is a horrible experience for any home PC user however if you take the necessary precautions to minimise the consequences such as performing regular backups then hopefully you will not find yourself in a future situation where you have no alternative but to fork out hundreds of pounds to a data recovery specialist.

Perform Disk Error Checking With Chkdsk-Exe Program

Disk data recovery is an attempt to retrieve all your lost data, whether you've deleted it, Windows has crashed, or even when you can't access your hard drive at all. Windows hard disk corruption can occur due to various reasons. There can be various things attributed to disk corruption. A full blown hard drive crash is generally attributed to a hardware issue. Corrupted registry files or system files can also cause hard drive crashes. Viruses, Spyware, adware, and Trojan horses can also cause system file corruption, resulting in a hard drive crash. Apart from these external issues, data loss also occurs due to small internal factors like bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.

Here is a solution which you can try towards fixing disk data occurring due to these errors. Chkdsk (Chkdsk.exe) is a command-line tool that checks volumes for problems. The tool then tries to repair errors that it finds. To use Chkdsk, you must log on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group. Being a command line tool, it works natively from the command prompt but you can run it from My Computer or from Windows Explorer too for easier access.

1. Double-click My Computer, and then right-click the hard disk that you want to check.
2. Select Properties, and then click Tools.
3. Under Error-checking, click Check Now. A dialog box that shows the Check disk options is displayed,
4. Use one of the following procedures:

a. To run Chkdsk in read-only mode, click Start.

b. To repair errors without scanning the volume for bad sectors, select the Automatically fix file system errors check box, and then click Start.

c. To repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover readable information, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.

5. If one or more of the files on the hard disk are open, computer will ask for a restart to initiate the process. Click Yes.

The Chkdsk reports exit codes after completing the task. If the exit code is 1 then no errors were found. If 1 then errors were found and fixed. If code is 2 then it means Disk cleanup, such as garbage collection, was performed, or cleanup was not performed because /f was not specified. If code is 3 then it means that the program could not check the disk, errors could not be fixed, or errors were not fixed because /f was not specified.

If disk corruption was due to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors then all will be repaired. If not, then probably files are severely damaged. You may need to format your partitions or whole disk to remove corruption but all the data will be lost. For further data recovery you need to scan your hard disk with Windows data recovery software.

Kernel for Windows Data Recovery is an advanced tool with many extra features like three scanning modes; quick scan, extensive scan and file trace. It can recover data from formatted and even reformatted disks. Recover data lost due to partition deletion, partition damage, and partition formatting. The tool is also enriched with save snapshot and load snapshot feature to save the scanning process amid and restart from the same point. Download the free trial version to check all the data that you can save with the full version.