Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Best method of Mac disk recovery

Mac hard disk can get damaged due to a number of reasons like application or system crash, hard reboot, power surges, hard drive failure, failure of application installers used to resent system permissions, virus attacks, disk initialization and improper system shutdown. Temporary or permanent data loss can be averted with proper Mac data recovery methods. A common Mac recovery technique is explained below:

Right-click (or hold down CONTROL and click) the damaged Mac PC that you want to recover the data from, and then click Show Package Contents.

The hard disk drive image holds all the files and programs for a virtual machine.

Right-click (or hold down CONTROL and click) the hard disk drive image file.

Note: By default, the hard disk drive image file is labeled with the operating system name unless you specified something else when you created it during the guest PC setup.

Click Copy HardDriveName.

Right-click (or hold down CONTROL and click) the Mac desktop, and then click Paste item.

Create a new folder on the Mac hard disk drive where you want to store the recovered data, and then name the folder say, Recovery.

Hire an Experienced Video and Film Production Company for Corporate Videos

Video and film production is becoming more and more significant these days. The process involves a lot of things. And an experienced video and film production company will help with you with it all. From the initial planning and scripting to distributing the finished corporate film, yes, a professional video and film production company will be of great help. Just ensure that you are picking up an experienced and professional service provider only, and not a newcomer. Corporate video and film production requires great expertise and technology. Not everyone can do this. So, do take time for finding an ideal company.

These corporate films and videos can be used for various purposes such as internal communication and presentations to the clients. Though a six year old can make a video, you should trust an expert only if it is for your business. A poor quality video may ruin all your reputation. Won't it? So choose your service provide with utmost care so that you do not have to face any trouble during the pre-production, production, and post production phases. Successful execution of each of these stages is important for an impressive corporate film. And only an experienced service provider can help you in this. Else you may end-up messing around for no good reasons.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

1TB Portable Hard Drive Storage and Backup Techniques

Using a 1tb portable hard drive can be essential in every day computing. The drive can be used for many things, such as storing text files, video files, pictures, and backup files. Probably the most important storage function of these drives is the ability to provide redundancy, backups, and storage management. A solid strategy at home or within your business goes a long way to protect you from losing data, as well as peace of mind.

Redundancy can be defined as creating a data management strategy that enables you to always preserve your data, even if your computer hardware fails. More specifically we're talking about when your hard drive fails. Notice I used the term "when". It's never "if" your hard drive will fail when it comes to redundancy, it's "when" it will fail. If you really look at it, hardware failure is why redundancy was created. Building a strategy that copies your critical data to a 1tb portable hard drive can help relieve the stress revolved around losing your data. You can use either software or manually copy critical data daily, weekly, or whatever time frame you feel is necessary. In doing so, you have created a redundancy strategy that will prevent you from being blindsided when your main system goes down.

While backups are related to redundancy, it's not the same thing. Backing up your hard drive to a portable device creates redundancy, but backups are a another beast all together. Data backup is more about the data itself and not the hardware. While you would use the previous strategy for redundancy, it's also used for backing up crucial data. You're essentially using the drive to recover a specific file you lost, accidentally deleted, or saved over. Now you can see how redundancy is different then using a backup to restore data. Redundancy is talking about recovering an entire failed device, where backups are referring to the ability to restore a given file. Most backup techniques either store an entire set of files, or check for files that changed from the previous backup and store only those files. Either way, ensuring your files are backed up to a portable hard drive ensures you have an option if a file goes corrupt or missing.

When it comes to storage management, it's all about preference. As long as it makes since to you, and is organized in a way that's somewhat logical then you're set. Using the typical windows system file structure is probably the best way to go. The main reason is because most people are used to this file management style. So it helps if you can't be on site to actually restore lost files, or if you just simply need a staff or family member to grab a file for you. If storage management is done logically, then you can simply browse through folders on the drive and find the needed file.

Building redundancy, having a backup strategy, and ensuring logical storage management are very important to any business or hard working individual. Even students can benefit from these strategies. The reasons in this article show how important a 1tb portable hard drive can be to your overall data management strategy.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Credit Card Validation Service - The Benefits

There are very few of us in this modern age who don't do at least some of our shopping with the use of a credit card. In fact, if used sensibly and correctly a credit card can be an extremely efficient way of making purchases and generally managing our accounts and banking.

Of course, there is a dark side to credit card use as well but the fact remains that they are so widely used, that any business with a modicum of responsibility should ideally be using some kind of credit card validation system or service.

Shopping on the internet has become somewhat of a phenomenon as it provides, in most cases, a quick and easy way of ordering a whole range of products, from weekly supermarket shopping to annual holidays.

How is much of this shopping conducted? Well, we have probably all been there, on those internet pages known to business owners as "web forms" as we key in all our important and indeed, highly private information. Names, addresses and those all important credit card numbers are entered into what can sometimes be a whole host of confusing little boxes.

Entering this data correctly is of course absolutely essential for the successful progress of each and every transaction, whether you are purchasing something for a few pounds or a few thousand pounds. It is also a stage where a simple typing error can lead to a completely failed transaction and wasted time, effort and money for the host website and no end of frustration for the customer or client.

Employing an effective credit card validation service can help to make all those data entry nightmares a thing of the past and a streamlined online service without glitches will do everything to encourage repeat purchases from your client base.

So, what does a good validation service actually do? Well, first things first, it picks up on any errors that may have been entered and tells you if the data is correct or not. It works really quickly and efficiently and this is evident by the fact that it doesn't even need to contact the bank to clarify the data.

Credit card validation is just one of a whole series of data cleaning services or pieces of software that are available and each one can have a positive impact on your business as you seek to run a tighter more cost effective ship in difficult financial times.

Cloud 9 Via Cloud Storage

What is cloud storage? Answer: Cloud storage pertains to saving data on a storage apparatus maintained by a 3rd party. Instead of storing data on native applications such as your computer's hard drive, you save it in a remote database. Connection between the database and your computer is provided via the internet. It is has nothing to do with the weather or cloud systems.

Cloud storage providers give shared services and infrastructure convergence. This is meant to allow organizations to get their applications up and running faster, with less maintenance and easier manageability. Therefore allowing IT to adjust IT resources at a very fast pace to satiate inconstant business demand.

The ever increasing presence of high capacity networks, storage devices, and cheaper computers, besides service-oriented architecture, virtualization, autonomic and utility computing have led to colossal growth of this service. The result is that it is as good as software programs installed locally on end-user computers. Equipment such as laptops, desktop computers, smart-phones and tablets are used to access cloud computing. With HTML5 and AJAX these user interfaces seem similar to, or perhaps even better than, native applications.

However, some persons have raised privacy and security issues on cloud storage/computing. Cryptography, particularly public key infrastructure, to use of multiple cloud providers, standardization of APIs, and improving virtual machine support and legal support have emerged as very effective solutions to these.

Current cloud storage providers offer online storage way out for both businesses and individuals at affordable costs.

One of the biggest benefits given by cloud storage providers is that the customer only needs to pay for only the amount of storage used they do not have to pay extra, there no hidden charges. The result being that cloud database service is now becoming a rage.

Some of the cloud database providers give services such as advanced storage problem way out that complement the needs, backup-as-a-service, file-servers-as-a-service, disaster-recovery-as-a-service, business-continuity-as-a-service, archival-as-a-service, compliance: PCI, HIPPA, SAS70.

They also offer custom cloud storage, API and SNIA CDMI support, implementation of storage controllers and data-migration services.

For companies into IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) and cloud platform provider, the platform is developed, designed, supported and tested.

They also help cloud database providers provide SNIA CDMI support for third-party application integration, customize cloud storage API, support leading storage key, help in data migration services, scalability and performance testing of your platform.

Moreover, Cloud Governance and Management Solution providers are also helped in developing, designing, testing and supporting solutions.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Online Server Backup Can Boost Work Efficiency

Companies that sign up for online server backup services, do so for a number of good reasons. It is only natural for such companies to take proactive steps to protect their data from threats lurking online. Hiring a professional to provide services will require some effort in terms of money and time but every step taken in this direction will prove to be of immense help as far as long term matters are concerned.

A lot of companies prefer to have an online server backup service take care of data storage for them. This is because no matter how much one tries to upgrade his server and no matter how many technicians are assigned in this regard, a single server failure can withhold ongoing work and this can waste significant amount of company resources. In companies where customer data forms the basis of doing business, one technical snitch can devastate company prospects forever. So, having a professional provide additional space on a virtual server helps save efforts towards securing the current server space.

If the company had to the same on its own, it would have to invest a lot in upgrading software tools and backing up information channels. All this would require loads of money and constant supervision. Instead, if the company chooses to use an online server backup service provider, it would save a lot of time and also a lot of money in the process. Updating server software does not stop at spending money to install the software. People who are in charge of this job also need to be trained in order to handle the new software. This would involve additional training and recruitment costs.

So, a onetime payment made to the online server backup service provider can eliminate several intermittent costs to achieve the same goal. A lot of people are under the common misconception that storing data only utilizes disk space. But, this is not true. Although data storage takes up useful disk space, an increase in storage activity will urge the company to secure more space by investing in options that increase storage space. This again involves a ton of money and also takes up other useful company resources like time.

If the same had to be done through an online server backup service provider, the company could make a direct investment in work efficiency and can get more work done in a day. Online backup service providers, give their clients generous amounts of virtual storage space. In some cases, where the system is automated, access to data is also enhanced as with a single step login the client can access data as and when the situation demands.

Like this, there are a dozen other advantages that are associated with online server backup services. All you need is to take some time out to hire a company and you will be all set for a long time to come. This one decision can help you serve long term benefits which can be used towards furthering your company's progress.

Cloud Backup Service for Increased Protection

Every company big or small has to have a cloud backup service that it can fall back on when it has large amounts of corporate data at stake. Companies cannot afford to be careless when it comes to storing data because data in some cases forms the basis of doing business and even if one link goes missing, the entire chain of events is affected. Data to a layman is just information but for the company, it is more than an asset. It is that part of the company's strength which if lost cannot be replaced.

Having a cloud backup service store data for you offers many advantages. One, of course is the ability to get to store large amounts of data without worrying about consuming storage space on your computer. If the same is done on a larger scale, you don't have to worry about your server getting overloaded and running slow due to the information overload. Some companies run their data without having an online backup service. In such companies, a server breakdown can mean temporary loss of important company information.

A cloud backup service can also provide you the benefit of storing data elsewhere where there is less to no threat of fraudulent use. Having data just float around in cyber space is not the best thing to do because of late, number of cases recording criminal activity have increased. And, this poses considerable amount of threat to companies which deal with confidential data. Letting a professional service provider take care of the safety for you will help you focus on more important things and not waste resources on securing company information.

Cloud backup service basically protects you and your company from all the possible threats that exist in cyberspace. As you will have instant access to your data by using online tools, you don't have to go through a great deal to retrieve information when you want. Every company that provides its clients with data storage services extends them the courtesy to modify, edit and use their data as and when a requirement comes up. This means you don't have to go through a fixed protocol to secure information you need. A simple log in procedure should be able to take you to where you want to go.

There are a number of ways you can approach a company providing cloud online services. You can always talk to consultants or conduct your own search. If you plan on taking the second route, it is important that you gather all the details about the company you wish to hire before you go on to the next step. Sometimes, references help but it does not mean that you have to take them in order to get to the best service provider.

Taking your needs as the basis for the search and considering other factors that will come into play; you can start looking for a company. The internet can serve the role of level one source in this regard.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Android Application Development– Providing Free Applications

The Android application development have gained incredible popularity in the last couple of years and have also given other smart phones a run for their money. These phones are adroit of providing a variety of features and advanced computing facilities to the user. They offer a large variety of applications, which are either preloaded or can be downloaded off the internet. Professional Android application development has hence become a very worthwhile business these days.

The applications running on this stage are based on the Java language, which run on an object oriented framework running over a java core library. A standard well-suited operating system may consist of several million lines of code. The software development kit for this platform consists of a comprehensive set of tools. These consist of a debugger, various libraries, an emulator, documentation, tutorials and sample codes. In July 2010, the creators of this platform announced that the official applications created were now freely available.

The application originator for Android helps significantly in software development. It provides a web based visual advance applications for the different programmers. It also provides access to a host of features associated with this program. The facilities include free access to GPS, accelerometer, phone functions, speech to text transformation, web services etc.

How to Achieve Camcorder Recovery

In most of the world, camcorders or video camera-recorders have been a familiar sight for nearly 20 years. People take them everywhere: to school plays, sports events, family reunions and even births! When you go to a popular tourist spot, you are surrounded by them. Camcorders have really taken hold in the United States, Japan and many other countries around the world.

The first camcorders recorded in one of two analog formats, VHS and Betamax formats. Today, camcorders record in an assortment of formats, including MP4. Most camcorders can be connected directly to a personal computer with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) so that video can be edited.

However, as the technology is step forward in the world today, another situation is also happening everywhere in our world-the data loss. Unfortunately, the videos or photos which are stored in the camcorder are also face to this situation. Today, we will figure out the problems and find ways to perform camcorder video recovery successfully.

Causes of Camcorder Files Loss

1. Carelessly deleted videos or photos stored on the camcorder.

2. Format the memory card or hard drive insides the camcorder

3. Camcorder memory card error. Want to access files but it asked if you wanted to format the disk.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

How to Convert OST to PST

Microsoft Exchange files having .ost extension need to be converted into the Microsoft Outlook files having .pst extension due to many reasons. There are certain third party tools available which help in the conversion of files from ost to pst. These tools can be use for easy conversion of messages, notes, meetings, contacts, tasks, reminders and other information. In order to succeed in this venture you require knowing how to convert OST to PST.

MS Exchange and MS Outlook both are microsoft products but if for any reason .ost file of ms exchange got deleted, lost or corrupted, it can not be accessed without converting it into .pst of microsft outlook. Microsoft doesn't provide any tool to convert .ost files to .pst, so user need to get a third party tool (Quick Recovery - OST to PST Converter) to convert inaccessible ost into .pst so that it can be used easily with ms outlook.

This process of Quick Recovery - OST to PST Converter is easily carried if the user follows the lucid step by step instruction that appear on the screen. There are very few easy steps that you would have to go through in order to succeed in this. There are three prime steps that can enable a file to be converted from an OST format to PST format.

Step 1: Download free version of quick recovery ost to pst covnersion software

Step 2: Run the setup file

Step 3: From the Home Screen of Quick Recovery for MS Exchange OST to MS Outlook PST Software - Select or search your inaccessible/corrupted or deleted OST file -

Step 4: Select the drive to search lost .ost file or select the inaccessible .ost files. And click on start button

Step 5: Software will show all folders such as emails, journals, calendars, notes, tasks, contacts, and attachments.

Now you can save these files in any separate drives.

There are many instances which prompt a user to convert Microsoft Exchange files into Microsoft Outlook files. One of the prime reasons for such conversion is the deletion of the user account from the Microsoft Exchange Server. There may also be instances when the server is unavailable for certain reasons. You may also need to know how to convert OST to PST because there are many instances when corruption is witnessed in OST files and getting an access to them becomes impossible.

The user must always bear in mind that there are many things that might result in corrupted storage of files. There is threat even from some malicious software and viruses and most of these infections are often through the emails. Besides, any failure in the operating system or the incorrect behavioral pattern of other software may also lead to corruption in the storage file. Hence, it is essential for you to know how to convert OST to PST in order to safeguard your critical folders and files.

The recovery software available for the purpose of email conversion not only helps to convert only the accessible files but even recovers corrupted or inaccessible files. The process is extremely simple with all the instructions in simple and lucid language. Hence, the user does not require any prior training to successfully complete this conversion process. This entire process of conversion does not consume much time either.

Electronic Medical Records are the Future

Organizations that provide medical care, or provide administrative support to health institutions, are more often than not incredibly short on time. Filing the vast quantities of paperwork that are amassed within this type of organization, is a difficult task. If even the smallest of errors are made, retrieving vital documents when they are needed most could take far too long, which at worst could potentially endanger the health of the organizations patients by delaying treatment.

On top of this, there are numerous security and safety issues to contend with. Paper documents are vulnerable to theft, fire damage, water damage and simple wear and tear over time. But there is a way for health care providers to store their patients' medical records in a safe, easy to retrieve way, minimizing all the risks that come with keeping traditional paper records.

Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

Using an EMR system will allow for documents to be securely and safely held in a data center. The service will instantly be faster, as the records are easily accessible without having to open and look through filing cabinets. An electronic medical record will allow an organization to offer a better service to patients, through easy retrieval of important information as and when it is needed.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Why You Should Never Remove The Cover Of A Computer Hard Drive

Hard Drive Anatomy

In order to explain why removing the cover of a hard drive is not a particularly good idea it is helpful to understand a little about how a hard drive stores, and accesses, your data.

Inside a hard drive is a circular disk on which your data is stored magnetically and is then accessed by a read/write head which hovers above the platter (very close - only a matter of microns) and interprets the magnetic data. These disks rotate at an incredibly high speed (usually 5400rpm or 7200rpm). The circular disk (commonly referred to as the platter) is usually constructed of aluminium or glass but has a very thin special coating over the top where the data is on the platter will be stored.

This special layer is extremely sensitive and due to the speeds at which the patter spins inside a hard drive can easily be damaged by the smallest of particles such as dust and other airborne contaminants. If you think this is an exaggeration then what you have to remember is that at 7200RPM a small piece of dust hitting against a very thin layer that contains your valuable data will be travelling at an incredible speed and this spells trouble for your platters surface.

Why A Class 100 Clean Room is so Important

As highlighted above, if you get any tiny particles of dust inside your hard drive then this will cause big trouble as soon as the drive spins again. In your home or at an office there are typically 500,000 to 1,000,000 airborne particles 0.5 microns in diameter or larger for every cubic foot of air - so as soon as you remove the cover from a drive in this environment you are in big trouble!

A class 100 clean room is a specialised environment in which there is less than 100 airborne particles (<0.5 microns diameter) per cubic foot of air. It is in these environments in which hard drives are built in the first place - they are assembled fully and then sealed so that no dust particles can enter the drives once they are shipped out to retailers.

If there is ever a need to open a hard drive for data recovery (e.g. a swap of read/write heads or a change of spindle motor) then it must be performed in a class 100 clean room by a professional data recovery specialist or you run the risk of permanently damaging your data. There are of course numerous examples of people on the internet that claim to have successfully opened/repaired drives at home but you can bet for every success story there are probably 100 people that have lost their data for good.

The bottom line is never open a hard drive at home unless you cannot afford to pay for a professional data recovery specialist or you do not consider the data valuable enough to risk losing.

Friday, February 10, 2012

5 Things To Avoid When Attempting Data Recovery

As a company that specialises in data recovery for some time, we have dealt with numerous customers that have attempted to recover their own data and caused even more damage in the process, or have told us horror stories about bad experiences they have had from sending their drives away to be recovered. Here are the five biggest problems that you need to try and avoid if you are trying to recover data from a failed hard drive:

1) Never Open Up Your Hard Drive - they are constructed inside class 100 clean room environments which means there are fewer than 100 particles (<o.5 microns) per cubic foot of air. Open up your hard drive outside of a clean-room environment and you will allow damaging particles onto the hard drive platter which is extremely sensitive and easily damaged by even the smallest piece of dust.

2) Never Install Data-Recovery Software Onto The HDD You Are Trying To Recover - This is unfortunately very common where someone desperately wants to recover important data, rushes out and buys expensive data recover software which they then install on the same system. If you install anything onto the drive from which you have lost data then you run the risk of overwriting your valuable data. Make sure you remove the drive in question, hook it up to another machine and install the data recovery on that machine!

3) Be Careful Freezing Your Drive! - Once of the more popular remedies which you can find on Google is the so-called freezer trick where you are advised to pop your drive in the freezer overnight which will then allow your data to be recovered in the morning. Firstly I should point out that this method has very limited success - probably one out of 100 drives we examine might work with this method. More importantly if you are going to try and freeze your drive, make sure you put it inside a Ziploc bag - this is vital, no Ziploc back means water droplets inside your drive. Water droplets = trouble!!

4) Not being quick enough! - Quite often you will hook a drive up and manage to access your valuable data and if so that's great.... A word of caution though - if you are lucky enough to access a failing drive go straight to your most valuable data and begin backing up. Time can be critical and don't make the mistake of gaining access to a drive for 20 mins only to find the drive then dies and you haven't yet got to your most important files!

5) Never send your drive away without insurance / adequate packaging - If you are going to send your drive away to a data recovery specialist then make sure that a) you pack the drive securely and with adequate protection and b) you send the drive by insured delivery.

If you have any concerns regarding recovering your data then the best thing to do is consult a data recovery company so that you give yourself the best possible chance for a successful recovery. Good luck!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A sneak peek into the world of Virtualization Security

It was in the 20th century that Maslow came up with the ‘Hierarchy of Needs'. He suggested that every person looks for safety. Perhaps, this theory is applicable to businesses as well. Lately, the concept of virtual data centers is becoming quite common, and almost every business is coming up with one. As a matter of fact, even the cloud infrastructure is becoming increasingly popular. In such a scenario, it is obvious that the businesses would want to protect their data. Experts suggest that the virtualization security needs due consideration. Please go through the following points to have a better understanding of this concept:

Risks have been identified – It is a common perception that virtual machines can be easily stolen. However, if you are aware of the fact that something of this sort can happen, you can take some precautionary measures beforehand. Furthermore, some hackers might try to access your infrastructure. They can also try to gain access to the host management console. The bottom line is that these potential risks are already known to you. Therefore, you can counter them with utter ease.

Risks can be avoided – Virtualization security has its own share of threats. For instance, virtual machines are vulnerable to security breaches. In such a scenario, you can analyze the relevant layer (read: the layer where the interaction of the virtual machine and the hypervisor takes place). This would help you in taking the requisite preventive measures.

 Awareness can help – You need to acquire the latest information. In other words, you must be aware of the current security advisories, if any. Furthermore, getting acquainted with the security certifications would also help to a large extent.

Lately, people have begun to search for ‘Virtualization VMware' on the web. This is because it allows them to utilize their IT resources in an optimum manner. Some of the benefits that have supposedly caused a stir are as follows:

Hefty capital costs are a thing of the past – You can easily reduce your capital costs. This can be done by giving due consideration to energy efficiency. It is believed that virtualization allows you to do so. Furthermore, you would require less hardware in comparison to a conventional setup.

Windows and Linux can coexist – In other words, running multiple operating systems on one computer is no longer a distant dream. If you look for ‘virtualization VMware' in any search engine, you will find out that it is true. Windows, Linux and several other operating systems can be run at the same time. 

Friday, February 3, 2012

An IBM iSeries Server and the Value of Managed Data Storage

In early 1994, California businessman Bob Lorsch was in a difficult position. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake had rendered the high rise that housed his public relations and marketing firm inaccessible, and his business' data was not backed up at another location. In the months following the disaster, Lorsch was miraculously able to recover his business, but he did not forget why it almost floundered: not having its data stored offsite on reliable hardware, such as an IBM iSeries server.

Transforming his misfortune into opportunity, Lorsch formed what is today one of the best-known offsite data storage services: MyMedicalRecords.com.

It Could Happen to Any Business

What happened to Lorsch's business could happen to any business, any day of the week, and it would not take an earthquake to make it happen. Something as dire as a server failure could send the data of a company down the proverbial drain, and unable to ever be retrieved.

According to research, over fifty percent of companies that suffer a major data loss are not in business two years later, and when a company is small, its chances of going belly-up in the wake of a data loss increase by nearly twenty percent. Thanks to the innovative thinking of Lorsch and other entrepreneurs like him, businesses do not have to face these statistics.

Instead, they can store their data offsite securely and affordably by contracting with a managed IT support provider that offers offsite data storage, preferably one that uses reliable hardware such as an IBM iSeries server.

Hardware Quality Matters

The value of offsite data storage is defined by the hardware that facilitates it. Today, servers in IBM's iSeries offer some of the best midrange storage support in the hardware industry. Now a part of IBM's Power Systems line, the servers deliver the following advantages to businesses that need redundant data:

Multiple file system support

Balances process and memory resources automatically

Built-in, resilient cluster architecture

Excellent virus resistance and data encryption

Integrated storage management

Without these benefits, data is not protected as well as it should be. In addition to investigating an IT provider as a business, companies should also investigate the quality of its hardware before they sign a service contract.

Does Your Business Need Offsite Data Storage?

If so, choosing a managed IT support provider that uses the IBM iSeries server is an excellent option, but the key is to find a provider soon. Data loss can happen in an instant, and recovering from it could take months or years, if a business recovers at all.

In the past, offsite data storage involved multiple expenses: hardware purchase, software purchase, system installation, and system maintenance. Today, providers of managed data storage eliminate these costs, replacing them with a monthly service fee that makes offsite data storage affordable on almost any IT budget. Considering the value of data security, the cost of managed data storage is a small price to pay, and more businesses than ever are electing to pay it.

Professional IT Services: Damage Assessment Reporting Just Got Easier

On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, killing 162 and causing $2.2 billion in damages. Due to the broad path of the storm, professional damage assessment tools were needed to survey and report the damage. The Center for Geospatial Intelligence at the University of Missouri helped to provide those tools by using an IT application that detects changes in topography using satellite imagery. The results generated by the application helped state agencies coordinate recovery services for Joplin in a timely, streamlined fashion.

What was accomplished in Joplin is being accomplished in other disaster areas with the help of the same strategies. The application used by the Center for Geospatial Intelligence is part of a new line of tools that expedite and economize damage assessment reporting. In addition to geo coding, these tools offer the following advantages, among others:

Automated Damage Assessment Reporting

Automated damage assessment reporting reduces the need for workers and decreases human error. According to research, automating assessment reporting can increase the productivity of the reporting process by ten times, and reduce its cost by ten times as well. When it is implemented through a managed IT support provider, automated damage reporting can save organizations that routinely perform reporting thousands of dollars a year, if not more.

FEMA Damage Assessment Template

To report damage assessments to FEMA in a manner that yields a timely response, the reporter must use the FEMA reporting template. Providers of professional IT services now include the FEMA template in assessment reporting applications.

Receives Picture and Video Evidence

When it comes to understanding the scope of large-scale damage, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. By uploading visual evidence of the damage, the reporter can create a compelling case for a timely response.

Who Needs an Automated Damage Assessment Tool?

Agencies that assess the damage caused by large events such as tornados need the ability to report damage automatically, but companies that report damage caused by small events such as auto accidents can benefit from the same ability. Today, insurance agencies and corporations commonly use damage reporting applications.

Regardless of the type of damage that must be reported, an automated reporting tool helps the reporter to assess and report it quickly, in a cost effective manner, and in a way that encourages a fast response.

Conclusion

If your organization needs a better way to report damage assessments, contacting a suitable provider of professional IT services should be your next move. In addition to supplying an automated damage reporting application, the provider can help you tailor the application to your reporting process by providing managed IT support.

As the Joplin tornado demonstrated, successful damage assessment reporting depends on more than the integrity of the reporter; it also depends on the capabilities of the reporting tool. When you use an application that automates damage reporting, the timeliness and cost of the reporting process can improve dramatically, and a response to the report can be received in a shorter period.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Learn how to Recover Deleted, Formatted Data Easily

You delete your files in Windows Explorer

When a file is deleted from your computer, you just lose the directions of the file in the folder, like the name of a chapter is removed from the book's index. The file is removed to the "Recycle Bin" and still 100% exists with intact data on it. It is easy to recover deleted data from "Recycle Bin" with the "Restore" option.

 

Deleted data are removed from "Recycle Bin"

When you empty the "Recycle Bin" or press "Shift + Delete" to deal with your files (it bypasses "Recycle Bin" for file deletion), there are still chances to recover deleted data in these scenarios. Though the space occupied by these files is reused by other files, it doesn't get reused straight away. Therefore, the data they contains still stay on your hard drive for some time to come and may be recovered by using some deleted data Recovery software.

Formatted the hard drive and lost the data

Have you accidently formatted your hard drive or portable devices? During or after the formatting, you may find that you have not created a backup of your important data in advance. In fact, quick format does not delete the data. It just marks the head of the section where the data locals by a kind of symbols telling system that this section is re-useable. During a formatting, the system is allowed to re-use the space on your drive by overwriting existing files. Therefore, it is quiet easy to recover formatted data if there is no new data stored after formatting with some specifically designed formatted data Recovery software.

How to Backup PST Files in Microsoft Outlook

The article describes the procedure of creating a backup of .pst files in Microsoft Outlook. The methods compiled here are reliable and correct for Microsoft outlook problems concerned to .pst files until date. However, it is suggested that these should be followed carefully to avoid bumping into outlook problems. You may also at the same time use a Microsoft outlook support service to get an expert to perform .pst files backup

Personal storage table (PST) is a personal folder file used by Microsof Outlook to store all the Outlook data viz. email messages, contacts, appointments, tasks, sent items, and outbox etc. Hence if your .Pst file gets corrupted, you stand to lose a lot of precious and irreplaceable data. Considering this, you may need to create a backup of your .pst files frequently. The below mentioned guide will help you backup the Outlook .pst files in no time.

Instructions:

First Method:

Download Microsoft Personal Folders Backup Add-in from Microsoft's Download Center. The Add-in is designed to work with Microsoft -Outlook 2010, 2007 and 2003 versions. Hit the Download button to start downloading the file. When prompted, press the Save File button. The file will be saved to the Downloads folder. Browse to the folder and search for pfbackup.exe file. Double click to open it and run the installation.

How Do Hard Drive Failures Happen and How Can a Computer Data Recovery Service Help?

Hard disk failures are an unavoidable risk for any computer user. However, if you experience a hard disk crash, you may yet be able to retrieve some or all of your files with the help of a professional hard disk data recovery service.

Hard disk failure can be a nightmare, whether it happens with your home or business computer. We use our computers for everything from storing valuable tax data to favorite music to irreplaceable family photos. So, when we experience a hard disk crash, it can instantly lead to panic as we worry that all of that data is lost forever. In some cases, it may be true that the data cannot be retrieved. However, computer professionals can do wonders with their data recovery hard drive expertise, and they can usually get back some, if not all, of your files. If your hard drive bites the dust, contact your local data recovery services experts to see what can be done. You may be surprised at how much they can restore.

Aside from obvious physical or impact-based damage to the computer, a hard drive crash may be caused by a number of different internal factors. It may be the result of a head crash, which is microscopic physical event that occurs inside the hard drive. In a head crash, the read-write head of a hard drive touches its rotating platter, which usually results in permanent, irreparable damage to the magnetic media on the platter itself. A faulty air filter may also cause a hard drive failure. When working properly, the air filter equalizes pressure between the hard drive and its outside environment. In some cases, however, the filter may fail and allow a dust particle inside the hard drive enclosure. If this happens, the particle can land on the platter and cause a head crash as described above. This platter damage can continue to worsen as you carry on using the drive, quickly causing extensive damage to the whole unit.

In addition to these examples, there are also cases when the controller electronics in the hard drive simply fail. This, in turn, causes the whole drive to crash, and your data to become inaccessible. If you experience a hard drive crash, it's likely you won't know which of these scenarios is to blame. That's why it's important to contact a hard drive data recovery pro to help you out. He or she will be able to take the appropriate action based on what type of damage you have so that you have the best chance of getting your files back.

When you call in a hard drive recovery expert for assistance, they will use professional tools to diagnose and assess what the situation is. The first step to this process is usually to make a copy of the whole disk as-is. Your data recovery pro will use a specialized disk-imaging procedure to image every readable bit from the surface of the disk. This will then be copied to another medium so that your data recovery services specialist can analyze it. They'll be able to see how extensive the overall damage is, and what type of malfunctions have occurred. From there, they can take specific action to restore the disk and/or salvage as much data as possible. If the read-write head of the hard disk is faulty, they can often simply switch that part out for a new one so that your data can be accessed via a properly functioning set of components. This is a delicate operation, but it can result in extensive data recovery. If the platter is damaged, your data recovery pro may have to disassemble it and image it onto a new platter in order to recover what data they can. This can sometimes be more chancy, but it's still possible to access a great deal of what you need to retrieve.

A hard drive crash can seem like a catastrophic event but all hope is not lost if this happens. A data recovery professional can often retrieve most, if not all, of your data using specialized tools and techniques.