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Recovering from a natural disaster can be extremely difficult on all fronts - both on the physical and emotional side. What can be even more difficult, however, for most businesses, is a data disaster.

It is likely that you have prepared your business for disasters of all kinds. You have emergency kits to sustain the people inside of you need to shelter in place, you've practiced fire drills, you have insurance for flooding. but what happens if it is your infrastructure that is struck by the disaster?

There are many things that can trigger an infrastructure disaster, including things that you cannot predict. Things that can bring your data center to a halt. How can you protect yourself?

One of the best ways to keep yourself, your business, your reputation, and your data safe is to incorporate a disaster recovery plan (DRP) that has backup and redundancy built into it.

In fact, it is so important to so many businesses that the United States Government actually recommends creating a DRP plan: " An information technology disaster recovery plan (IT DRP) should be developed in conjunction with the business continuity plan. Priorities and recovery time objectives for information technology should be developed during the business impact analysis. Technology recovery strategies should be developed to restore hardware, applications and data in time to meet the needs of the business recovery. "

Here's what we classify a strong DRP:

Create A Sound Disaster Recovery Plan

Planning for a disaster might be difficult because you have to think about anything and everything that can go wrong AND THEN figure out how to tackle them. We suggest starting with the most basic (therefore, the most likely) situations and moving on from there.

You want to define what will keep your business running: emails, applications, computer equipment, and backups. You will need to determine how long you can go without other processes and create a chain of replenishment.

From there, you will be able to figure out who is responsible for declaring the disaster, how to keep your employees informed, and how you will communicate to your clients.

Carry Out The Plan

As soon as you have established a strong plan, you want to put all of the requisite steps into play and make sure that everything is implemented properly. Sometimes, you will have to anticipate new parts of the plan when you build new applications. It is always best for the project (in an agile sense) to build with the security team during your development phase.

You want to monitor your data recovery plan and update it if needed. Remember that you have to change it up and edit it as time goes by, which will result in fewer IT problems and less downtime if you do have a disaster.

Test Your Data Recovery Plan - Before A Disaster

If you take the time to write a data recovery plan, you may want to actually make sure it works. The sad truth is that not enough people do that. You are leaving yourself open for an even bigger disaster.

If you have a plan in place, test it. Simulate different circumstances a few times a year and see how your plan responds. You will be extremely thankful you that you did this when a real disaster does come.

Even better, you will be able to evaluate your plan and fix the areas where you spot weaknesses.

Back-Up Your Data And Store It For A Data Disaster

If there is a disaster, most people don't know that the data they store on site isn't completely safe, especially when a disaster occurs. That is why it is so important to store your backed up data offsite. Create a backup file of the data and transfer it (securely) to an offsite data storage center.

From there, keep backing up at least once a day.

Make Sure Employees Follow Suit

Many companies tell their employees to store data on the company's network and back it up - that doesn't mean that everyone does it. Some are too lazy and some just don't remember to do it.

Make sure that your employees have incentives to follow suit and, at least, back up desktops and laptops on site so that you can get it back in the case of a disaster or if the device gets damaged, stolen, or lost.

Regularly Update Your Virus Scanners

The security you use in your IT infrastructure is so important. You need to make sure that everything is protected against viruses, malware, and spyware. Protect your infrastructure as soon as you can and as regularly as you can by installing regular virus pattern updates as part of your data recovery plan.

This is one of the best steps you can take to stop a data disaster from occurring - and prevention is always the best policy.

No matter what, you need to remember that every single business out there, no matter how big or small it is or how much tech it really uses is vulnerable to experiencing a data related catastrophe. Arm yourself and your employees against disaster by working to put a disaster recovery plan into place. It will be one of the very best things you will ever have done for your company, even if you don't ever use it.

Our team takes pride in being the most experienced team of IT professionals in New Jersey. You can count on us to have solutions to problems that you may not have had luck with before. When it comes to data recovery in New Jersey, you simply cannot go to anyone better. We have technical support available to the public every day of the week: you’ll have the option to talk to an experienced technician if a problem arises.

Looking for the Best Computer Services in New Jersey? Call: (908) 332-5051

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Dave's Computer Repair Blog – How to open and convert an Outlook OST file to avoid data loss The OST format is a Microsoft file format for Exchange files. It contains Exchange mailbox data that can be used on the local system whether connected to Exchange or not. The idea is partly to allow access to Inbox data even if your internet is down. However, just like the preceding PST files, OST files are very susceptible to corruption. They are also easily lost or overwritten even though they are supposed to be protected. We often see small businesses who have lost access to an OST file that contains critical business intelligence that need to recover it. Usually this isn’t an issue as copies of all inbox files are stored on the Exchange server, but in cases where the server is unavailable or where the company no longer has access to it, OST file recovery is the only way to access that data. First let’s show you how to make a PST copy of your OST file for archiving purposes.

Convert OST to PST

If the account or server where the OST file was created is no longer available it is regarded as an orphan and won’t always be accessible even from other Outlook or Exchange instances. To overcome this, we convert the file to PST. This also overcomes OST file size limits and potential corruption. You should regularly archive your emails to PST if you can to overcome the shortcomings of OST files as above.
  1. Take a copy of the OST file, just in case.
  2. Navigate to File, Options and Advanced in Outlook.
  3. Select Export and select Outlook Data File (PST) as the format.
  4. Ensure folder settings and permissions are selected as you see fit.
  5. Click OK and wait for the process to complete.

Recover an OST file

If you cannot access your OST file or Outlook won’t recognize it, you have to try something else. To work with an orphaned OST file you will need a third party tool such as an OST viewer or OST recovery tool. Google is your friend here as there are many free and premium versions that all get the job done.
  1. Download and install your OST recovery tool.
  2. Open the orphaned OST file within the tool.
  3. Convert it into a PST file.
  4. Open the PST file with any Outlook instance.
You should now have access to that inbox complete with all the data stored within it. Thank you for reading Dave's Computer Repair Blog, if you ever need computer repair or data recovery assistance give us a call or fill out the contact form on the bottom right of the website.

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Dave's Computer Repair Blog – Do you really need to backup your data? I was asked this question last week and it got me thinking. A client came into the store and asked about data recovery and how effective it was. We discussed hard drive reliability, MTBF (mean time before failure) and a range of other subjects and then he asked, ‘if hard drives are so reliable, why do I need to backup my data?’ While on the surface that seems a simple question, it is actually not so simple to answer. Yes, hard drives are reliable. Yes they last longer than ever now. If you use a UPS or other power filtering system they can literally last decades. So why bother backing them up? If you want the short version, it is – how important is your data? How would it feel if you lost all your photos, emails, copies of letters or company accounts? How would you react if I told you our data recovery failed and it was all gone forever? If you think you would experience any negative emotion, you need to backup your data. There are four main threats facing your data.
  1. Hardware failure
  2. Deliberate tampering
  3. Malware and viruses
  4. Accidental deletion

Hardware failure

While hard drives are reliable, they will fail. Hardware of any kind fails. It is inevitable. Whether it is down to excess heat, becoming worn out, manufacturing faults or something else, all man-made objects fail at some point.

Deliberate tampering

You cannot ignore the human element in computing as it is usually the weakest link. A hacker or disgruntled employee could delete your critical records in seconds. Then what?

Malware and viruses

Instances of malware and viruses are increasing all the time. If you have adequate defenses you can protect yourself from the majority of risks, but can you guarantee that nothing will ever get through?

Accidental deletion

That other human element that is the bane of computer owners everywhere. The accidental deletion. If you notice you can quickly recover it yourself. If you don’t notice until much later it might be impossible to recover your data.

Backup your data

With cloud storage being offered for free with most email accounts and USB or external hard drives very cheap, there really is no excuse. You can automate backups for a little extra safety and it only takes a few minutes to set up. So why would you not backup your data? It is certainly faster and cheaper than bring it to Hillsborough for us to fix!  

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Dave's Computer Repair Blog – Securely deleting files from a solid state drive You may remember back in a previous data recovery post ‘How to securely delete files from your hard drive’, I mentioned that SSDs (Solid State Drives) work differently to platter-based hard drives and that the usual techniques of wiping data do not apply. I also mentioned I would talk more about it. Well as promised, let us discuss securely deleting files from a solid state drive. First, a little about how SSDs work. In a hard drive, the operating system simply marks the page or sector of the drive as no longer in use and would overwrite it as it needed. NAND flash memory, which is the technology behind SSDs, uses blocks to divide up the drive. It also cannot overwrite data like a hard drive can. Data can be stored in a partial block but only a complete block can be deleted. Therefore, to mark some blocks as ready for re-use or deletion, the drive has to move the partial data being kept so the block it sits inside can be deleted. This process is called Garbage Collection or GC for short. As you can imagine, it isn’t a particularly efficient technology and quickly wears out an SSD. Operating systems neither know nor care how a hard drive stores data. It just tells the hard drive it wants something stored and leaves it to the drive to work it out. Neither does it care if it is wearing an SSD out. That’s where TRIM comes in. TRIM was introduced as a middleman to help things along. TRIM takes the instruction to delete from the operating system and passes it on to the Garbage Collector. But rather than marking it for immediate deletion, TRIM tells Garbage Collector to mark it for eventual deletion. So, only when the complete block is naturally emptied with GC delete the data. This is why securely deleting files from a solid state drive is harder than on a traditional hard drive. The only way to secure delete files from a solid state drive is to either physically destroy it or use a manufacturer utility to do it. We naturally prefer that second option. Here are a few SSD manufacturers and their tools. There are of course many other manufacturers of SSDs and Google if your friend there. Each SSD manufacturer includes some kind of tool to force Garbage Collector to delete memory blocks. While this will securely delete your data, it will also reduce the operating life of the drive so use it sparingly. If you would like to learn more about Garbage Collection and TRIM, this article is about as detailed as it gets. If you have accidentally deleted files from your SSD and need our data recovery services, contact us today. We would be happy to help. Thank you for reading Dave's Computer Repair Blog, if you ever need computer repair or data recovery assistance give us a call or fill out the contact form on the bottom right of the website.

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If you’re hard drive has died and you’re trying to recover deleted files, you’ve probably thought about performing a hard disk drive data recovery using some of the popular software available on the internet. Sometimes that software works fine and you’re able to recover files from the disk. However, problems arise when that software doesn’t work. In fact, sometimes if your computer has died, data recovery software can actually make the problem worse. That’s why we recommend contacting a hard disk recovery service as soon as you begin experiencing read problems.  

Hard Drive Data Recovery Software Can Kill Your Drive

The problem with using some of the most popular recovery programs is that they can actually do more harm than good. A recovery program will cause your hard drive to work hard and spin for hours on end as it tries to recover deleted files and restore your content. If your drive is already malfunctioning, this can cause its condition to worsen, and you might find out that all of your data has been wiped off the drive instead of recovered.  

The Benefits of Using a Hard Disk Recovery Service

When you send in your hard disk to a data recovery service, you’ll be putting it into the hands of professionals. The technicians who work at hard disk data recovery companies have years of experiencing pulling data from drives, and they know how to avoid all of the common problems that people make when trying to recover files. Furthermore, when performing a hard disk drive recovery, a professional service will use the most sophisticated software and tools available to ensure that they retrieve the most data possible.   Another benefit of using a hard drive data recovery service is the speed with which they can recover deleted files from your malfunctioning drive. At Dave’s Computers we have a 24 hour turnaround on our hard drive data recovery services. That means that you can ship us your drive on Monday and we’ll have it back to you by Friday. You don’t have to worry about excessive downtime or missing out on anything important. When our trained technicians do a hard disk recovery they do it quickly and efficiently.  

When to Contact a Hard Disk Data Recovery Service

Hard disks are complex pieces of equipment and there are a lot of different ways that they can fail. Some of the most common problems include corrupted partitions, drives that say they need to be formatted, Raid 1 or 2 failures, and drives with bad sectors. If you’re experiencing any of these problems then your best bet is to get into contact with a hard disk recovery service as soon as possible. They’ll be able to quickly diagnose the problem and take all of the necessary steps towards recovering your data and getting your computer up and running in no time.   Don’t waste time or money trying to recover the data yourself. Many of the programs on the market don’t do nearly as good a job recovering data as a professional service does, and you might put your valuable data at risk by trying to use them. Instead, contact Dave’s Computers and let us recover all of your deleted files for you. We have years of experience and we can help you with your hard drive data recovery. Don’t wait, contact us today for all of your data recovery needs!

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Running a business takes a lot of time, money, and effort, so be sure you protect your investment from hackers and thieves. Network security helps protect your business against cyber attacks. Implement these network security tips into your routine business operations and with routine systems checks and updates from Dave's Computer! 1. Backup Files Often to Prevent Issues in the Future Suffering any amount of data loss can be harmful to your business but a major breach and loss of data, files, and information can be catastrophic. However, despite this risk, many business owners are not taking the steps needed to back up their files and protect their information with network security. According to the Symantec Small to Medium Size Businesses (SMB) data, “only 23% of SMBs are backing up their data on a daily basis and fewer than 50% are backing up data weekly. Any number of events can result in data loss, so the importance of frequently backing up your network cannot be overstated.” 2. Ensure Network Security Procedures Are Routinely Checked Far too often business owners believe their back up system and network security processes are working as they should- it is only after a catastrophic loss of data that they learn their systems were not working properly and all that data has now been lost or damaged. Even if the back up program seems to be running fine, there may be errors you are not seeing that cause large chunks of valuable data and information to be issued or corrupted when it is saved. Checking on all of your backup procedures on a daily or weekly basis will go a long way in ensuring they are working properly an that all of your data and files are being protected. If your employees use laptops, smartphones, iPads and similar devices to conduct business work on, there also needs to be a back up procedure and routine checks for those devices as well. 3. Virus Protection and Firewalls Must Always be Updated and Enabled It is surprising and a bit disturbing how many businesses, large and small have no virus protection or ones that are not properly used and updated. This makes all aspects of the business technology vulnerable to trojans, malware, virus, ransomware, and cyber attacks through emails, data and file downloads, and websites. One of the biggest risks companies big and small face is that they have a virus scan program on their device and think that is enough to protect them. Most experts recommend backing up your virus scan at least once a week or setting it up to do automatic updates when they are available. Scans should be done of your computer at least once a day or every few days at the least. Finally, don’t forget about guarding access to your files and data by changing log in criteria, security questions, passwords, and codes ever few months. Running a business requires a lout out of you so make sure you are doing everything you can to safeguard your business and your assets against cyber attacks and threats. Dave's computers can help keep any business computer network up and running no matter where you are in the Sarasota, Florida area. So consider adding these simple yet vital network security tips into your routine business operations, starting today! Contact Dave's Computers to learn more: 908-428-9558

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You are probably aware of the fact that data back-ups are strongly recommended for businesses of every size as a means of protecting essential documents from the threat of loss, which can result in the need of data recovery. If you've worked with a tech support specialist with data recovery, you may even have heard the 3-2-1 rule, by which you make at least three copies of the files in your system, you store them in at least two different formats, and you locate at least one of those copies off-site. What you might not know is why this type of system-wide back up is so important and what it can mean for your small business.

Horror Stories of Data Loss & Data Recovery

You need only ask a knowledgeable help desk  and data recovery vendor to find the answers you seek. Anyone who offers computer support and data recovery in New Jersey can probably tell you horror stories about businesses that lost crucial data to fire or flood, right along with all of their computer equipment, because their only copies were stored on-site. Or you might have heard about businesses with subpar virus protection that came under attack from malicious code or thieving hackers that stormed their system, leaving damage, corruption, and loss in their wake. One of the most important reasons to hire an IT consulting firm to help you arrange for appropriate back up options is to avoid the loss of data that could impede your ability to conduct business. Of course, even more important may be the potential loss of clientele you'll suffer from such a scenario. Backing up data and system files is not just for your benefit, but also for those who entrust their private data to you. With proper IT support, the hope is that you'll never have to bear the bad news of a data breach and stolen identities. However, data loss due to system failure or natural disaster could be just as damaging to your business. When you fail to implement a suitable back-up plan, your clients may lose confidence in your ability to properly manage their accounts. Your employees may suffer from low morale. Your business, in short, could tank.

Back up Your Data with the Help of Dave's Computers

The right managed services provider can offer the back-up solutions your business needs to get back up and running in the event that the worst should occur and your primary system files are somehow compromised or destroyed. Whether you're based in New Jersey or you're looking for remote support, having a reliable service on your side can give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your files are properly backed up in case of catastrophe.

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Has your computer been running slowly or have you run virus scanners only to suspect that something is still ‘off’ on your computer? It can be extremely frustrating and time consuming to run scan time consuming to run scans after scan and not find the answer…That’s why we have the perfect plan for you. With our monthly computer maintenance plan, we have developed ways to rid your computer of 99.9% of all malware, Trojans and viruses on the Internet. On top of that, if we detect a virus or infection, we’ll remove it for FREE! If you sign up now, we’ll include “Carbonite” for FREE with our monthly plan and a minimum 3-month contract. Our Managed Monthly Computer Support Plan for consumers is on sale now through the end of November.

Benefits to our Managed Monthly Computer Maintenance Plan

24/7 Anti-Virus Protection Coverage

Our antivirus service works to ensure your computer stays safe at all times through regularly scheduled scans and hardware updates that help to keep your computer virus definitions up-to-date. With up to date libraries, you’ll have the maximum level of coverage.
  • Increased Computer Speed
  • Avoids Slow Start-Ups
  • Removal of Viruses, Spyware, and Trojans
  • Stops Crashes and Frozen Screens
  • Fixes Issues with Pop-ups, Updates and Links
  • Daily updates

All the Help You Need: Computer Maintenance from Dave's Computers

Sign up now so you can get all the benefits of our Managed Monthly Computer Support Plan including Carbonite Cloud backup. Have questions and need further assistance on an issue with your computer? Feel free to contact us so we can help! With the holidays quickly approaching, don’t leave your computer susceptible to online hackers. Contact us so we can start your monthly plan and get you covered! Sign up today by chatting with Alex or Dave on the right side of your screen >>>>>>>>

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📞 Call Dave's — 908-428-9558