Protecting and Recovering Educational Data

Many people are aware that it is necessary to make a conscious effort to protect one’s data at a personal and professional level. This is especially true for educational institutions. While things like software updates, regular backups, and security plugins all have tremendous value, the unfortunate truth is they are not always enough to adequately protect your data.

When data is damaged or lost, a data recovery company in Ontario can be instrumental for Canadians who want to return to business as usual. There are many ways in which data can be damaged or lost, including natural disasters, viruses, and ransomware.

Natural Disaster

Most people believe they have emergency plans in place that will protect themselves and their property in the event of a natural disaster. In many instances, these measures will be adequate to prevent catastrophic loss of property and data. However, there are those cases that are beyond the scope of imagination. When the unthinkable happens, protecting and securing data will not be the first thought on anyone’s mind if lives are in jeopardy.

It won’t be until after the damage is being assessed that the data that individuals, schools, and businesses rely upon will be noticed and missed. If a natural disaster wipes out that data, it may be assumed that it is simply gone forever. Fortunately, this is not always the case. Professional data recovery services are often able to restore a large portion of important data that can help a family or organization begin rebuilding far more quickly.

Viruses

If a network has access to the internet in any way at all, it is possible for a virus to be introduced. Even a completely closed network could have a virus accidentally introduced when someone with authorized access uploads a corrupted file. No matter the cause, once a virus is introduced it can have devastating consequences on the data contained within.

When this happens, the first response is to isolate and remove the virus. Once this has been accomplished the data can be assessed for loss. Even if some of the data has been corrupted or deleted, it may be possible for professionals in the field of data recovery to restore them to some degree.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a bit trickier to solve. With this tactic, hackers go after individual users who have access to documents stored on a server. The target could be students, teachers, or administrators. The amount of damage done will be directly linked to how much access the individual has.

The ransomware is usually introduced through an innocuous looking email. Once the target opens the email, the software targets all the documents or files the user has access to and encrypts them. Then the hackers who initiated the attack contact the company and demand a ransom in exchange for the key that will unlock the files so the data can be used again. Just as in a physical ransom, paying the criminal will likely encourage future attacks. This is something data recovery can help address without rewarding the hackers financially for their attack.

No matter how many measures are put into place, it is inevitable that data loss will eventually occur, even after software updates, regular backups, and security plugins. When it does, it is important to remember that there are professional services available that may be able to recover much of what was believed to be lost. It is absolutely an avenue worth investigating. Even a partial restoration of precious data can be tremendously valuable.