As our digital memory, mobile phones, laptops and tablets act as photo albums, address books and even document folders. And although these devices determine our everyday lives, very few users take care of adequate protection of this data, which is often extremely sensitive. In addition to the storage function, the technical devices also serve as a gateway to the Internet, in which a large part of life takes place these days. But with technical development, there are also increasing sources of danger of a criminal or technical nature that can lead to data loss. However, there are a number of ways to protect your data as a precaution and even after data loss, there are emergency solutions to be able to restore the data.
The reasons for data loss
The reasons for data loss on a tablet, smartphone or computer can be roughly divided into four categories:
- operator error: In cases of data loss, the "problem" often sits in front of the device. In fact, a lot of data is lost through sheer carelessness. Spilled liquids alone represent a major security risk for hardware that is extremely difficult to repair, which is why some companies specifically ask their employees not to leave open containers on their desks. Even more frequently, files are accidentally deleted or folders overwritten without that a backup copy is available. This happens through a wrong click or through inconsistent naming of files and folders.
- Technical errors: The most common cause of technical errors that lead to data loss are physical in nature. This includes damage caused by a fall as well as demagnetization of important components of the device. An insufficient power supply also leads to faster wear. Mobile storage media such as USB sticks and SD cards should always be professionally removed from the hardware. Otherwise there is a risk of data loss. In addition, the limited service life of the data carriers, which incidentally affects the entirety of the hardware, must be taken into account. Depending on the hardware type, the component should be replaced every two, five or ten years in order to be able to guarantee full performance.
- data theft: Data theft, for example through phishing or malware, takes place in the private and business context and causes more than 100 billion euros in damage every year. The criminals manage to steal the sensitive data either by hacking company or cloud servers or by using the proven methods of skimming or trick fraud. Scammers are extremely savvy when it comes to figuring out passwords. According to a study, people fall into four password categories, three of which are easy to crack. A password manager can help you set particularly complicated passwords and not forget them.
- Force majeure: Even if all of the above factors can be prevented, there is one factor that occurs very rarely but is all the more unpredictable. Unfortunate circumstances are often mutually dependent, which is why it is not uncommon for the unforeseeable to occur. This includes, for example, accidents or environmental influences. To minimize the impact of force majeure, you can, for example, leave your work laptop in one place and transport it only in an emergency, so that it is not damaged in a bicycle accident, for example. In order to still be able to work flexibly, you can, for example, use a VPN connection to dial into the server at your workplace.
Clouds, antivirus programs and backups — How to take precautions
Cloud providers such as Dropbox or Ionos create extensive backup copies of data and store them on servers that can be accessed online from anywhere. You can set the end device so that newly created or revised files are automatically stored in the cloud by synchronization. This prevents data from being lost because you simply forget to save it manually on the cloud.
An antivirus program can be installed to protect against data theft and certain technical errors. Most programs cover a wide range of security precautions by being able to detect and take action against malware, phishing or spyware extremely quickly. Some products have a permanently available IT service and even a rescue function that can be used to restore some data. According to the evaluation of different antivirus programs from different price ranges anitvirusguide.com The programs Bitdefender, norton and Total AV convince, for example.
Backups are there to create a backup copy of the entire data of a system. The clouds mentioned above, which adopt this principle and have the unbeatable advantage that the data can be saved automatically, are ideal for this. If you prefer, you can also create a manual backup. Ashampoo Backup Pro and other programs combine secure storage of data with clear use of the program.
And what if something goes wrong?
Despite all safety precautions, you are not completely immune to data loss. But just because data is deleted doesn't mean it's lost entirely. The probability of success in recovering the data depends in large part on why the data was lost and the means used to recover the data.
Vendors like Recoverylab have the best success rates. Vendors like these act as a kind of hard drive doctor. The hardware will be sent to the experts who can recover the lost data on site. Usually up to 100% of the data can be recovered. The providers still stack a little lower and give an average success rate of 95% - 98% on the Internet. Within 1-2 days, the data can be restored by IT specialists, all the while a customer service is available to answer any questions and worry that the data is gone to nirvana forever.
09.12.2022