No matter how careful a person is, accidents still happen. You might miss something without knowing and it could prove to be a costly mishap on your part. However, making mistakes actually makes life more exciting as you learn more from the wrong things you’ve done than the ones you got right. These mistakes can be petty or life-changing depending on the circumstance. The same thing can be said to your computer whenever you make errors. Some can easily be thrown into the recycle bin or it can render your device useless leaving you unable to access your PC and important data stored in there. At times it is possible to salvage it through data recovery services but you still have to pay for it and it can be quite costly too.

But you can avoid all the troubles data loss or a malfunctioning device leaves you by being well-versed on the topic of data recovery. Knowing the basics definitely helps and when you are knowledgeable about these things, you won’t get scammed or charged for overpriced services, unlike the rest who are clueless how these things work. You have no choice but to hire an expert to do this since not everyone is handy with computers or have the prior know-how. If you dabble in DIY fixes, you may end up creating a bigger damage than what was previously, so better let the pros deal with the problem in the first place.

Prevention: The Best Medicine

“The single best practice for data recovery is to avoid it entirely,” Zimmerman said. “This means to put in place processes that back up and protect data from loss. Recovery is time consuming and can be expensive, so it’s best avoided at all costs.

“Avoiding this situation means having a proactive plan for data management. This includes a formal written plan that details the responsibilities of everyone in the organization. The document should detail what are the company’s data sources, where they reside, and how they should be stored, accessed, and shared. “

Cloud storage should be an integral part of this plan, because storage is generally inexpensive, secure and reliable, Zimmerman said. “No company should be caught without backups in place, especially for the most important data,” he said.

Despite the best laid plans, there’s still a chance for data loss, Zimmerman said.

(Via: http://www.eweek.com/storage/how-to-select-a-reliable-secure-data-recovery-firm)

While service is your number one priority, money is also an issue to the majority of computer users. Not all the time you have spare cash to pay for an unforeseen crisis like this one. Do your research first on data recovery pricing. This page: https://www.harddriverecovery.org/pricing/ may be of help to give you an idea about common issues involving data recovery and how you can spare yourself from falling victim to certain disaster recovery service scams.

  1. Go With Reputation

Problems with hard drives or with portable memory cards and devices require expert assistance. Don’t go the DIY route, and avoid using free online software that promises results but may leave you with malware and frustration. A quality recovery firm will have a sterling reputation, be forthcoming with referrals and have many positive online reviews. It will have the right personnel and technology to open devices carefully and extract information safely.

  1. Check Industry Certifications

Industry certifications aren’t a guarantee of competency (that’s why you check referrals), but they do point to overall adherence to processes and best practices. Data-recovery workers should be able to highlight their certifications for secure handling of data and recovery. Certifications add another layer of trustworthiness, which is especially important if the provider is handling personal data, medical information or other sensitive data.

(Via: http://www.datacenterjournal.com/five-tips-picking-data-recovery-service/)

Having a backup plan in place is your best bet but not all the time you have the foresight to prepare for such a disaster since a lot of things can also go on with your life. These things are the reason why many people are caught off guard because it is time-consuming to make copies of your files and storing them in different places. Whether it be an internal error or an external intrusion, your excuses do not matter because in the end you lost your data and you can’t access your computer either. It’s a lose-lose situation for you unless you turn things around by paying for professional data recovery services like this that can save you from your digital misery.

Choose who you work with. Make sure they have a clean and solid reputation aside from skilled staff to do the job the soonest time possible. Moreover, certifications also matter because it means these pros are aware of industry standards and meet them too. They should be able to get down to the root of the problem and not leave you hanging without overcharging you either. The bottom line here is that you get your data back at the minimum price so everyone is happy at the end of the day.