10 Tips to Help Protect Your Data from Extreme Weather

Every summer, our engineers see the same pattern: a surge in data recovery service requests that coincides with the severe storm season. Ontrack has 30 years in the data recovery business; and for 30 years, the summer months have always meant high demand for recovery services.

Although, you cannot predict when a storm will strike, there are some ways you can protect your data by following some simple precautions.

Protecting Your Data from Severe Weather

Summer heat can be a significant problem as overheating can lead to drive failures. Keep your computer in a cool, dry area to prevent overheating. Also, protect your phone, laptop and tablet by not leaving them in a hot area – like the car – for an extended period of time.
Make sure your servers have adequate air conditioning. Increases in computer processor speed have resulted in more power requirements, which in turn require better cooling - especially important during the summer months.
To prevent damage caused by lightning strikes, install a surge protector between the power source and the computer’s power cable to handle any spikes or surges.
Invest in some form of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which uses batteries to keep computers and servers running during power outages. UPS systems also help manage an orderly shutdown of the computer or server - unexpected shutdowns from power surge problems can cause data loss.
Check protection devices regularly: At least once a year you should inspect your power protection devices to make sure that they are functioning properly.

Responding to Data Loss Caused by Severe Weather

Do not attempt to operate visibly damaged laptops, computers, phones, tablets or hard drives.
Do not shake, disassemble or attempt to clean any hard drive or server that has been damaged - improper handling can make recovery operations more difficult which can lead to valuable information being lost.
Never attempt to dry water-damaged media by opening it or exposing it to heat - such as that from a hairdryer. In fact, keeping a water-damaged drive damp can improve your chances for recovery as once the drying process begins, so does corrosion.
Do not use data recovery software to attempt recovery on a physically damaged hard drive. Data recovery software is designed only for use on a drive that is fully functioning and without damage.
Contact Ontrack Data Recovery at 800.872.2599 for free data recovery consultation. Our experts will explain options and answer any questions you have about your damaged data storage devices.

Never assume that data is unrecoverable - no matter how extreme the damage. Ontrack Data Recovery engineers have retrieved data from numerous devices damaged in extreme weather.

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