Brisbane – June 5, 2013 – Kroll Ontrack <http://www.krollontrack.com/> , the
leading provider of data recovery, ediscovery <http://www.krollontrack.com/e-discovery/>
and information management <http://www.krollontrack.com/information-management/>
products and services, today announced five of the most common IT
administrator mistakes that can lead to data loss. Given the complexity and
capacity of advanced storage devices and the criticality of organisational
data, documentation and best practice implementation are critical when it comes
to protecting data.
“With data stored in multiple locations and on multiple devices, loss at any
level can be very detrimental, putting IT administrators in the hot seat to
provide fast issue resolution and minimise downtime,” said Adrian Briscoe,
general manager – APAC, Kroll Ontrack. “Under such extreme
pressure, IT teams may be overlooking established ITIL best practices for IT
service management in the pursuit of urgent issue resolution, leaving
organisations at risk for data loss.”
To reduce the potential for critical data loss when managing IT processes and
responding to IT issues, avoid falling prey to these common IT mistakes:
1) Failure to document and execute established IT,
retention and backup procedures. Kroll Ontrack sees it time and time again.
A test server moves into production, but no one has informed IT that it is now
capturing valuable data, and the data is not being backed up. Or, inaccurate
documentation has IT administrators decommissioning a SAN that is actually
still in production, resulting in data loss.
2) Failure to keep OS and anti-virus software up to date.
Days are busy and resources are stretched, but failing to update OS security
patches and anti-virus software can result in treacherous security breaches and
extensive data loss.
3) Failure to backup effectively. In a recent survey
of Kroll Ontrack data recovery customers, 60 percent had a backup in place at
the time of loss, but the backup was not working properly at the time of loss.
Failure to establish and follow backup procedures, or test and verify backup
integrity is a guaranteed recipe for data loss.
4) Deleting data that is still in active use. This may
be surprising, but you’d be astonished how often Kroll Ontrack performs data
recovery on tapes or server networks that are thought to be out of use, but
still contain active data. Do your due diligence and ensure the data you delete
is no longer of value.
5) Failure to test IT security policies. Even the
smallest failure in IT security can lead to devastating results, including
critical data loss and huge expense. Restrict IT administrator passwords only
to required users, and change them when an IT administrator leaves the company.
Some of Kroll Ontrack’s most compelling data loss cases are the result of a
disgruntled employee with a live password intentionally deleting large amounts
of critical company data.
Even the most seasoned IT teams will eventually face urgent issues and need to
make quick decisions on how to respond and proceed. Follow these best practices
to ensure the best chance of effective resolution and reduce the risk of data
loss:
· Avoid panicking and rushing to action. Make
good, informed decisions when determining a resolution. Consider repercussions
and weigh consequences. Rash decision-making may result in more data loss and
downtime, not to mention cost and resource overload. If data loss happens,
don’t restore data to the source volume from backup – it is where the data loss
occurred in the first place. And, don’t create new data on the source volume –
it could be corrupt or damaged.
· Be confident in your skills and
knowledge. You are part of the solution, not part of the problem. When
pressured by organization leaders to get systems up and running at any cost,
advocate as a subject matter expert. Help leaders avoid making decisions that
do more harm than good. When specifically faced with a possible data lost
event, take the volume off line, and be quick! Data is being overwritten at a
rapid pace. And, don’t format the volume to resolve corruption.
· Have a plan. Follow established ITIL
processes and ensure data centre documentation is complete and revisited often to
ensure it is up to date. In particular, do not run volume utilities
(CHKDSK/FSCK) or update firmware during a data loss event.
· Know your environment (and your
data!). Understand what your storage environment can handle and how quickly
it can recover. Know what data is critical or irreplaceable, whether it can be
re-entered or replaced, and the costs for getting that data up and running to a
point of satisfaction. Weigh the costs and risks when determining what is most
urgent – getting your system up and running quickly or protecting the data that
is there.
· When in doubt, call a data recovery
company. While your OEM may be a good starting point, the value of
your data and the potential for data loss when getting your system back up and
running may not be top of mind. Be sure to consult a reputable data recovery
company if concerns over data loss potential arise.
About Kroll Ontrack Inc.
Kroll Ontrack provides technology-driven services and software to help
legal, corporate and government entities as well as consumers manage, recover,
search, analyse, and produce data efficiently and cost-effectively. In addition
to its award-winning suite of software, Kroll Ontrack provides data recovery,
data destruction, electronic discovery and document review. Kroll Ontrack is a
subsidiary of Altegrity <http://www.altegrity.com/> ,
an industry-leading provider of information solutions. For more information
about Kroll Ontrack and its offerings please visit: www.ontrackdatarecovery.com.au
