There may be a problem with the hard drive or any other component of the storage media. It would be great if we could decipher the nature of the problem ourselves with the help of a naked eye. However, our eyes and our technological knowledge have its own set of limitations. Data recovery is a highly specialized field that can cater to most of the data loss problems. Data loss can occur in strange and mysterious ways and each data loss incident can be different from each other. Due to these variations, the cost of data recovery can be heavy or light on your pocket. Data recovery, generally speaking, can be an expensive process. It may cost you several hundred pounds to just get the nature of data loss incident evaluated. This evaluation will merely give you an idea about the list of files that the data recovery company can recover. In addition, this evaluation cost may not be included in the actual cost of data recovery. So, what makes data recovery so expensive? Simply put, data recovery is expensive because it is a complicated process and not many companies are specialized in this field. Even though there are many companies that offer data recovery services, only the reputed companies can boast of effective data recovery. However, there are multiple factors that contribute towards the cost of a data recovery company, which consequently make the data recovery service an expensive alternative. Let us analyse the various factors that make data recovery an expensive option.
Factors that Influence the Cost of Services of a Data Recovery Company
Data recovery companies can minimize on your business’s downtime by providing a quick turnaround time. Most companies will be able to recover your data within the range of 24 to 72 hours. Consider the valuable time that would be wasted if you try to recover the data on your own. Since complex procedures need to be performed within a short period of time, the costs associated with the services are high.
There are times when people use DIY software or their own expertise to recover their lost data. In such instances, there is a high probability of losing your data forever. In today’s world, data means information, and information holds the power to make or break a business. A data recovery company ensures that your data is recovered in the most effective manner and is able to recover all or major portion of your data. A data recovery company hires experienced employees and uses effective tools to recover your data. These experienced employees come with a sound educational background as well as good industry experience. The nature of the work of these professionals is also highly complicated. Data recovery specialists need to evaluate and assess the nature of the data loss. Their skills are extremely effective in replacing or repairing fragile components. Therefore, the data recovery company has to match their salary with their experience. In addition, most data recovery companies use proprietary tools to recover the damaged data. These tools can be extremely expensive.
There are some overhead costs involved for a data recovery company. There are times when hard disk parts would need to be replaced. However, replacing these parts becomes very difficult because the hard disk manufacturers do not sell these parts. Therefore, only a hard disk of the same batch and model can be used to ensure that the data can be read off the disk platters in an appropriate way. A hard disk that has the same model but is of different batch will have different set of parts inside. Therefore, to avoid wasting time in looking for hard disk parts, the data recovery companies tend to keep a stock of hard disk parts. These stocks contribute towards overhead costs.
Hard disks are extremely fragile and prone to any kind of dust, air, or environmental contamination. Therefore, a data recovery company needs to invest in clean room facilities to ensure that the hard disks are handled in an appropriate environment. Establishing and maintaining these clean room facilities can be very expensive. Therefore, the data recovery companies tend to charge higher for their services.
Since the nature of work of a data recovery specialist is very technical, the data recovery companies tend to provide extensive training to their employees to ensure that the data and the media are handled appropriately and the success rate is maximised. Each data recovery company tends to develop their own trainings in this field because not much training is available through schools or colleges. Companies tend to spend significant amounts on developing their own training procedures. These costs are reflected in their cost of services.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss an