Not a plan — the day after. Once the array, NAS or server has already crashed from fire, flood, power event, a failed rebuild or ransomware attack, this is where the data will be recovered from what is left. Every member disk is imaged read-only before anything starts to get rebuilt and all costs must have been agreed upon in writing prior to starting.
Replacing the failed disk and beginning rebuilding are standard first response actions for recoverable arrays — but they can also turn a recoverable array into an unrecoverable one. Power down the unit — note which disk was in each bay — bring the set in as it is.
Firstly there is a plan, secondly there is a bench.
Disaster recovery, in terms of information technology, refers to the plans businesses develop to resume operations following some form of loss — copies, failovers, order of how items will return. This is worth having and is not what this page offers; the difference between a backup and a plan is on our blog.
This page covers the event when the plan does not exist, or if it exists but could not be followed: the server room that flooded, the NAS that lost its second drive as part of a rebuild process, the rack that had a power outage where two drives were non-spinning upon return, or a file share that ransomware ran over prior to the backup completing. Data is generally still resident on the hardware. Removing it without exacerbating the issue is the goal of this effort.
Each of these four is fundamentally different from a physics standpoint; the first rule remains the same – nothing is powered until it’s been seen.
We use the same process for each job above with individual members.
When the problems indicate either electrical or mechanical damage, no power will be applied to the drives on arrival. Assessing before providing electricity.
Servers, RAID sets, NAS units and virtual machines – every disk is cloned on hardware designed to handle failure. After cloning everything else occurs against the clone and never against the original.
Our engineers in the UK use software to rebuild the arrays from the images, so the hardware that lost the set will never again attempt to access it.
Prioritised jobs have their image created based upon what the company needs back first — the accounts, the current project or whatever share a group of employees is waiting on.
Each job has an account of what failed and how much data we were able to recover which can easily be understood by non-technical users such as insurers, auditors and board members.
Price for work, not price based on urgency.
RAID, NAS and servers from £500 +VAT. Single drive from £300. Cards & USB media from £250. SAN storage from £1,250. All after a free diagnostic normally completed within 48 hours and can be same day if a priority job is dropped in early. Array jobs usually complete within a few working days after approval; donor parts/extensive imaging take longer and timescales are included with quote.
All priority handling is quoted separately so you can see exactly what the speed costs. It moves your job to the front of the queue. It cannot make a failing disk read faster than normal. Where it would not buy anything we say that as well. For most recovery projects payment only follows once data is returned to client.
Everything else a business needs around its recovery — not just from it.
You get a named contact throughout from diagnostics right through to handing over the results with invoicing instead of prepayment via purchase orders and 30 days credit terms. We also draw up NDAs and chain of custody if required by the data. We collect at odd hours if a whole team are waiting for the data. All our operations take place within our premises and will never be outsourced. Based in Peter House, Oxford Street. Business data recovery →
Send the device in with an initial report of what has occurred to it. The diagnosis is at no charge and commits you to nothing, and the subsequent fee is written as a firm price prior to opening anything.
This is the only step that requires input from you and nothing else can happen until the device is on our bench. Package your item properly and include all the information we require about you and your item(s), then ship them to us. Then comes a no-cost diagnostic, followed by a written quote.
Posting it? Use a tracked and insured service. The value of what is on the drive far exceeds the cost of postage. Bringing it in? Weekdays from 9am to 5:30pm, and it still needs packing as described above for the journey.
Tell us about the item in question, tell us how it has been behaving lately, and let us know if there is anything you have done as far as troubleshooting goes so that our engineers may provide a realistic estimate of success and a probable cost range prior to sending your items off.
We’ll be in touch shortly. For anything urgent, call 0161 871 0788.
The most common questions we receive from business owners about their data after a disaster.
No. A disaster recovery plan is something that you should have before you lose access to your data. It details all the backups of your systems, where they can be recovered to, the priority that each system should be restored with etc. These pages detail what happens after you have lost access to your data and your backup was either unavailable or insufficient. To learn more about the difference between a backup and a plan check out our blog.
No. Replacing the failed disk with a new one and commencing a rebuild operation is typically the first course of action. Unfortunately, it is how a recoverable RAID array becomes unrecoverable. Simply switch off the unit, note which bay each disk was in, and bring the set in whole.
The standard diagnostic will usually be completed within 48 hours. If we receive it early enough to complete a same day rush, then it could possibly be done the same day. Any array jobs will generally take a few working days once approved. If donor parts are needed or there is a large amount of imaging required, then these may take longer. We give you an estimated timeframe when we give you your quote.
From £500 + VAT for RAID systems, NAS devices & servers; from £300 for individual drives; from £250 for memory cards, USB sticks etc., all based upon the results of the free diagnostic. One price given in writing at the outset so that you know exactly what costs are involved. Most jobs carry no charge if they are unsuccessful. Priority handling would also be listed separately.
Do not dry them, do not power them up. Place the drives into a sealed bag and keep them damp, and send them straight away. Corrosion will continue until the residue is removed from the boards, and a wet drive arriving today is in far better shape than a dry drive sitting on a windowsill for two weeks.
Yes. Part of our service includes providing you with a plain written report detailing what failed and what we managed to recover. This report will be written in such a way that anyone without engineering knowledge should be able to understand.
Free written diagnostic. Most of our jobs don’t cost you a penny, when they fail. We have an inventory of 10,000 parts ready to support all repairs. The sooner it arrives here, the sooner we’ll get started with recovering your lost data. Begin your recovery today!