From Panic to Recovery: Why Data Recovery Companies Remain Essential in a Cloud-Based World

In an era where cloud back-up is done automatically for most users operating in Microsoft OneDrive, Google Workspace, macOS Time Machine or Adobe Cloud, it’s hard to believe that data recovery services are still a much-needed commodity.  In truth, there are several reasons why:

• A 2024 survey by Handy Recovery Advisor, involving 1,000 U.S. participants, revealed that while 78% of users back up their data, only 33% do so regularly. Additionally, 27% back up a few times a year, and nearly 20% do so rarely.

  
  

• The survey also found that 52% of respondents adopted a selective approach to data backup, prioritizing information such as financial data and passwords. Notably, 63% of users mistakenly believe that syncing data with cloud storage equates to a full backup.

  
  

Data loss remains a significant concern, with 34% of users attributing it to accidental deletion and lack of backups. Other common causes include device failure and hardware malfunctions, as well as physical damage to devices.  In fact, studies indicate that hardware failures are a leading cause of data loss, accounting for approximately 43% to 45% of incidents. Furthermore, another survey revealed that 80% of IT professionals identified hard drive failures as the most common hardware issue leading to data loss.  Sometimes, mishaps result in hardware failure.  A recent ATP Data Services customer came with their distressing story: “Last Sunday, while transferring files, the external hard drive slipped off my desk and fell onto the carpeted floor. While the exterior casing seemed to have taken the brunt of the fall, I immediately noticed that the drive began making unusual noises, indicating it was no longer functioning properly.  I attempted to access my files, but it seems the drive is unable to process them. This has left me devastated, as a significant portion of my current files is not backed up. I am reaching out for help in recovering the data stored on this drive, which is vital to my work as a photographer based in New York City, specializing in celebrity red carpet events, studio shoots, and other high-profile work.  This drive also has family photos dating back to 1917.”  Unfortunately, it is not the first story of this kind and it won’t be the last either.  Over the years, we have recovered data for artists, wedding photographers, film makers, music composers, historians and researchers whose upsetting data loss stories could have lead them into legal odysseys.  So yes, Data Recovery Service Providers like ATP Data Services are still very much in demand because when no other copies of the data are available, we resort to retrieving it from the original storage media.  Rebuilding a hard drive is not a task for the faint of heart – read our blog about the complex process of recovering  lost data from a hard drive.

In a world where most data recovery service providers structure their pricing based on the complexity, urgency, and type of data loss, ATP Data Services keeps it simple for its customers by offering them a fair, fixed price per hard drive.  Our pricing structure does not fluctuate depending on the capacity of the storage media nor the extent of the physical damage of the drive.  This format sometimes appears too good to be true for customers, but it is one of the rare scenarios where we can honestly confirm “it’s unbelievable but true.”  Remember, if shopping for the right data recovery service provider is a daunting task for you, look beyond expert skillsets by confidently selecting a company that provides fair pricing. This means a fixed price for data recovery service as opposed to an escalating pricing structure that depends on the evaluation of the drive. Fair pricing also means that the company is willing to give its customers a full refund for unsuccessful data recovery attempts.  ATP Data Services (www.atpdataservices.com) deeply understands its customers’ needs as it already serves a wide range of customers across industries, recovering data from any brand of storage technology.