How serious is Data Loss?

Featured article by Philip Piletic, aspiring writer and blogger

Data loss is one of the most serious concerns for both individuals and businesses. People who create, modify or enter any type of data into computer systems are aware of the effects of data loss on their work. Depending on the type of data loss that occurred, data recovery may be possible using various types of applications. There are many causes of data loss.

Human Error

This is one of the most significant causes of data loss. Human error may involve accidentally formatting a hard drive, unknowingly deleting a file or folder and physically damaging the computer system. People who work with computers should know the basic operations of computer systems to prevent avoidable errors that may cause data loss. However, no matter what precautions you take, humans simply make mistakes – it’s in our nature. If it comes to worst, there’s software specifically designed to try and recover lost data.

Storms

Storms are other types of natural disasters may cause data loss. Storms can damage buildings or cut power supply to data centers. If a user does not save his data when power goes out, unsaved work will be lost.

Computer Virus

Certain types of viruses, Trojans or malware can damage computer systems and render their data lost or unusable. Computer viruses can infect computer systems and do all sorts of damage to the systems. Installing antivirus and antispyware programs can significantly reduce the risk of damage and data loss.

Hardware Problem

Hardware problem or fault such as a bad hard drive can cause significant amount of data loss. Hard drives with bad sectors are unable to write data in those sectors. Data in bad hard drive sectors are most likely lost. The most common type of hardware problem is an error with the hard disk drive.

Hardware Damage

Closely related to problem above, hardware damage can be anything from mechanical damage, fires, electrical malfunctions, and so on. Even though this may seem as an ultimate catastrophe, resulting in both hardware and data loss, things aren’t always so grim – there’s specialized ways to extract data from your electrocuted PC or iPad that just kissed the concrete.

Program Problem

Data loss may also be caused by a program or system problem. Memory errors or write errors in the operating system can cause programs to crash. When programs crash, any data that was not previously saved will be lost. To prevent data loss, save and backup your data periodically to prevent data loss in case your program crashes.

Impacts of Data Loss

Data loss is a global problem costing countries billions of dollars each year. One of the leading causes of data loss is cyber attacks. Some countries have taken only a few steps to combat cyber crime, and as a result, many hackers and cyber criminals flourish in such countries where they initiate their attacks.

Worldwide Losses

Global financial losses as a result of data loss caused by viruses, worms and other computer-related attacks runs into billions of dollars. Today, insurance companies sell cyber-crime insurance and identity theft protection for individuals and businesses in order to lessen the effects of data loss and raise the confidence of online investors and workers.

Effects on Company Stock

Data loss can have significant effects on company stock. Affected firms also suffer in the stock market days after data loss. Data loss can affect companies trading on the stock exchange as well as consumers. This can cause a bleed-through effect that can affect all levels of the economy.

Trends and Implications

The potential for data loss is likely to cause certain trends. Individuals and businesses are now more likely to use power surge protectors and antivirus software. However, two trends are likely to drive the annual amount of data loss upwards:

1. Increased reliance on laptops and tablets, which are more likely to suffer data loss than PCs, particularly from accidental damage such as dropping and water damage

2. More data stored in smaller spaces such as flash drives and SD cards increases the possibility of data loss or damage.

The amount of data used by individuals and corporations is increasing and so is reliance on the data. The implications are wide and varied. Businesses should invest in technologies such as antivirus programs and backup systems that reduce the possibility of data loss. Computer systems should also be password protected to reduce the possibility of data theft.

However, despite the data protection measures taken by individuals and companies, data loss will still occur. Data backup technologies are often reasonably priced eliminating cost as an obstacle in data protection. Company IT staff should hold training sessions on data protection procedures since an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.

Philip Piletic is an aspiring writer and blogger with a love for business, finance and technology. His goal is to give useful advice and help people adapt to ever evolving world of today.