Stranger Data – the Stranger Things We See in the Lab for Recovery
30 May 2022
At CBL we’ve seen odd hard drives, and some stranger things, too.
Data Protection Survey: What the Numbers Say
30 September 2021
Confidence in protecting business data that is being used in different places and threatened in different ways is a point of growing concern according to the results of a recent Data Protection survey. We break down the key findings of the snapshot that includes cyber threats like ransomware and the increase in remote work as factors.
Data Protection Snapshot by the Numbers
1 October 2020
Organizations are managing a lot more data these days and that means more data to protect – but confidence is lacking in ability not only to protect it but recover from increasing disruptions and downtime. We’ve picked out some of the number highlights from a recent Data Protection survey.
Data Recovery Wins on a Film’s Journey From Storyboard to Awards Season
7 February 2020
During Oscar and film industry awards season some of the year’s best works are highlighted but data loss threats behind-the-scenes can get in the way of a film’s journey to success. Here are two of our favorite movie-related data recovery wins.
Lucky the Server
20 December 2018
(To the tune of Frosty the Snowman)
Lucky the Server,
Kept his users going all day,
So were they surprised when
Before their eyes,
He went offline one day.
Data Loss is a Bitter Pill to Swallow – Give CBL a Shot
20 June 2018
…Large coffee in one hand, laptop teetering precariously on the other, you turn the corner and – WHAM! Threats to your data are around many corners. Here are the most common causes of data loss to watch out for.
CBL the Data-Saving Reindeer
22 December 2016
You know Accounting and Sales, Marketing, and Finance.
Production, Logistics, Design Group, and Freelance.
But do you recall?
The most famous department of all?
![Plugged In: The Internet of [Every] Thing](https://www.cbldatarecovery.com/blog/images/107.jpg "Plugged In: The Internet of [Every] Thing")
Plugged In: The Internet of [Every] Thing
22 June 2016
![Plugged In: The Internet of [Every] Thing](/blog/images/107.jpg "Plugged In: The Internet of [Every] Thing")
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the biggest thing since the Internet. And it is, quite literally, huge. Notably, “the Internet is as much a collection of communities as a collection of technologies.” It connects computers and people. Now, the Internet far surpasses its original definition as a vast network of computer systems. It has expanded rapidly and could potentially include everything. In the Internet of Things, all kinds of objects and technologies can effectively “talk” to one another.
Heads and Tales: Rescuing Data for Environmentalists Rescuing the Rainforest
21 April 2016
Through the research efforts of the individuals who make the Durika Reserve home as well as the visitors to the community each year, a vast array of previously unknown or recorded findings has been collected for five years on the flora and fauna which also make Durika their home.
While a self-sustainable community that uses alternative energy sources, its members do leverage select modern technologies including a laptop computer upon which are stored the images of the flora and fauna captured by researchers and visitors. When Eugenio García López, biologist and ecologist with Fundación Durika, could not access the files on his laptop’s hard drive, he felt despair.
Data Disasters: When a Big Data Loss Becomes a Giant Problem
16 March 2016
Filing cabinets and safety deposit boxes are old-school. In this technological age, our personal, most valuable information is secured somewhere in the digital universe. It might be saved on an external hard drive or on an internal server. It might live in the Cloud, in an encrypted file, or in a Dropbox folder. Wherever your data is located, there’s no way to be sure it’s 100% safe or secure.
Disaster is inevitable. Sometimes it’s a fender bender or a stolen credit card. Other times, it’s a Big Data disaster.
What is Big Data?
Big Data is a recent ‘hot topic’ in the tech world. It is:
“A term that describes the large volume of data – both structured and unstructured – that inundates a business on a day-to-day basis. But it’s not the amount of data that’s important. It’s what organizations do with the data that matters. Big data can be analyzed for insights that lead to better decisions and strategic business moves.”
The second part of this definition is the critical piece; it’s not the amount of data, but what can be done with the data.
Ten Years on From Katrina: Reducing Impact Key so Business Can Weather the Storm
31 August 2015
10 years ago this past week Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans. Many businesses were submerged in water and either partially or totally destroyed. Recovery planning is key but taking steps to reduce impact on business goes a long way to maintaining operations.
The 5 Most Common Causes of Data Loss
4 December 2014
According to the research, approximately 15% of small to mid-sized businesses still aren’t backing up their data in case of disaster or one of the other major causes of damage or data loss. Even those that do perform regular backups should be vigilant of any threats to their system. Here are the five most commonly experienced culprits of data loss to watch out for.
Five Numbers about Data Loss Business Owners Should Know
20 October 2014
We see a lot of numbers around the lab and business world about data loss and recovery. Here’s data loss stat numbers that have been kicking about.
Have You Seen My Data?
19 March 2013
This is more like ‘lost devices’, not quite the kind of data loss we deal with, but at CBL we feel concerned customers’ pain every day in recovery inquiries like these.
We Spy Data Loss in the Wild 007
9 November 2012
We couldn’t help but ‘spy’ data loss in the wild. The new James Bond film is arriving in theaters and we noticed this in the trailer. Hard drive gone missing, Mr. Bond?
Data Loss Toy Story - Crisis at Pixar Averted
14 May 2012
This starts off sounding like every customer phone call we get every day. Pixar Animation Studio’s brush with a data loss disaster during the making of their film Toy Story 2.
Click through to watch this great video!
![Data Disaster Impacts felt across Asia, Recovery confidence not that high [Infographic]](https://www.cbldatarecovery.com/blog/images/49.jpg "Data Disaster Impacts felt across Asia, Recovery confidence not that high [Infographic]")
Data Disaster Impacts felt across Asia, Recovery confidence not that high [Infographic]
8 May 2012
As the amount of data the world is producing and needing to store continues to multiply, its value to corporate business operations is also increasing. In the Asia-Pacific regions, with economic growth and turbulence all the same, the importance of minimizing disruption and maximizing business continuity prospects when problems occur remains.
EMC released the results of a survey on the topic today. Check out the various areas where data loss and the lack of confidence in recovery affects business in AsiaPac regions.
Hate Doing Your Taxes? Avoid Electronic Tax Data Headaches
11 April 2012
North Americans hate to pay taxes and more and more of us try to alleviate the nuisance by filing our income tax returns electronically. Submitting tax returns electronically, or ‘e-filing’ is more popular every year. As the deadlines to prepare and file income tax returns approach, you do not want to increase your stress with extra electronic headaches.
Critical Business Data Remains Vulnerable to Attack, Natural Disaster
3 April 2012
It’s Spring! Time to review & renew your business continuity plan. According to a recent survey of small and medium business owners and IT decision makers, businesses are leaving themselves increasingly vulnerable to the loss of data and the potential for a privacy breach.
The revelations come from a recent survey commissioned by Primus Business Services, which shows nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of participating small and medium businesses invest less than 10 per cent of their budgets in data security…
Depending on Data: Downtime and the Domino Effect
12 May 2011
Depending on data is a part of business life in the 21st Century. Our dependency comes from the fact that it is often key to the successful operation of business. When data loss incidents and outages occur, they start a chain of consequences that occur one after another, like a sequence of dominos falling – aptly described as the domino effect of data loss.
Disaster Recovery: More Planning, Less Downtime
6 July 2009
Symantec recently released their 4th annual report on disaster recovery and the news is good, mostly. More organizations are planning and awareness is growing.
Financial Markets, Cars and Computers
30 June 2009
Q) What do financial markets, cars and computers have in common?
A) They crash.
When the markets crash, people suffer real financial losses.
When automobiles crash, people suffer serious injuries.
When computers crash, people lose their data.
Data Recovery: What Not to Do
22 June 2009
Data recovery typically occurs in an emotional climate of great distress. Keeping this in mind, it is important to refrain from certain impulses…
Avoid Looking for "Quick" Fixes to Data Loss Problems
19 June 2009
A data loss crisis can erode an organization’s self-confidence. Organizations can mitigate the threat of data loss by taking these three steps
Data Recovery vs Data Restoration
10 June 2009
Data recovery is frequently confused with data restoration. In data restoration, data is brought back from backup media sources. In data recovery, there is no data backup.
Recovery in the Recession
8 June 2009
It was noted on itbusiness.ca that “Recent Gartner survey data of 475 IT decision makers in global enterprises with 1,000 or more employees found that more companies are actually postponing or scaling back computing projects rather than canceling them outright.”
“That might be so,” states Kalle Almer, Director of Business...
Backup Computers Before School's Out
4 June 2009
Summer is almost here. School will be out. The kids will be home and looking for things to do. There’s a good chance you will find them sitting in front of a computer(s).
Bits, Bytes and Blush
15 May 2009
Can data live to see another day after a laptop crashes to the ground?
Hate to pay taxes, but love to file income tax returns electronically?
13 March 2009
North Americans hate to pay taxes, but more and more of us love to file our income tax returns electronically.
CBL Data Recovery reminds North Americans who will file their returns electronically to backup their computers.
Keep a Lid on IT
5 February 2009
...resist the temptation to tamper with or hand over the drive to anyone but a professional data recovery specialist…
Saving Bits Can Earn You Bucks
2 February 2009
If you now find yourself back on the job market, here is an opportunity to earn money while you continue your search for a new job —The “CBL Data Recovery Advantage Partner Program”
IT Resellers: Lost Data Is Found Revenue
16 January 2009
So what does a reseller of IT goods and services do to generate a profit in these challenging economic times?
While it currently may be a challenge to sell a new IT solution to replace a company’s existing infrastructure, there are ongoing opportunities which emerge from customers who keep their older systems: it’s not a matter IF data loss will happen; it’s simply a matter of WHEN.
Can you afford to be without your data?
14 January 2009
Hard drives don’t discriminate. Whether the economy is in a recession or a boom, no one is immune to data loss. It’s never a matter of IF data loss will happen; it’s simply a matter of WHEN.
SITEX 2008 in the bag
10 December 2008
Hopefully (if you were in Singapore) you made your way to SITEX 2008 and the CBL booth. This year had more of everything, including visitors.
Humpty Couldn't, But Your Data Can Survive A Crash
20 November 2008
If Humpty Dumpty had been working on his laptop while he was sitting on the wall when he had his great fall, we know that all the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again. But what about data on his laptop? Could...
Holiday Gift Idea for the Tech Savvy Person on Your List
13 November 2008
Looking for a unique gift for the geek or nerd in your family?
At a loss as to what to buy a tech savvy friend this holiday season? You know the guy or gal who owns a couple of computers and is always being called upon to take...
The Day His Infallible RAID Array Failed
7 November 2008
Have you ever asked yourself, “What would I do if I lost everything that I’ve stored on my computer for the last 15 years?” Well, one CBL Data Recovery customer did.
Save Data. Dispel Data Recovery Myths.
29 October 2008
Data recovery is not simple or straightforward. Data loss can occur for numerous reasons. Just as numerous are misconceptions about the data recovery process.
Aftermath of Hurricane Ike - Data on Storm-Damaged Computers May Be Recoverable
15 September 2008
As residents of the Greater Houston Area begin the cleanup after Hurricane Ike’s devastation, consumers and business owners alike who discover storm- and water-damaged computers in their homes and offices should follow this advice.
If you have family or friends in the Houston area, let them know they can...
Does Your Computer Vendor's "Service Recovery" Include Your Data?
12 September 2008
Have you ever had the occasion to call a vendor to express your dissatisfaction with its product or service that you purchased? What reaction did you get from the staff? Did they pay you lip service and simply ignore your complaints? Did the vendor live up...
A Day Without Data is Like a Day Without Sunshine
22 August 2008
Floridians would agree that Fay’s departure is long overdue. Her visit to the Sunshine State has been accompanied by horrific gale-force winds and record rainfall. In fact, Bloomberg News reported in an article that Fay has dumped almost 30 inches (76 centimeters) of...
The Computer Mechanics talk Backup and Data Loss
13 August 2008
You Can’t Use it if you Lose It: A prequel episode of The Computer Mechanics where they talk data backup and data loss
Goodbye Dolly; Hello CBL
25 July 2008
As business owners and individuals in Southern Texas bid Hurricane Dolly farewell and good riddance, many will discover flood-damaged computers and cameras.
If you find yourself in such a predicament,
- do not assume that the files on your computer or memory card are lost;
- do not attempt to use...
Strange Recoveries: Ant Attraction
15 May 2008
Occasionally CBL gets interesting projects. If you live in the Houston, TX area you may have heard the news of the unique ant problem some residents have been experiencing. It is believed that a species of ants usually found in the Caribbean and South America arrived...
Data Loss is No Joke
25 March 2008
Data loss is no joke. While best practices can prevent the loss of data, many individuals fail to backup their data.
Consider these individuals. If computers had been around in their day, could you imagine the predicaments that they would have been in?
- George Washington to Martha: I cannot...
5 Steps to Rapid Recovery When Your 5x9 RAID Fails
6 March 2008
RAIDs. Whether you call it a Redundant Array of Independent or Inexpensive Disks, one thing is for certain. Your organization is very dependent on your RAID and the data that is stored on its hard drives.
While hardware vendors or VARs sell customers on a RAID’s fault tolerance...
Compute While You Commute
7 February 2008
Laptops continue to populate our IT-landscape in growing numbers. The convenience that laptops afford us, the choice of applications available, and declining price are compelling reasons individuals and organizations are embracing laptops rather than their more sedimentary PC cousins. And, we cannot dismiss the growing trend of the...
The Need For Data Recovery
24 January 2008
Data recovery is one of those services you will always need. It is one of those services that, despite any preventative measures you take, you will require at some point. You can make countless backups, you can have several UPS power supplies, even have every security software available...
Dangers of DIY Data Recovery
11 January 2008
Sometimes a little bit of knowledge can lead to bad things. Often we get calls from IT professionals who require data recovery services. As they explain the symptoms of the failure they proceed to explain what they have already attempted. This is when a $500 recovery can turn into...
Yes, Virginia, Your Holiday Photos can be Rescued
13 December 2007
Don’t let data loss ruin your holidays.
Forty years ago, beaming mothers queued up at local drug or department stores to have their children, dressed in their finest clothing, photographed on Santa Claus’ knee, a memory forever captured on glossy paper and displayed once a year on the coffee table or...
Heads and Tales: When he lost data, Kardinal Offishall did the right thing.
6 December 2007
When Kardinal Offishall, the Juno Award winner and Canada’s “hip-hop ambassador”, discovered that he could no longer access files required for an imminent recording session at an US studio later the same week, he did the right thing. He called CBL Data Recovery.
CBL technicians...
Heads and Tales: For 24 hours, CBL is THE Hub
6 December 2007
For 24 hours, CBL is THE Hub.
Canada’s data recovery specialist comes to hubcanada.com’s rescue.
For small business owners, the end of the business day rarely finishes at five o’clock. In fact, taking work home to complete or review at the end of the day or on the weekend has...
When a backup drive is not a "backup"
28 November 2007
Many times we get customers who bring in their external drives just after a crash. Often the external drive is referred to as their “backup”.
“I copied all of my data to my backup and it failed …”
Well, what about your original data? You mean this was your only copy?...
Rare Music Files Rescued from Severely Damaged Hard Drive
5 November 2007
Heads and Tales: Out of the Ashes
When vintage music store, M.C. Productions Vintage Recordings, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada was destroyed in a fire, owner Mickey Clark lost all of the CDs he had compiled from his massive record collection, all of the backup disks from the music files he had digitized, and half of his inventory of 20,000 original recordings dating back to 1902. In addition, both of his hard drives were drowning in two feet of water. To the distraught performer, that meant the possible loss of thousands of music files many of which were Clark’s only copies which he started collecting at the age of eight.
Attention California Residents and CBL Customers
24 October 2007
As wildfires continue to ravage Southern California, CBL Data Recovery’s San Diego County laboratory remains open. CBL reminds computer users throughout the country that data can often be recovered successfully from fire-damaged storage media.
Doug Owens, Managing Director of CBL’s laboratory in El Cajon...
You can weather the storm, but can you weather data loss?
17 August 2007
You may know them as Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin or Flossie. No, they’re not the finalists on the popular television programs “So You Think You Can Dance” or “American Idol”. They are the tropical storms that have or are threatening to make land fall during the
The Ten Commandments of Data Loss Prevention
17 August 2007
In the August 16, 2007 edition of The Globe and Mail, columnist Jack Kapica brings to his readers’ attention some interesting research results from California-based Strategic Research Corp. in his article, What if your backup needs backup?
Three main causes of data loss...
Attention Students: Don't put your data at risk
9 August 2007
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company stated in a July 23, 2007 press release that “according to recent surveys of college students 97% own a computer, 94% a cell phone and 56% an MP3 player. Moreover, a recent Alloy College Explorer Study found...
Be Prepared.
2 August 2007
Organizations of any size can and do experience data loss on a daily basis which can severely impact business continuity. Hence, all organizations should include data recovery as part of their disaster recovery plans.
Security Matters, a magazine for small to medium-sized businesses, features a number of articles which address...
Heads and Tales: Data Loss Demystified for JargonMaster - Part 1
23 July 2007
One Friday afternoon, Simon Sharwood got a lesson in karma.
“I nipped away from my computer to check the cricket score on television,” says the freelance journalist and copywriter and owner of JargonMaster Corporate, a Sydney, Australia-based writing business.
“When I came back, my PC had reverted to DOS mode...
Heads and Tales: When Data Loss Disaster Strikes, Don't Shutter.
20 July 2007
When Malcolm Rose’s digital camera stopped detecting the SD Card containing the photographs he had taken, he was worried the memories of the family vacation to Paris were lost forever. Upon his return home to Ottawa, one of Mr. Rose’s first priorities was to investigate whether someone could salvage...
Heads and Tales: PR Firm Turns to CBL to Retrieve Data
19 July 2007
“The day it happened couldn’t have been worse from a timing perspective,” said David Bosworth, a senior public relations consultant with C2E Consulting describing the experience of losing access to all the files on his desktop PC when his four-year-old, 120GB hard drive crashed.
“It was one of the busiest times...
Will the Summer of 2007 Damage Your Data?
29 June 2007
Residents of some cities are already hearing and reading pleas from municipal officials restrict water consumption and to reduce their power consumption and the summer of 2007 is only one week old. Blackouts and brownouts have already occurred as air conditioners and fans are working overtime to keep workers...
Data: Resilient and Recoverable
26 June 2007
In a press release issued in February 2007, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association reported that “Government figures suggest nearly one in five businesses suffers a major disruption every year. Further research suggests 80% of businesses affected by a major incident close down within 18 months, and 90% of those who...
Business Continuity = Data
6 June 2007
Many businesses and government agencies have implemented business continuity plans that include data backup to minimize downtime during a disaster or other unforeseen disruptions, but many organizations don’t realize data loss can occur despite having backup technology.
In May 2007, A&T came out with some key finding in its
Heads and Tales: CBL Found the File No Other Company Could
10 May 2007
Marianne Richmond, owner of Marianne Richmond Studios in Minneapolis, had almost given up on data recovery specialists when her personal computer’s hard drive failed last year. Nobody could find the only file she desperately wanted — her personal journal for the past 10 years.
Her 500-page journal was crammed...
Data Recovery Firms Come and Go
8 May 2007
If you’re shopping for a data recovery firm, you have discovered it is a highly competitive market. A search for “ data recovery services “ on google.com returned approximately 77,900,000 results.
So how do you make sense of it all??
To start, ask yourself some simple questions:
1)...
Heads and Tales: The Digital Journal and the Data Recovery Journey
5 May 2007
Whether your journal is a personal diary, like the one CBL Data Recovery rescued for Marianne Richmond, mother and business owner, when all other companies’ attempts failed, or a popular social-networking site like DigitalJournal.com, data loss can cripple an organization.
Digital Journal shared with its members the ups and...
