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Many IT administrators fail to comply with corporate data security – according to the analysis of Kroll Ontrack. Data recovery specialists and forensics have created a list of errors, which should beware administrators.

Many administrators often forget the basic safety procedures

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Persons responsible for data protection in companies often forget about basic safety procedures, thereby exposing the company they work for, the serious financial losses and image.

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– In the case of corporate data stored in multiple locations and on multiple devices, a loss on any level can be very painful and requires the administrator to quickly restore system operation and minimize downtime. In this type of situation occurs nervous that the teams responsible for the security of the data, looking for temporary, instant solutions to ignore established procedures. This exposes the company to significant risk of data loss and thus financial loss – says Paul Odor, chief specialist Kroll Ontrack in Poland.

To minimize the risk of data loss during IT process management and crisis situations, administrators should avoid errors like:

1 Lack of documentation and the implementation of appropriate IT procedures for creating and storing backup. Specialists Kroll Ontrack had such a situation in which a test server came to use, but the IT department has not been informed that they are on the critical data that were not backed up in any way. In other cases, poor documentation contributed to the fact that IT administrators disassociated storage area network SAN, even though she was still
to use.

2 Not operating system or antivirus software. IT administrator’s Day is sometimes tight, and personal resources at its disposal – a small, but keep in mind that the disregard of basic procedures such as installation of operating system security updates and current version of anti-virus software can result in serious breach of data security.

3 Ineffective backup. From Kroll Ontrack survey shows that 60 percent of customers who have lost data, has carried out earlier backup, but it did not work properly at the time of loss of files . Incorrect creation and implementation of backup procedures, including neglect testing and control of the integrity of the copy, often leads to loss of data.

4 removal of data that are still in use. The laboratories Kroll Ontrack often get requests for data recovery from tape archives and servers that were considered to be unused, but still contain critical data. Before taking action, an IT administrator should make sure that the data to be deleted does not represent any value anymore.

5 No safety tests. Even the slightest oversight in IT security can lead to devastating results, such as data loss and serious financial consequences. Keep in mind, among others to reduce the number of people who have administrator rights, and in the case of a change of work by one of them – to change your password. Data recovery specialists have often the opportunity to work on cases caused by the action of disgruntled former employees who take advantage of access to corporate data and deliberately nickle information critical to the company.

– Faced with a situation requiring urgent intervention, the IT administrator should keep in mind the universal principles of minimizing the risk of data loss: do not panic, make informed decisions based on their skills, expertise and contact with the provider of data recovery services and follow pre-established procedures . Very important is also the knowledge of the environment and the data on which to work – so that in a crisis situation to consider the risks, priorities and decide what is more urgent – to restore the system to operation and protection of data that are in it – sums up Paul Odor.