07Nov
Which RAID setup is right for your business
07 Nov 2018
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Drives. This
setup is used by companies – and sometimes individuals – for two reasons: to
improve the performance (i.e. the read/write speeds) of their storage media or
to improve reliability by creating an automated backup plan that provides an
effective and prompt form of retrieving
data from a failed RAID should it be necessary. It is even possible for
RAIDs to improve both performance and reliability if certain setups are
utilised, though these tend to be more expensive than frameworks designed to
serve just one of these purposes.All in all, this means that choosing the right RAID setup for your
business will differ depe...
05Nov
Could storing data in powder resolve our storage crisis?
05 Nov 2018
If you regularly peruse this blog you’ll know that we regularly discuss society’s
looming data storage crisis and the fact that a multitude of organisations
are seeking a solution.Currently, a number of potential solutions are being developed and we’ve
discussed several of – such as DNA data storage, improved HDD densities,
superior writing techniques etc. – on this blog. Now, there’s another
alternative data storage form on the block: powder.Yes, researchers – including experts in chemistry, biochemistry and
computer science – at the University of Ghent in Belgium have developed a
chemical process that has allowed them to store small amounts of data in powder
form, with the process...
02Nov
Small businesses, here’s what you need to know about GDPR
02 Nov 2018
On May of this year, General Data Protection Regulation (more commonly
known as GDPR) came into effect. With the vast majority of businesses large and
small utilising peoples’ data in some way, shape or form, there are few that
won’t be affected, yet an alarmingly high number are unaware of how GDPR will
alter their day-to-day practices or what they must do in order to ensure
they’re compliant. Considering that the maximum fine for breaching this
legislation can now potentially run into multi-million-pound territory, we here
at Fields Data Recovery
want to help – that’s why we’ve written about the most important things all
businesses need to know about GDPR:People have a right to ac...
01Nov
How Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording works
01 Nov 2018
We recently wrote about the need for storage media with greater storage
capacities – focusing on Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) techniques and
how this results in HDDs that are capable of storing more data within standard
formats. Today, we discuss another means of achieving this: Heat-Assisted
Magnetic Recording (HAMR).Like Shingled Magnetic Recording, HAMR increases a hard drive’s storage
density by increasing the amount of data each of its platters can hold. Whilst
Shingled Magnetic Recording achieves this by allowing data tracks to overlap
with one another, though, HAMR does it by decreasing the physical space needed
to store each individual byte, thus increasing the...
31Oct
Shingled Magnetic Recording explained
31 Oct 2018
Last week, we wrote about Western Digital’s latest HDD and the fact
that, by utilising a unique way of writing data known as Shingled Magnetic
Recording, it boasts the greatest storage capacity of any HDD in history – but
how does this new writing technique work and, more importantly, why does it
result in superior storage densities.All HDDs write data onto discs coated in magnetic materials, commonly
referred to as platters. All data is comprised of individual bytes which
represent either a one or a zero. This means that, when you choose to store
data on a HDD, it is translated into a series of ones and zeroes and written
onto the platter with each one or zero taking up on...
26Oct
Western Digital release highest capacity HDD ever
26 Oct 2018
Things move quickly in the world of technology and data
storage; only last month we wrote about how Seagate had released the
world’s first 14TB HDDs but Western Digital have gone one better having
just unveiled their Ultrastar 15TB drive.
In order to achieve this unprecedented capacity, Western
Digital have utilised Shingled Magnetic Recording, a technique that increases
storage density by allowing data tracks to overlap with one another which
allows more data to be stored on a drive’s platters.
Unlike Seagate, who released several variations of their
14TB drive, Western Digital have opted to release just one version of the
Ultrastar but claim that the extra 1TB of storage cou...
25Oct
GitHub reminds businesses of the importance of data storage
25 Oct 2018
Data storage media is so often the unsung hero of the business world.
Nigh-on all companies and organisations rely on it in some way shape or form.
For many, it plays an invaluable role in vital departments such as sales,
marketing and customer care – and this is becoming more apparent at more and
more institutions each day least of all because we’ve seen just how urgent data recovery services
can be needed first-hand.In spite of this, a surprisingly large number of senior stakeholders are
– whilst not unaware of the importance of their data – unprepared for the
possibility of their storage media failing. This, I am in no doubt, is attributable
to the fact that hard drives, SSDs etc....
25Oct
Is your computer hard drive failing? Here’s how to tell
25 Oct 2018
Hard drives crash, and it can happen any time from day one to several
years down the line. It’s actually more convenient if it happens on day one because
then it’s almost definitely a factory or manufacturing issue and it’s likely
that you’ll only have a small amount of your precious data stored on it. Within
a few months, though, it’ll be stuffed full of your personal photos and documents.
Waking up to discover that it packed in and given up the ghost overnight would
be a nightmare. It was all so tragically sudden – or was it? You might have
been sitting on a ticking time bomb just waiting to crash that had been trying
to send you hints for weeks.Though you might not be able to pinp...
19Oct
How to transfer your data to a new PC
19 Oct 2018
If you’re anything like me, the moment you purchase a piece of
technology of any kind you immediately regress to the point where you are, to
all extents and purpose, ten-years-old again. Literally everything has to wait
until I’ve got everything setup and running. When the new item in question is a
new PC, that includes transferring all of the data stored on my old device over
to my shiny new one.Recently, my parents replaced their PC of several years, with my mother
– who, unlike my father, is not a complete luddite – taking charge of the task
of transferring over their data to their new one machine. Having not done this
before, however, she turned it into a drawn-out process: ident...
18Oct
How the Cloud works
18 Oct 2018
For those of us who grew up when mobile phones were beginning to go
mainstream, terrestrial television began airing a fifth channel and the discman
was the most technologically advanced mobile media player available, today’s
technology – such as smartphones, streaming services and superfast broadband –
can seem nothing short of miraculous.The Cloud – perhaps due to its ubiquitous nature – is a great example of
such advancements. It’s almost like our data is being stored in – and retrieved
from – the atmosphere; quite literally like magic. The explanation, though, is
far more straightforward.This service is delivered by multiple computers, servers and data
centres located in various p...