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The Difference Between Data Recovery and Data Restoration

As technology continues to advance, more and more organizations are transitioning their critical data over to the cloud and are making more use of SaaS applications such as Office 365 and the Google Suite. As such, forward-thinking companies not only focus on creating backups for their precious data, but they’re also taking into consideration the possible solutions for data protection. These goals, however, require a new way of thinking. Having a backup is one solution, but being able to restore your data in the event of a disaster or data loss is crucial. But just what is the difference between data recovery and data restoration? 

The Answer 

While the terms “restore” and “recover” may be used interchangeably, they actually have a big difference in their meaning. “Recovering” files generally refers to the process of salvaging one or more files, while “restoring” files refers to replacing a whole hard drive or system from a full system backup. Both, however, can be used to refer to the retrieval of files from a backup device like an external hard drive, hard disk, or other storage media. 

Recovering a File

Recovering a file is simple enough to understand. When you erase a document by accident, you have the chance to recover your file using a recent backup. If an error occurs and you find that several files are corrupted and can’t be opened, it’s possible to recover the whole folder using a backup. By dragging files from a backup disk you’ve prepared onto the hard disk you’re currently using, you may be able to recover files and folders. An alternative way to recover files is to use a backup utility program. 

Restoring Files 

The process of restoring files is a bit more tricky. Surely, we’ve all experienced a time when our entire hard drive crashes and corrupts everything in the system, rendering it completely useless. As a result, the computer won’t boot up.  When such desperate times come, it is necessary to perform full data restoration. Data restoration is best performed by professionals such as Americon Restoration.

Levels of Data Recovery 

There are different levels of data recovery and depending on which level you need to work with, it may be quite a process to get your data back. Data recoveries that happen at the desktop level are very common and involve retrieving your data from hard drives and disks. Recovering data at the enterprise level, however, is more complex and involves much more work since file systems from multi-user business systems, corrupted databases, and networked hard drives need to be retrieved. However, whether you lose data on an enterprise or a desktop level, every case of data recovery is unique, since they can be highly technical and resource-intensive. 

Data Restoration and Recovery: Two Unique Processes

In short, while “restore” and “recover” may sound the same, they serve different purposes and are quite distinct from each other. Just think of it like this: restoring a hard disk will recover all your files at once, and is a much bigger process compared to recovering files individually. The most important thing to remember is, no matter how you choose to differentiate these two terms, you must always create a backup for your hard drive. 

Do You Need Cleveland Data Restoration or Recovery Services?

Have you lost your data? You can count on Americon Restoration! We are a restoration company and a Cleveland data recovery expert. We have successfully restored many electronic items, including but not limited to tablets, computers of every size, type, and brand, printers, and more. We know you may have concerns about COVID-19 and we want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to keep our employees and our customers healthy and safe. Americon Restoration is taking all necessary precautions before entering our customers’ homes and closely following CDC guidelines. We want you and your family to feel safe and stay healthy! Please contact us through our website or by phone at (216) 221-5200.