Computer Viruses Bristol

Data recovery expert Ontrack offers some top tips to avoid the worst

The vast range of physical and virtual security threats to businesses today means even the largest of organisations have trouble maintaining up-to-date security, business continuity and disaster recovery procedures. For SMEs the challenge is even greater.

SMEs often do not have a dedicated IT director or manager, and as such lack the resource and knowledge to effectively design, implement and manage technology solutions. Whilst this is not surprising, it is unfortunately the most cost-effective solution. The problems this can cause are brought to light only once a crisis, such as the recent Sasser virus, has already happened. The good news is there are some simple steps that can be taken to remedy the problem.

The greatest danger any business faces in light of a physical or virtual ‘disaster’ is data loss. Electronic data has become one of the most valued assets any business possesses, so it is all the more astonishing just how few businesses proactively protect and back up critical business information, or understand the ramifications of losing such data. In fact, statistics indicate that 78 per cent of businesses that have not recovered business critical data within ten business days go bankrupt (Guardian Online 2002). Despite these facts, a report from industry analyst Gartner estimates that only 35 per cent of SMEs have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place.

Since many SMEs are now in an ‘always on’ environment, i.e. they are permanently connected to the Internet, the speed with which internet-based viruses such as Sasser can spread has increased dramatically. Viruses like Sasser and Netsky can spread through hundreds of machines in a matter of seconds and have been identified as one of the five main causes of data loss. Other causes include hardware or system malfunction, human error, software programme malfunction, viruses and natural disasters. No form of storage can be completely fail-safe.

So what simple steps can SMEs take to make sure they get back up-and-running and retrieve any lost or corrupted data after an attack?

The first simple step is don’t panic! Never presume that data is lost for good, no matter how catastrophic the damage or loss seems at the time, since there are a variety of simple, cost-effective methods to retrieve the information.

However there are several, simple but critical tips that can help lessen the chance of losing data permanently as well as preventing further damage - many of which people in panic don’t consider.

• Regularly run a defragmenter tool on your computer - this can improve the quality of recovery since it puts the files in a more recognisable chain
• In a networked environment, infected users should always disconnect the network cable from the back of the machine to help prevent the virus from spreading through the office
• Do not browse the Web from a machine that ...