Data Loss: An Expert's Guide to the Four Categories

Data loss is an unfortunate reality that can happen at any time. It can be caused by a variety of factors, such as power errors, hardware errors, software crashes or freezes, software errors, poor usability, physical damage to storage media, and logical damage. In this article, we'll explore the four main categories of data loss and how to protect yourself from them. Power errors are one of the most common causes of data loss.

This occurs when volatile memory data is not saved in permanent memory. This can be caused by a power outage or a surge in electricity. To protect yourself from this type of data loss, it's important to have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) installed on your computer. This will provide a backup power source in case of a power outage or surge.

Hardware errors are another common cause of data loss. This can include brain locks on hard drives or physical damage to storage media. Physical damage can be caused by floods, fires, or even just touching the storage media with your fingers. To protect yourself from this type of data loss, it's important to store your storage media in a safe place and handle it with care.

Software crashes or freezes can also cause data loss. This occurs when the software fails to save the data before it crashes or freezes. To protect yourself from this type of data loss, it's important to regularly back up your data and make sure your software is up-to-date and running smoothly. Finally, poor usability can also lead to data loss.

This can include not confirming a file deletion command or accidentally saving a file in a different location than intended. To protect yourself from this type of data loss, it's important to double-check all commands before executing them and make sure you know where your files are being saved.In addition to these four categories of data loss, there is also the threat of malicious viruses and ransomware. To protect yourself from these threats, it's important to have a good antivirus program installed on your computer and be careful when downloading files and applications online. It's also important to back up your data regularly so that if you do experience a virus attack or ransomware attack, you will still have access to your data.Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is another way to protect yourself from data loss.

DLP is a set of tools and processes used to ensure that sensitive data is not lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorized users. DLP software classifies regulated, confidential and business-critical data and identifies violations of policies defined by organizations or within a predefined package of policies.At Digital Guardian, we offer a next-generation cloud-based data protection platform that converges DLP, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and user and entity behavior analysis (UEBA) to provide comprehensive protection against all threats. We'll fully manage your data protection infrastructure and help you implement it for the shortest cost-effectiveness.Data loss is an unfortunate reality that can happen at any time. By understanding the four main categories of data loss and taking steps to protect yourself from them, you can minimize the risk of experiencing a major data loss event.

Joel Metty
Joel Metty

Iced coffee loving music fanatic with his own dad band, and years of data recovery experience.

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