29 March 2011

Kroll Ontrack supports extensive range of virtualised systems to meet complex data recovery demands

Ontrack Data Recovery engineers see a growing number of recoveries involving a wide range of virtualisation products

LONDON – 29 March, 2011 – Kroll Ontrack, the leading provider of information management, data recovery and legal technologies products and services, today announced that it now supports a comprehensive range of virtualisation products, including Microsoft® Hyper-V™, Oracle® VM VirtualBox® and Citrix® XenServer ® as well as VMware® vSphere™ virtual systems, through its in-lab and remote Ontrack® Data Recovery services.

Supporting virtual data recovery from VMware systems for several years, Kroll Ontrack is now seeing a growing number of recoveries involving other virtualisation products such as Microsoft Hyper-V, Oracle VM VirtualBox and Citrix XenServer, citing a 66 percent increase in the number of virtualisation jobs worldwide from 2009 to 2010. Virtualisation consolidates more critical data on fewer systems, increasing the potential damage in the event of a data loss. This, coupled with the complexity of virtual systems, demands new levels of expertise and specialised technology for data recovery. By combining virtual data recovery skills and just-in-time (JIT) Ontrack Data Recovery tool development capabilities to deploy unique custom solutions when needed, Kroll Ontrack maximises data availability in instances of virtual data loss, ensuring business continuity and data integrity.

"Virtualisation is a growing trend that offers enterprises the opportunity to consolidate systems and save costs," said Abhik Mitra, product manager, Kroll Ontrack. "But it also adds a level of complexity and exposes enterprise data to new risks. At Kroll Ontrack, we are seeing the number of data recovery requests from virtual systems grow rapidly, and we are committed to helping our clients recover their critical data by supporting an extensive range of virtual systems."

Nearly half of the virtual data recoveries performed worldwide by Kroll Ontrack in 2010 were directly caused by human error. Ontrack Data Recovery engineers also report the most frequent reasons for data loss in virtual systems are corrupt volumes, hardware failures and accidentally deleted files.

"As virtualisation becomes more popular, the increased risk of data loss means that a data recovery strategy has become more critical," said Mitra. "In fact, IT managers revealed that 60 percent of virtualised servers are not covered in their current data recovery plans and 44 percent of data on virtual systems is not regularly backed up, according to the 2010 Symantec Disaster Recovery Study. With any storage environment, the key to avoiding data loss is an effective disaster recovery plan that includes frequent testing of backups and a reputable data recovery provider.“

Whatever the cause of loss, Kroll Ontrack is experienced in recovering data from the most disastrous scenarios involving virtual infrastructures, servers, file systems and workstations. With VMware Certified Professional (VSP), Microsoft Certifed Professional (MCP) and other virtual system certifications, Ontrack Data Recovery engineers can initiate a data recovery procedure within minutes, offering customers the option of in-lab recovery, on-site recovery or unique Ontrack Remote Data Recovery technology, a proprietary service that offers the fastest, most convenient solution for data recovery where the hardware is still functioning properly.

Through its Ontrack Data Recovery products and services, Kroll Ontrack is the largest, most experienced and technologically advanced provider of data recovery products and services worldwide. Using its hundreds of proprietary tools and techniques, Ontrack Data Recovery solutions help businesses and consumers recover lost or corrupted data from all types of operating systems and media and storage devices through its do-it-yourself, remote and in-lab capabilities. Kroll Ontrack offers a free initial consultation for customers experiencing a data loss.

About Kroll Ontrack Inc.
Kroll Ontrack provides technology-driven services and software to help legal, corporate and government entities as well as consumers manage, recover, search, analyze, produce and present data efficiently and cost-effectively. In addition to its award-winning suite of software, Kroll Ontrack provides data recovery, data destruction, paper and electronic discovery, document review, computer forensics, secure information services, ESI and jury consulting, and trial presentation services. Kroll Ontrack is the technology services division of Kroll Inc., the global risk consulting company. Kroll is a subsidiary of Altegrity, an industry-leading provider of information solutions.