GETTING “IT” BACK

With e-commerce and email the lifeblood of business in today’s information society, we talk to Rob Shrubsall, founder of the CONTENTENGINEER Group about recovering critical business data in today’s information society.
For immediate release – 1st November 2006

The use of information technology in all parts and all types of business has escalated considerably over the past five years. With the “coming of age” of the internet, email direct to mobile phones and promotion of tele-working; some businesses now find themselves almost 100% reliant on the availability of information.

When the information stops flowing whole offices and critical business processes can stop immediately. Revenue and profitability dives out of the window, and business managers start to panic. Any part of the complex components of software, hardware, networks and people that make up the system can fail – often without warning, but fortunately in the majority of instances, information flow is normally returned quickly.

But what happens if the pipe runs dry? Where do businesses turn if their servers stop delivering email? What type of organisation can help when backup data does not exist? Who do the IT department turn to when a senior executives laptop with the latest business plan gets drowned in a cup of coffee?

Whether or not they contact their IT support provider first, ultimately businesses who have lost data or have experienced an interruption in information flow, will need to engage a specialist data recovery company, such as CONTENTENGINEER Group based in Fleet, Hampshire. Established in 2001, by Rob Shrubsall, the group are independent experts in electronic data storage and often find themselves in a battle against time to recover mission critical data for both businesses and public sector organisations. “Every enquiry we receive and every solution we offer is unique” explains Rob Shrubsall, one of the UK’s leading independent experts in data storage. “The loss scenario affects businesses and organisations in many different ways, and we have to ensure that we tailor the methodology and recovery strategy to each client’s needs.”

Data Dangers

“Even in today’s computers, we still rely on mechanical devices to store the most critical and valuable data,” advised Rob Shrubsall. “These hard disks run for hours on end at speeds of upto 15,000 revolutions per minute, without any maintenance and unlike a car, without an oil change! They can store up to five hundred billion characters of information – which is an incredible amount of data if it had to be retyped from scratch.”

The types of situations that CONTENTENGINEER Group has to deal with are very wide ranging. They include having clients that have accidentally spilled red wine or coffee across the laptop when working late at night; to IT departments that have inadvertently reformatted an entire server’s RAID storage system and lost many terabytes of emails. “Whilst many clients will have been proactive in protecting their data, by investing in a data backup solution, it is often the most recently created files that have not yet been copied to a backup, that need to be recovered.”

“Engaging a data recovery expert early on in any suspected data loss situation is critical, as we’ve experienced many instances where further data loss has been caused inadvertently by the actions of third parties.”

Whether or not it is a server, desktop or laptop computer, Rob Shrubsall makes it clear that even installing free data recovery tools from the internet, can have a catastrophic affect on the quality and integrity of data that can be recovered. “We always recommend that clients take no further action, as even restarting the computer or running programs will likely make changes to the system, extending the time taken to undertake a recovery.”

No Repeat Recovery Business

With senior management experience both as a consumer and supplier of IT, he goes onto explain that the data recovery business is very unique. “We founded this company to solve emergency data loss situations, but the clear measure of whether the service delivered is successful, is if customers DO NOT return for more engagements!” In addition to performing the data recovery – a complex matter in itself, the group always goes beyond the case, to advise clients on how they can protect against further repeat performances.

However, there is one side of the business that offers the opportunity for repeat orders, and that is in the specialist area of computer forensics. “In effect, we investigate computers and networks for signs of inappropriate misuse, data loss or external actions that have threatened an organisations systems.”

Forensic Investigations

Not wishing to be compared with the glamorous world portrayed in the likes of popular TV shows such as “CSI:New York” and “Silent Witness”; the CONTENTENGINEER Group undertakes detailed and complex investigations of servers, desktops, laptops, networks and external media such as CDs and DVDs with the aim of proving what events occurred. “Our work can often be time consuming – involving specialist processing to precisely determine a sequence of events – unlike practices portrayed on national TV, answers cannot be obtained in seconds, purely due to the large volume of data that needs to be analysed and sifted through by our software.”

As a Chartered Engineer and Chartered IT Professional, Rob Shrubsall has spent his career in a variety of industries as an expert in information and electronic data storage. Designing and managing some of the largest enterprises for highly regulated industries such as telecommunications, financial, taxation and health care sectors, requires a special attention to detail and information security. He has seen all manner of attempts to exploit systems, and for employees, contractors and suppliers of clients to gain access to the “crown jewels” of a business – its digital assets.

“We work in a very structured manner, undertaking forensic computer investigations using the latest software tools and secure hardware devices that ensure we preserve all aspects of the evidence presented.”

Expanding the Business

Both sides of the business are expanding, explained Sarah Shrubsall – Finance Director of this family business – “as nearly one million disk drives are manufactured each day, and consumers demand more information available online, we find that the call for data recovery is ever more so. The computer forensics side of the business is also expanding, as our specialist techniques and expertise becomes known across the County, and our reputation for providing rapid response and efficient turnaround of engagements.” “The group will also be introducing a new service before Christmas that will enable both businesses and consumers to dispose of old hard disks safely, securely and simply; without the worry of identity theft and leaving a problem for the environment,” confirmed Rob as he had to rush to attend to another client’s data recovery needs.

For more information visit their website: www.contentengineer.com or telephone 01252 621843 (in an emergency 0707-RECOVER for 24/7 assistance).

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Notes to Editors

About the CONTENTENGINEER^® Group

The CONTENTENGINEER Group are independent experts based in the UK's own "silicon valley" near London in the M3/M4 corridor. The Group has the knowledge and resource to provide independent expertise and with proven methodologies, the Group provides a broad spectrum of services including software development, computer forensics and expert witness services.

About the Founders

The Group was founded in 2001 by Rob and Sarah Shrubsall.

Rob Shrubsall is recognised as one of the UK's leading independent information system experts and investigators of electronic data storage with twenty years experience. An open systems pioneer, he has specifically worked in highly regulated markets of E-Commerce, Telecommunications, Corporate Finance, Equity Trading, Pharmaceuticals and HealthCare, as well as a trusted adviser to other industries.

Sarah Shrubsall is pioneer in the field of energy finance management, with over twenty years experience of implementing: monitoring, targeting and auditing systems. As UK Energy Finance Manager, she was responsible for the first organisation in the UK to receive electronic invoice data through EDI. She has specifically worked in Telecommunications, Finance, Building Services and Property.

Trademarks

contentengineer^®, contentforensic^®, woodlandstudios^®, and FETL^® are registered trademarks. Copyright 2001-2010. All rights reserved. Other marks may be the [registered] trademarks of others.

Contacts

For more information please contact the Group on 01252 621843, via the website www.contentengineer.com or by info@contentengineer.com.