The second method offers specialised data recovery services. Professional data recovery is achieved by hiring expert data recovery firms.

Choosing a data recovery method may appear simple but it is not. A user has to be careful of fraudulent companies who may actually destroy existing data rather than recovering it. Thus, every user has to consider two aspects before making a choice:

• Aspect of data
  
  
• Aspect of data recovery firm

The former involves considering the importance and relevance of data that has to be recovered. The user also has to weigh the issues of amount and type of data that has to be recovered. And lastly, users have to look at the duration in which the recovery has to be done. In other words, how soon does the user need the data to be recovered? Once having determined all these basic issues, users have to consider the aspect of the data recovery firm. Which data recovery company has the capacity and potential to meet the aspect of data expectations?

The user has to look only for those IT firms which deal with data recovery. There is a difference between IT firms which sell computer hardware components and software and firms which handle only data recovery from computer. In order to do this, users have to be clear about the definition of data recovery and its use.

The IT report of 2000 defines data recovery as the retrieval of that data which was previously inaccessible to the user. The report further says that data recovery by experts enables recovered data to be reformatted and used again by the user. In contrast, the recovered data using DIY software has a 78% chance of reuse. It means that after using DIY the user needs to save it and then form a similar document before erasing the recovered data.

Determinants: A user can choose a data recovery company after carefully weighing the aspects of data. The type and relevance of data go a long way in influencing the choice. A user comes to know of a data recovery firm via the Internet or by referral from friends and acquaintances. It is always best to go in for a data recovery firm which is known to friends and professional acquaintances.

Reputation: This involves finding out about the market reputation, infrastructure and general policies of the firm.

• What type of data recovery does the firm deal with?
  
  
• What is the size of the firm i.e. the number of employees and projects being handled?
  
  
• Who are the company clientele?
  
  
• How long has it been in existence in the market?
  
  
• What is the success rate of the firm?
  
  
• Does it have a free evaluation policy?
  
  
• Does the firm have a ‘no recovery and no fee’ policy?
  
  
• Does the company offer emergency data recovery services?
  
  
• Are the recovery procedures equipped to run on all kinds of operating systems
  
  
• Does the data recovery company void your hard drive warranty?

Infrastructure, Technology and Processes Used: A user ought to make sure that the company uses non-destructive recovery methods. Some data recovery firms run diagnostic software on damaged devices causing permanent data destruction.

• What capacity does the company have to recover data from drives with hardware problems? Some data recovery firms offer low recovery rates but deal only with logical data recovery.
• What recovery procedures are used including technician skills and training level?
  
  
• Does the data recovery company use clean room technology? A data recovery firm must have a clean room for software engineers and technicians to open hard drives and other storage devices in a controlled and clean environment. A clean room ensures that there is no contamination due to dust or bacteria. This protects the damaged drive from further damage ensuring a full recovery.
  
  
• Does the firm use precision technology including disk imaging and scanning procedures for discovery of data loss causes?
  Pricing Policy: A user has to be sure that the data recovery company does not charge any hidden expenses. The user has to ensure that the pricing structure outlined in the brochure is similar to the price quotation provided by the company technician. It is better to call around, gather different company brochures and compare prices with recovery services offered. A user has to understand the financial risk undertaken when sending a damaged disk to a recovery company. In addition, a user should also consider how the firm calculates the recovery costs. This helps the user to keep a check on the pricing at different stages of recovery. The user should also ensure that any spare parts or technology used in the recovery is included in the total recovery fees. There is no separate charge for them.