The terms computer forensics and data recovery are often used interchangeably. However, they are two different things.
The most significant distinction between computer forensics and data recovery is the goal of the recovery and how the information will be used.
The first thing to know about data forensics is that it doesn’t require access to any hardware or storage media.
This is because the process of data forensics doesn’t touch the actual device, rather it analyzes data on a memory/site copy or image for criminal evidence.
By doing this you are keeping the original site/device intact and not changing any part of how it was functioning before its analysis.
Now that you have an idea about what data forensics is, let’s talk about what can happen to your company if they lose important digital information through no fault of their own.
If this happens, they may need to use another form of data recovery to restore data from a storage device in order to make them usable again.
Computer Forensics vs Data Recovery
It’s now time to come full circle and compare the two fields again.
- Data forensics is the analysis of digital data in order to find evidence of crimes, which can be done on any type of computer system, including mobile devices.
- Data recovery, alternatively, is the process of restoring lost or damaged files from a storage device with the intention of making them usable again.
Someone with programming and data storage experience would typically handle computer forensics and data recovery, respectively.
Although data gathering and analysis methods for both computer forensics and data recovery are comparable, data recovery is generally sought by the owner of a computer.
With all this information now available and knowledge about what both services could mean for your business, it’s important to know what they cost before deciding if they are necessary or not.