Blog Post

Have you ever wondered what happens to your deleted files? Are they actually gone or are they sort of gone? Knowing the answer to this can be vital for your business. It’s important that you are aware of the way your devices store deleted files, how you recover them if needed, and how to delete them for good when the time is right. This allows you to manage your data correctly and ensure that you’re following all legal data regulations for your industry. 

The truth is, deleting a file is not as cut-and-dry as it might seem. Once it goes into your Trash Bin, it is held there until the Bin is emptied. Even after that, the file remains on your hard drive, just without identifying markers such as the file name; and it will remain there until that space on the drive is overridden by other files. That means that it is often possible to recover your deleted data by using special software, so long as the space on your hard drive hasn’t been filled by something else. Recovery software does its job by scanning the hard drive for areas that have data in them but aren’t linked to any other files in the file system. Once discovered, it starts the rebuilding process on the file. This isn’t always a big success; how much time has passed since deletion and if the sections on the hard drive have been written over are factors that determine how easily or completely your files can be restored. Because this isn’t a guarantee, it is important to maintain regular copies of your important business data, so backups are a necessary tool. Even if you’ve deleted a file and can’t recover it, your backups will be your saving grace. 

So, what do you do if you really do want data to be disposed of permanently? Secure deletion requires more than just deleting the file from your filing system; it also ensures that the data gets written over on the hard drive. The type of storage device you use will matter. Solid State Drives (SSDs) are better able to take care of deleted data using a method called TRIM. This method makes recovery more difficult than with your traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). To ensure that your data is safely erased, it’s helpful to do so with software that is designed for that purpose. Deletion software will delete the file and then overwrite the space they filled several times, so that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recover the data. This is vital for secure deletion.  

What may seem like a simple solution to unwanted data may be more complex than you thought. At Tech Eagles, we are happy to consult with you on the best ways to manage your business data. Call our team of experts today!