SSD users report widespread data loss

A recent survey has found that many people have experienced data loss from solid state storage, with over half of the respondents saying they had lost data.

Of the 560 people that completed a survey drawn up by risk management and data recovery firm Kroll Ontrack, 57 per cent said they had experienced data loss when using SSD/flash technology.

Interestingly, 75 per cent also considered the recovery of data from SSD/flash to be nearly impossible or complicated when compared to the techniques used to extract data from broken or damaged hard disks.

Despite concerns over data recovery, however, 75 per cent of respondents believed that SSD/flash is a safer, more robust storage technology that additionally consumes less power and is therefore more environmentally friendly. What's more, over 90 per cent of respondents said they perceived SSD/flash failure rates to be minimal and the technology to be reliable.

The respondents polled included business, home and government users, 70 per cent of which revealed that they currently use or plan to use SSD/flash technology in the near future.

System area corruption accounts for 60 per cent of SSD/Flash data loss,' explained Kroll Ontrack's data recovery technology manager, Troy Hegr, 'but physical damage, file system corruption, electronics failure and human error are also factors. In the case of SSD/Flash data loss, recovery can be more complex.

'SSD/Flash data reside in a more scattered format on the drive as compared to traditional hard drive media where data is stored more linearly. Industry standards for data layout and organisation on SSD/Flash mediums are not yet fully established, often requiring custom recovery solutions based on the specific manufacturer and model of the device.'

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