A data recovery specialist is in charge of managing a company’s data backups as well as recovering data from storage devices that has been lost or damaged. While some data recovery specialists work exclusively for businesses, others work for the general public and specialize in recovering data from hard drives, floppy disks, tape drives, flash drives, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and memory cards. Other system administration responsibilities for those working for businesses include maintaining hardware and software and managing the company’s network. You’ll need to learn about various file systems, recovery techniques, and backup systems to become a data recovery specialist. A bachelor’s or master’s degree, relevant certifications, and extensive experience in the technology field are also likely requirements.
A bachelor’s degree or higher in technology, computer science, information assurance, or computer engineering is usually required to become a data recovery specialist. You may want to take elective courses in disaster recovery, file systems, and computer forensics in addition to any required program courses in networking, security, operating systems, and programming. Because your courses may not specifically cover data recovery tools and techniques, you may want to take certification classes in data recovery, disaster prevention, system management, and recovery planning at another location or online. To consider you for specific jobs, some employers may require specific certifications in server operating systems or security.
To become a data recovery specialist, you’ll need to know how to create data recovery plans and how to use various data backup and recovery programs. Understanding how different storage devices work, as well as the file system formats used popular operating systems, is essential for recovering data for businesses and customers. Because many companies use network storage for data, you’ll also need experience with computer networking and network storage devices. Taking extra courses, reading books, and attending technology seminars are all common ways to gain the knowledge needed to become a data recovery specialist.
If you want to work as a data recovery specialist, you’ll need a lot of it, and employers demand different levels of experience for different jobs. Job titles for data recovery specialists range from entry-level technician to engineering and management. Engineers and managers may require five to seven years of experience, including years using specific backup programs and creating data management policies, while data recovery technicians typically require two or more years of experience in networking, security, and data recovery. Data recovery specialist jobs in the government may also require security clearance.