Top 9 New Technology Trends for 2022

Table of Contents

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning

2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

3. Edge Computing

4. Quantum Computing

5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

6. Blockchain

7. Internet of Things (IoT)

8. 5G9. Cyber Security

9 New Technology Trends and 1 Solution to Succeed in Them

Technology today is evolving at a rapid pace, enabling faster change and progress, causing an acceleration of the rate of change. However, it is not only technology trends and emerging technologies that are evolving, a lot more has changed this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19 making IT professionals realize that their role will not stay the same in the contactless world tomorrow. And an IT professional in 2021-22 will constantly be learning, unlearning, and relearning (out of necessity if not desire).

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What does this mean for you? It means staying current with emerging technologies and the latest technology trends. And it means keeping your eyes on the future to know which skills you’ll need to know to secure a safe job tomorrow and even learn how to get there. All bows to the worldwide pandemic, most of the global IT population is sitting back, working from home. And if you wish to make the most of your time at home, here are the top 9 emerging technology trends you should watch for and make an attempt at in 2022, and possibly secure one of the jobs that will be created by these new technology trends, that includes:

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
3. Edge Computing
4. Quantum Computing
5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
6. Blockchain
7. Internet of Things (IoT)
8. 5G
9. Cyber Security

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has already received a lot of buzz in the past decade, but it continues to be one of the new technology trends because its notable effects on how we live, work, and play are only in the early stages. AI is already known for its superiority in image and speech recognition, navigation apps, smartphone personal assistants, ride-sharing apps and so much more.

Other than that AI will be used further to analyze interactions to determine underlying connections and insights, to help predict demand for services like hospitals enabling authorities to make better decisions about resource utilization, and detect the changing patterns of customer behavior by analyzing data in near real-time, driving revenues and enhancing personalized experiences.

The AI market will grow to a $190 billion industry by 2025 with global spending on cognitive and AI systems reaching over $57 billion in 2022. With AI spreading its wings across sectors, new jobs will be created in development, programming, testing, support, and maintenance, to name a few. On the other hand, AI also offers some of the highest salaries today ranging from over $1,25,000 per year (machine learning engineer) to $145,000 per year (AI architect) – making it the top new technology trend you must watch out for!

Machine Learning the subset of AI, is also being deployed in all kinds of industries, creating a huge demand for skilled professionals. Forrester predicts AI, machine learning, and automation will create 9 percent of new U.S. jobs by 2025, jobs including robot monitoring professionals, data scientists, automation specialists, and content curators, making it another new technology trend you must keep in mind too!

Mastering AI and machine learning will help you secure jobs like:

• AI Research Scientist
• AI Engineer
• Machine Learning Engineer
• AI Architect

2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Like AI and Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation, or RPA, is another technology that is automating jobs. RPA is the use of software to automate business processes such as interpreting applications, processing transactions, dealing with data, and even replying to emails. RPA automates repetitive tasks that people used to do.

Although Forrester Research estimates RPA automation will threaten the livelihood of 230 million or more knowledge workers or approximately 9 percent of the global workforce, RPA is also creating new jobs while altering existing jobs. McKinsey finds that less than 5 percent of occupations can be totally automated, but about 60 percent can be partially automated.

For you as an IT professional looking to the future and trying to understand the latest technology trends, RPA offers plenty of career opportunities, including developer, project manager, business analyst, solution architect, and consultant. And these jobs pay well. An RPA developer can earn over ₹534K per year – making it the next technology trend you must keep a watch on!

Mastering RPA will help you secure high paying jobs like:

• RPA Developer
• RPA Analyst
• RPA Architect

3. Edge Computing

Formerly a new technology trend to watch, cloud computing has become mainstream, with major players AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform dominating the market. The adoption of cloud computing is still growing, as more and more businesses migrate to a cloud solution. But it’s no longer the emerging technology trend. Edge is.

As the quantity of data organizations is dealing with continues to increase, they have realized the shortcomings of cloud computing in some situations. Edge computing is designed to help solve some of those problems as a way to bypass the latency caused by cloud computing and get data to a data center for processing. It can exist “on the edge,” if you will, closer to where computing needs to happen. For this reason, edge computing can be used to process time-sensitive data in remote locations with limited or no connectivity to a centralized location. In those situations, edge computing can act like mini datacenters.

Edge computing will increase as the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices increases. By 2022, the global edge computing market is expected to reach $6.72 billion. And this new technology trend is only meant to grow and nothing less, creating various jobs, primarily for software engineers.

Keeping in line with cloud computing (including new-age edge and quantum computing) will help you grab amazing jobs like:

• Cloud Reliability Engineer
• Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
• Cloud Architect and Security Architect
• DevOps Cloud Engineer

4. Quantum Computing

The next remarkable technology trend is quantum computing, which is a form of computing that takes advantage of quantum phenomena like superposition and quantum entanglement. This amazing technology trend is also involved in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and to develop potential vaccines, thanks to its ability to easily query, monitor, analyze and act on data, regardless of the source. Another field where quantum computing is finding applications in banking and finance, to manage credit risk, for high-frequency trading and fraud detection.

Quantum computers are now a multitude of times faster than regular computers and huge brands like Splunk, Honeywell, Microsoft, AWS, Google, and many others are now involved in making innovations in the field of Quantum Computing. The revenues for the global quantum computing market are projected to surpass $2.5 billion by 2029. And to make a mark in this new trending technology, you need to have experience with quantum mechanics, linear algebra, probability, information theory, and machine learning.

5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

The next exceptional technology trend – Is virtual Reality (VR) Augmented Reality (AR), and Extended Reality (ER). VR immerses the user in an environment while AR enhances their environment. Although this technology trend has primarily been used for gaming thus far, it has also been used for training, as with VirtualShip, a simulation software used to train U.S. Navy, Army, and Coast Guard ship, captains.

In 2022, we can expect these forms of technologies to be further integrated into our lives. Usually working in tandem with some of the other emerging technologies we’ve mentioned in this list, AR and VR have enormous potential in training, entertainment, education, marketing, and even rehabilitation after an injury. Either could be used to train doctors to do surgery, offer museum-goers a deeper experience, enhance theme parks, or even enhance marketing, as with this Pepsi Max bus shelter.

Fun fact: 14 million AR and VR devices were sold in 2019. The global AR and VR market is expected to grow to 9.2 billion by 2022, only creating more opportunities in the trending technology, and welcoming more professionals ready for this game-changing field.

While some employers might look for optics as a skill-set, note that getting started in VR doesn’t require a lot of specialized knowledge – basic programming skills and a forward-thinking mindset can land a job; another reason why this new technology trend should make up for your list of lookouts!

6. Blockchain

Although most people think of blockchain technology in relation to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, blockchain offers security that is useful in many other ways. In the simplest of terms, blockchain can be described as data you can only add to, not take away from or change. Hence the term “chain” because you’re making a chain of data. Not being able to change the previous blocks is what makes it so secure. In addition, blockchains are consensus-driven, so no one entity can take control of the data. With blockchain, you don’t need a trusted third party to oversee or validate transactions.

Several industries are involved and implementing blockchain, and as the use of blockchain technology increases, so too does the demand for skilled professionals. From a bird’s eye view, a blockchain developer specializes in developing and implementing architecture and solutions using blockchain technology. The average yearly salary of a blockchain developer is ₹469K.

If you are intrigued by Blockchain and its applications and want to make your career in this trending technology, then this is the right time to start. To get into Blockchain, you need to have hands-on experience with programming languages, the fundamentals of OOPS, flat and relational databases, data structures, web app development, and networking.

Mastering blockchain can help you scale up in a variety of fields and industries:

• Risk Analyst
• Tech Architect
• Crypto Community Manager
• Front End Engineer

7. Internet of Things (IoT)

Another promising new technology trend is IoT. Many “things” are now being built with WiFi connectivity, meaning they can be connected to the Internet—and each other. Hence, the Internet of Things, or IoT. The Internet of Things is the future and has already enabled devices, home appliances, cars, and much more to be connected to and exchange data over the Internet.

As consumers, we’re already using and benefitting from IoT. We can lock our doors remotely if we forget to when we leave for work and preheat our ovens on our way home from work, all while tracking our fitness on our Fitbits. However, businesses also have much to gain now and in the near future. The IoT can enable better safety, efficiency, and decision-making for businesses as data is collected and analyzed. It can enable predictive maintenance, speed up medical care, improve customer service, and offer benefits we haven’t even imagined yet.

And we’re only in the beginning stages of this new technology trend: Forecasts suggest that by 2030 around 50 billion of these IoT devices will be in use around the world, creating a massive web of interconnected devices spanning everything from smartphones to kitchen appliances. The global spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) is forecast to reach 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. New technologies such as 5G is expected to drive market growth in the coming years.

And if you wish to step foot in this trending technology, you will have to learn about Information security, AI and machine learning fundamentals, networking, hardware interfacing, data analytics, automation, understanding of embedded systems, and must-have device and design knowledge.

8. 5G

The next technology trend that follows the IoT is 5G. Where 3G and 4G technologies have enabled us to browse the internet, use data-driven services, increased bandwidths for streaming on Spotify or YouTube and so much more, 5G services are expected to revolutionize our lives. by enabling services that rely on advanced technologies like AR and VR, alongside cloud-based gaming services like Google Stadia, NVidia GeForce Now and much more. It is expected to be used in factories, HD cameras that help improve safety and traffic management, smart grid control, and smart retail too.

Just about every telecom company like Verizon, T-Mobile, Apple, Nokia Corp, and Qualcomm, are now working on creating 5G applications. 5G Networks will cover 40% of the world by 2024, handling 25% of all mobile traffic data making it an emerging technology trend you must watch out for, and also save a spot in.

9. Cyber Security

Cyber security might not seem like emerging technology, given that it has been around for a while, but it is evolving just as other technologies are. That’s in part because threats are constantly new. The malevolent hackers who are trying to illegally access data are not going to give up any time soon, and they will continue to find ways to get through even the toughest security measures. It’s also in part because new technology is being adapted to enhance security. As long as we have hackers, cybersecurity will remain a trending technology because it will constantly evolve to defend against those hackers.

As proof of the strong need for cybersecurity professionals, the number of cybersecurity jobs is growing three times faster than other tech jobs. According to Gartner, by 2025, 60% of organizations will use cybersecurity risk as a primary determinant in conducting third-party transactions and business engagements.

You must note that however challenging the field is it also offers lucrative six-figure incomes, and roles can range from

• Ethical Hacker
• Malware Analyst
• Security Engineer
• Chief Security Officer

offering a promising career path for someone who wants to get into and stick with this evergreen trending technology.

Have a look at this video that talks about the trending technologies in 2022 that you should watch out for.https://www.youtube.com/embed/IrgGmaeYmdM

9 New Technology Trends and 1 Solution to Succeed in Them

Although technologies are emerging and evolving all around us, these 9 technology trends offer promising career potential now and for the foreseeable future. And most of these trending technologies are welcoming skilled professionals, meaning the time is right for you to choose one, get trained, and get on board at the early stages of these trending technologies, positioning you for success now and in the future.

Among the factors causing the loss of a file is the loss of its metadata, i.e. the subsidiary information used by the file system for locating the exact file required by the user. The loss of file metadata may be brought about by several factors such as disk formatting, logical failure, or mere file deletion.

As commonly known, no data is completely deleted unless it gets overwritten. File contents, in other words, raw files, remain on the disk, however, they become unlinked from the information about their location, name, size, etc. Luckily, these remains may contain signs of similar file types – the so-called file signatures – that can be categorized into separate groups. File signatures are either special data fragments, which are stored next to the file header for file identification or simply a repeated file fragment common for all files of this type.

To recognize files by their type, Recovery Nerd Tech Solutions exploits the technology of IntelliRAW. The software is bundled with a pre-defined list of IntelliRAW rules that already include the signatures for defining the most common file groups. The software also provides you with the possibility of creating and adding your file descriptors for non-standard unique file types.

IntelliRAW gives an extra chance to get the files back in the cases when you are not satisfied with the result of a conventional scan. The purpose of data recovery by known content is to find the lost user’s files without file metadata employing solely file signatures described in the IntelliRAW rules.

All in all, the search of lost data by file signatures is usually applied in cases when the area containing the metadata of files, such as the MFT in the NTFS file system, was corrupted or overwritten. Yet, although this approach is effective in most cases because the metadata is missing, the results may disappoint by lack of file names, incorrect size, or file incompleteness.

How does IntelliRAW work?

If a file is of a widespread type, the rule for its search may be already built into the program. Presently, the inbuilt rules include common archives, images, music, audio, etc. file formats.
To search for such files using IntelliRAW, enable the check box.
If the program does not recognize the file type, please, do the following:

• Download and install the IntelliRAW editor
• Download and install CI Hex Viewer
• Using CI Hex Viewer analyzes the file of the searched type for the presence of signatures or common data blocks
• Create the search rules following the instructions in the IntelliRAW editor
• Save the rules into a file
• Enable “I want to use my own rules” and press “Load rules”
• After a successful loading, the program will use the rules. Files found using the user-defined rules can be found in the $Custom folder.

Data loss can be defined as the inability to access data at its usual place by usual program means due to errors in software/hardware operation or due to the user’s improper actions.

Failures that lead to data loss are generally divided into two categories: physical and logical. A physical failure is caused by problems with any physical component of the computer, whereas a logical failure is related to the issues with its logical structure.

The pie chart above illustrates the percentage ratio of common data loss causes.

Hardware failures

Hardware failures with 42% of occurrence frequency take first place among the most widespread causes of data loss. These include issues with the following components of the computer system:

• Hard Disk Drive (HDD) / Solid State Drive (SSD);
• Computer memory (RAM);
• Motherboard;
• Processor (CPU);
• Power supply (PSU).

The breakdown of disk storage that physically stores the data is likely to result in data loss. As soon as you detect an HDD/SSD failure, under no circumstances should you disassemble the storage, provided that you are not a data recovery professional?

Human errors

Mistakes made by computer users or operators due to either lack of experience or inattentiveness take second place after hardware failures. Human errors become the reason for data loss in 30% of cases, proving once again that even Homer nods.

Accidental deletion of important files

When working with files, users may accidentally delete some important data. The operating system offers two alternative ways of performing the file deletion procedure: Files can be deleted with the help of the Recycle Bin, which is a two-step method – first, you delete a file using a context menu or press the “Delete” button on the keyboard, second, you empty the Recycle Bin. Another way to delete a file is to press the Shift + Delete keys – it will immediately be removed bypassing the Recycle Bin. Certainly, the OS will warn the user of possibly erroneous actions, but, as a rule, users fail to pay attention to the warning messages.

Negligent disk or disk partition formatting without a backup copy

It goes without saying that one must make a backup copy of all the important files before formatting the drive, but mistakes are sometimes bound to happen. Also, when deciding to reinstall the operating system, the user may accidentally select the wrong partition and find that out when the installation is already in progress.

Overwriting of file contents

Any file editor, whether the document, video, image, picture, or audio, enables the user to alter the contents of the file. Once the “Save” button is pressed and the file is closed, new contents are written over the former ones. Unfortunately, if for some reason you need the previous version of the file, this case cannot be handled by any data recovery software. The only thing you can do is recreate the file from scratch.

Inaccurate attempts to recover the lost information

Having realized that the data is lost, it is important to refrain from all slapdash actions which may lead to irreversible data loss. Don’t use any system repair tools such as CHKDSK. These utilities usually try filling in the missing information on the disk, causing hazardous data overwriting. CHKDSK can also misunderstand the file system problem and do an inappropriate repair.

Software crashes

With 13% of frequency, software malfunctions take third place in the list of data loss causes. According to the data recovery experts from SysDev Laboratories, the main types of software corruption are the following:

• Backup software. An error may happen during the process of backing up files. The file copies may appear to have failed to be created meanwhile the files have already been deleted.
• File editors. A file editing software failure may cause file corruption. Another common reason is a failure during the procedure of saving files in bulk, when some of the files are updated to the latest modifications but the rest are damaged.
• Antivirus software. An antivirus program may consider the “good” files to be malware and delete them.
• Converters. An error may occur during the process of changing the file format.

Computer viruses

 Like an ordinary virus intrudes on a live organism, a computer virus intrudes on the computer system intending to modify the way it operates. It is important to know that computer viruses, first of all, may damage or delete any data on the computer without the user’s consent, and, secondly, they can spread, infecting other devices. Although computer viruses become the reason for data loss only in 7% of cases, they may bring about serious trouble.

Computer viruses are small computer programs. However, unlike normal software, they cannot be controlled and their actions are targeted against the user. The factors causing virus attacks include:

• downloading cracked and pirated software;
• opening attachments from unfamiliar e-mail addresses;
• surfing unreliable websites;
• non-use of anti-virus programs.

Data recovery specialists at SysDev Laboratories recognize more than twenty different types of malware, emphasizing the cryptovirus as the most severe and troublesome. The crypto-virus, also known as ransomware, encrypts the existing files on the affected machine using RSA public-key cryptography, with the private key stored only on the malware’s control servers. Then the hackers ask their victim to pay a ransom to get the encryption key. They also set a deadline, and if it is broken, the files get deleted or the victim has to pay even a higher price. Presently, there doesn’t exist a way to break ransomware if it has already managed to affect your device. The only viable solution is timely and systematic backups.

Theft

A low rate of 5% of cases is related to data theft. Leaving out the cases of data theft when a physical device gets stolen, there are also a lot of instances of logical robbery.

The intruders aim to get the most of the user’s financial and confidential information. As a rule, their target is customer databases of private companies and healthcare establishments, banking details, passwords, and secret private or corporate information.

Logical data theft is usually beyond the area of expertise of data recovery companies. However, they may make a forensic inspection of the computer to trace the evidence of the breach.

Protection against data theft is rather an issue of precaution and not post-factum actions. Commonly known means are using antivirus programs, encryption, employment of secured data management systems, using passwords, and laptop lockdowns such as Kensington key.

Other causes

The remaining 3% include mainly the impacts of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and fires. They strike rarely, but right on target!

Catastrophes cause physical computer damage. Not only data storage media but other components of the computer system can be broken, whereas the storage itself may remain intact. This is good news for users who do not want to turn to a data recovery center. And yet, if you discover that the trouble is in the data storage itself, never try to get inside of it unless you are a data recovery specialist.

Unfortunately, nature neither steps back in its plans nor informs about them. The most reasonable piece of advice is to make timely and preferably off-site backups. Cloud solutions are probably the best option in this case.

Conclusion

Every PC user is at the potential risk of losing precious information. Whatever the real cause of your exact data loss case is, there is always a solution. Deleted files aren’t really wiped until something is written over them, so if you act immediately, you can get them back. In case of physical damage, turn to a data recovery center. In case of a logical failure, be sure to have comprehensive data recovery software at your disposal to bring your files back to their normal state.

Storage devices

Although file systems are flexible in terms of which storage they work on, as a rule, you can still determine the file system type by a storage device.

USB flash drives and memory cards usually operate FAT or exFAT. This file system type is compatible with a variety of operating systems. This allows you to use your USB flash drive or a memory card with any computer.

NTFS, HFS+, Ext2-4 are very typical for personal computers and workstations. These file systems work in an isolated manner and are not compatible with their counterparts.

Most NAS storage are based on XFS, Ext2-4, Btrfs, or ReiserFS file systems. They are considered to be the most appropriate for home servers due to their design, while XFS, for instance, is a perfect choice for medium and large files and, finally, ReiserFS gives maximum speed. File systems on NAS devices are normally hidden and are shown as network folders via special network protocols.

Operating systems

It is usually difficult to determine the file system relying on the storage type only, hence, the operating system can give you the clue. The file system is related to the operating system installed onto the storage, but as different file systems normally serve different purposes, there are sometimes several file system options for one operating system.

Windows OS

NTFS

NTFS is the most popular and widespread file system for the Windows family of operating systems. This is the default file system for Windows disks and disk partitions. The file system can be easily extended and supports many file properties, including access control, encryption, etc. One of the drawbacks of this file system is a rather complicated method of storing data.

Structure: the file system header (the boot record), the Master File Table ($MFT), space for files.

The NTFS file system uses the Master File Table (MFT) for coordinating files. Basically, the MFT contains information about all files and folders holding these files. This information, to be specific, includes the location, name, size of a file as well as the date and time of its creation, and last modification.

If the attributes of a file are too big for one MFT cell to hold them, the file system will allocate another cell placed in a file for the list of file attributes.

File deletion

Procedure: the file system does not delete and rather labels the file record in the MFT as unused and marks the file location in the MFT and Bitmap as released. The system also deletes the file entry from its directory.

Recovery: the information about the deleted file (name, size, location) remains in the MFT. If the MFT record remains unchanged and the disk data is not overwritten, the recovery chances of this file are 100%. Yet, if this record is deleted, it is still possible to find the file by its content with the help of the raw recovery method. The recovery procedure is then performed by disk contents bypassing the file system structure).

Formatting

Procedure: the file system wipes only the beginning of the MFT. The MFT tail remains unchanged.

Recovery: the first 256 files lose their links to the MFT; thus, their recovery is only possible with the raw recovery method. The recovery chances for the files that follow these 256 files are up to 100%.

FAT/FAT32

FAT/FAT32 is one of the oldest file systems with a very simple design. This file system is supported by all operating systems making free data exchange between different storage possible. This file system is applied on small external data storage devices such as memory cards of photo- and video cameras and USB flash drives.

The most obvious drawback of this system is its inability to store large files – the restrictions on the size of each file are 2 GB for FAT16 and 4 GB for FAT32.

Structure: the file system header (2 headers more for FAT32), FAT tables, and the data area.

The FAT file system applies the File Allocation Table containing an entry for each cluster on the disk and makes a link from this table to the file location on the disk. It also holds links to the cluster of the file start, file continuation, and file end. The FAT file system does not apply defragmentation of fragmented files. Due to the system’s original design, the files on FAT have 8 symbols for the file name and 3 symbols for the file extension. That is why the file system stores long file names separately utilizing the long file names (LFN) extension feature.

File deletion/Formatting

Procedure: the file system deletes all the information contained in the File Allocation Table including the links to the file continuation and end cluster. The data area itself is not wiped, though. The first symbol of the file name is deleted in its short form, and in the case of FAT 32, the part of information about the starting file cluster is deleted.

Recovery: the file start can be found, but the information about the file continuation and the end needs an assumption. For this reason, data recovery may be incomplete. Besides, the FAT file system doesn’t defragment files making it difficult to retrieve fragmented files even with the help of the raw recovery method. Another issue is that file names are limited in length and can even be stored detached on the disk. Recovering long file names may give no results.

ExFAT

ExFAT was developed by Microsoft Corporation in order to extend FAT. The simplicity of this file system has made it quite popular. But unlike its predecessor, ExFAT is capable of storing files of any size.

Structure: the file system header, the FAT table, and the data area.

Like its predecessors, the ExFAT file system applies the File Allocation Table to manage files. This table contains an entry for each cluster on the disk and makes a link from this table to the file location on the disk. It also holds links to the file start, file continuation, and file end. This file system tries to avoid file fragmentation and does not provide linking to file sub-directories.

File deletion/Formatting

Procedure: the file system deletes all the information contained in the File Allocation Table including the links to the file continuation and end. The data area itself is not wiped, though.

Recovery: as links to files continuation may be lost, the recovery result for files with the size of several blocks can be incomplete. The chances for successful recovery of a file in case of directory damage can be low as well. At the same time, recovery of files by their contents (the raw recovery method) may give highly positive results due to low file fragmentation.

ReFS

ReFS is a file system that is frequently implemented in servers. This file system applies Copy-on-Write (COW) enabling the older versions of deleted files to still remain on the disk. This file system is not the best choice to store plain user files, as it allocates a minimum of 64 KB of disk space for each file. If the file is less than 64 KB in size, the file system will in any case save it to that place, thus making the use of the disk space inefficient.

macOS

HFS

The HFS file system is presently a legacy Mac file system supported by Recovery Nerd Tech Solutions in the read-only mode (no scanning).

HFS+

HFS+ is a journaling file system that makes easy data retrieval after logical failures possible. The system stores large file names in the Unicode. Its major disadvantage is problems in working with fragmented files.

Structure: the file system header; the file system journal; the Catalog File with the files containing information about other files (the so-called hard-link files).

The HFS+ file system supports journaling. The file system journal keeps track of all file system modifications. The HFS+ journal is limited in its size, the new information is added and written over the old journal records. In this way, the file system overwrites the older information to release the journal for data about newer file system modifications.

The HFS+ file system aims at files defragmentation. The file system thoroughly looks for a place to store files and matches file fragments together. Yet, the remaining fragmented files can impede getting the best recovery result.

HFS+ supports hard links which are stored as separate files inside the hidden HFS+ root directory and serve to store information about user files. Each hard-link file is bound to its user file.

File deletion

Procedure: the file system deletes a hard link from the directory. Nevertheless, it still keeps this information in its journal records for some time.

Recovery: the program can address the file system journal to find an older file system state and return the lost hard link to its initial place. Data recovery chances will depend greatly on how long the system has been used after the file deletion. Yet, if the journal record has been emptied, you can try the raw recovery method, which can give excellent results for non-fragmented files.

Formatting

Procedure: the file system deletes the hard-link directory leaving the journal and the on-disk data area intact.

Recovery: the program addresses the file system journal to recover everything that is recoverable from the journal or employs raw recovery (by the file contents) to retrieve the lost files. The recovery chances may be low for fragmented files due to hard-links deletion.

Linux

Linux has a handful of file systems to meet the user’s every need. However, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Ext2-Ext4

Ext2-Ext4 file systems are mostly the default systems for Linux. These systems feature high speed, efficiency, and adjustability to different purposes of system activities. Their main disadvantage is that they require too much disk space for system structures.

Structure: the file system header; inodes; an inode table.

Ext2

The Ext2 file system uses inodes containing information about files. This information includes the user and group ownership, access mode, and extension. Some inodes include a copy of the inode table.

Inodes do not include file contents and file names, as they are stored in file directories and are not considered to be metadata according to the file system.

File deletion

Procedure: Ext2 labels the file inode as free and updates the map of free blocks. The filename entry is unlinked from the directory record. The filename to node reference is wiped. The file will be deleted as soon as all inode references to this file are deleted.

Recovery: due to the fact that the file descriptions remain in the inode, the chances to retrieve the file are quite high. Nevertheless, file names stored in directories and unlinked from the file will be lost.

Formatting

Procedure: Ext2 wipes all the file allocation groups and deletes the file inodes.

Recovery: the program can apply the raw recovery method to find the files by their contents. Recovery chances depend on the extent of file fragmentation: fragmented files are hard to retrieve.

Ext3/Ext4

Structure: the file system header; an inode; an inode table.

In addition to inodes implemented in the Ext2 file system, Ext3, and Ext4 use file system journaling. The file system journal keeps track of all modifications made by the file system. Ext4 differs from the Ext3 file system in the structure of the reference.

File deletion

Procedure: The file system makes an entry to the journal and then wipes the file inode entry. The directory record is not deleted completely and rather the order for directory reading is changed.

Recovery: the retrieval of deleted files even with the file name is possible owing to the file system journal. Still, the recovery result depends on how long the file system remains in operation after file deletion.

Formatting

Procedure: All allocation groups, as well as file nodes and the journal, are wiped. The file system journal may still contain information about some of the recently created files.

Recovery: the retrieval of lost files is only possible with the raw recovery method which helps to find the lost files by their contents. Fragmented files have low recovery chances.

ReiserFS

ReiserFS is a private project that was developed to enable the user to efficiently store a large number of small files. This file system has high-speed performance. However, ReiserFS is no longer actively supported for some technical reasons.

Structure: the file system header, the S+tree.

The file system uses the S+-tree which stores the file’s metadata and has descriptors of all files and file fragments. In the process of writing new metadata into the tree, a new tree created for the new data replaces the old one. At the same time, its older copy remains on the disk. Thus, the file system can store lots of metadata copies. This technique is called Copy-on-Write (COW).

File deletion

Procedure: The system updates its S+-tree to exclude a file and renews the map of free space.

Recovery: due to COW, it is possible to recover all files including their names. Moreover, you can also retrieve the previous version of a file from an older S+-tree copy.

Formatting

Procedure: The file system creates a new S+-tree over the existing one.

Recovery: COW helps to retrieve the previous file system state making total data recovery possible. However, the chances for complete recovery of lost files are lower if the file system partition was full. In such a case, the system would overwrite the old data with a new one.

XFS

XFS was developed by Silicon Graphics for their IRIX servers. The strong point of this file system is its capability to work with files of any size. The file system has a high level of files optimization but is based on a complex file system structure. Several versions of XFS exist, such as Trix Intel for Windows. Recovery Nerd Tech Solutions supports all XFS versions. XFS can be employed in all the variants of Linux distributions.

Structure: complex tree structures, inodes, bitmaps

The XFS file system uses inodes to store the file’s metadata and journaling to keep track of system modifications. Only metadata is journaled with this file system. Each inode has a header and a bitmap. XFS stores inodes in a special tree in a specific place on the disk. The system also has a bitmap for free storage blocks.

File deletion

Procedure: the inode responsible for this file is excluded from the tree; its place is overwritten with new information.

Recovery: XFS keeps the file metadata enabling the recovery of lost files. The chances to recover a deleted file even with a correct file name are quite high.

Formatting

Procedure: the root directories of the file system are overwritten.

Recovery: the chances to recover the files which were not at the beginning of the storage are high in contrast to the files which were close to the disk starts.

JFS

The JFS file system was developed by the IBM Company for its internal servers. This is a journaling file system of Linux OS. This file system features reliability and high productivity. JFS can be even called the second after the XFS file system, but it has a more complicated architecture. Presently JFS is used in corporate Linux systems.

Structure: the superblock, the B+-tree, the journal, i-node file sets

The JFS file system employs the B+-tree structure for storing data, journaling for file system modifications, and inodes to describe files. The system is also capable of storing several file systems on one partition with links to the same file. File names can be saved in the Unicode and UTF8 encodings.

File deletion

Procedure: JFS updates the counter of object uses and releases its inode in the inodes map. The directory is rebuilt to reflect the changes.

Recovery: The file inode remains on the disk increasing the chances of files recovery up to almost 100%. The recovery chances are low for file names only.

Formatting

Procedure: JFS writes a new tree. It is initially small and gets extended with further file system use.

Recovery: the chances to recover the lost files after formatting is quite high due to the small size of the new B+-tree. Moreover, the internal inodes numbering increases the chances for an easy files recovery after formatting.

Fortunately, the benefits of the cloud far outweigh potential risks – as company after company has shown – and companies of all sizes are ready to take the leap. Why? The offers the computational power previously reserved only for enterprise-level organizations. With companies shrinking their physical footprint post-COVID, the cloud offers the ability to scale growth, without signing a costly lease.

We’ve rounded up the top 9 advantages of the cloud to summarize why most businesses are shifting to the cloud. Want to know how to migrate to the cloud? Check out our Path to the Cloud Analysis and sign up for a free whiteboard session today.

9 Advantages Of Cloud For Medium-Sized And Emerging Businesses

Accessibility

Accessing the files and applications necessary to do work used to be an in-office-only task. Cloud computing changed that. Now, employees can access documents, images, spreadsheets, communications – anything – from anywhere, anytime.

With this technological innovation comes a change in work culture and employer (and employee) expectations. The cloud is key to remote work, productive business travel, and timely task completion. For SMBs, the cloud delivers increased accessibility to the data that empowers today’s workforce.

Scalability

The cloud is vital for businesses to grow quickly. Whether it’s scaling headcount, production, customers, or services, the cloud can satisfy business requirements – in all directions – easily. In essence, the business can handle growing or dwindling resources.

Planning for the myriad of changes that can affect your business, from market fluctuations to internal shifts, is difficult, and leadership will never get it completely right. The cloud for SMBs is especially important since smaller organizations tend to have more dramatic fluctuations with higher risk more often.

The cloud bypasses this obstacle by enabling SMBs to have more or less capacity based on their current and potential needs without having to predict the future outright.

Reduce On-Site Infrastructure Investment

For too long, the role of IT was seen as a “cost center”, as new servers, routers, data centers, switches, and other CapEx expenditures took big bites from budgets. The cloud for SMBs enables them to offload this enormous up-front cost to better meet the current and growing needs of the business. These costs are transferred to an OpEx model, which better suits the stricter cash flow of the SMB.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Every business, from the SMB to the enterprise, needs to prepare for disaster. A solid disaster recovery strategy is essential in the digital age. The cloud provides a seamless off-site backup solution accessible to businesses of every size. Using a cloud data center in colocation as the target site for your data backups gives you infinite infrastructure. It’s the perfect place to protect your data in a private or hybrid cloud deployment.

Agility and Flexibility

Since most cloud providers work on a subscription OpEx expenditure model, SMBs do not need to plan years’ worth of infrastructure investment with little or no data. If the business is up, the cloud has room for that growth. If the business is down, costs will decrease to match your needs.

This agility gives the business a competitive edge. SMBs in particular rely on this advantage. As changes in the industry occur, SMBs rely on their ability to adapt and meet the needs of their clients immediately. This sets cloud-based SMBs apart from their competitors.

Automatic Updates

Maintaining servers takes a lot of work. With the infrastructure off-site, the cloud for SMBs offers no-hassle management of the technology powering your business. Cloud providers roll out regular software and security updates, leaving the IT leadership in the SMB to focus on strategic initiatives to grow the business.

Collaboration

Teamwork is the heart of a productive and successful business, which is why the cloud is so important for the SMB. SaaS solutions, like Microsoft Office 365, enable easy real-time collaboration on data and analytics. Cloud tools also propel web-based collaboration technologies, like Cisco WebEx Teams, which provides an all-in-one business collaboration and communication platform.

Efficiency

The efficiencies created by the cloud for SMBs are never-ending. From work and process optimization to IT maintenance and monitoring, the cloud removes these monotonous and time-consuming tasks from the business.

Instead of shuffling around spreadsheets and waiting for the next in-person team meeting, teams can share and update documents concurrently. Instead of patching servers in endless cycles, IT teams can focus on improving technology investment and deployment throughout the organization.

Plus, there’s the carbon efficiency to consider. Businesses that switch to cloud computing can cut their energy consumption by up to 70%!

Security

Security remains a top concern for SMBs considering cloud migrations. Approximately 50% of SMBs delayed cloud migrations due to a lack of cybersecurity skills, according to a 2017 Intel Security study. And while security in the cloud remains a top concern, the data simply says different.

“Most cloud providers probably have better security controls than most companies,” says Zeus Kerravala, founder of ZK Research.

Public cloud providers offer cloud services to all sorts of organizations, including those that likely have incredibly high-security requirements – like the Department of Defense (DoD), Boeing, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They all use the cloud in one way or another for functional operability.

The cloud for SMBs lets you enjoy the secure cloud infrastructure required by these larger institutions without having to invest in that infrastructure yourself. That’s a win-win for security in the cloud and annual budgets.