Clean Rooms

by: jameswalsh
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Data recovery is possible in 90% of data loss cases. However, if the data recovery job is carried out in an indifferent manner, it can lead to permanent data loss. Therefore, to ensure that data recovery happens in the most conducive environments, clean rooms are an integral part of the infrastructure.

What is a Clean Room?

Clean Rooms are special rooms constructed in such a manner that environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, airborne contaminants and even light can be controlled. These environmental factors are controlled because data recovery being a delicate and technical process can be hampered by the smallest particle of dust. The clean room is constructed from sealed materials to prevent the migration of contaminants. The rooms have high end filtration systems and air management equipment.

Why is a Clean Room Needed?

The primary objective of a clean room is to create air that is as uncontaminated as possible. They are needed because certain processes like data recovery are sensitive to even microscopic contaminants. An invisible speck of dust that sits on a storage device can hamper the recovery process. Large corporations pay heavily to have lost data recovered. Data defines their very existence and they cannot afford to lose it permanently.

Large data recovery companies charge a very high fee for their services. Therefore, to ensure that data is as secure as possible, they invest in clean rooms. In fact, a large corporation would expect the company it gave its business to, to have a clean room. These clean rooms are expensive to construct but the need is such that companies are willing to bear the cost. It inevitably translates into attracting more business.

The Origin of Clean Rooms

Though clean rooms today are popularly a part of the Data Recovery industry, they first came into existence in the early sixties. They were introduced to fabricate technology that was needed in the then emerging aerospace industry. Today, they are an integral part of industries ranging from semi-conductors, space satellites, nano-fabrication, bio-technology, computer hard drives and data recovery.

Clean Room Classification

The first clean room standard was set in 1963 in the US. The benchmark used to classify these clean rooms depends on the level of air cleanliness they are able to achieve. The Federal Standard 209 is perhaps the most widely acknowledged standard used to classify clean rooms around the world. This standard measures particles of 0.5 microns or larger contained in a cubic feet of air.

Clean rooms are classified into six categories - Class 1, Class 10, Class 100, Class 1000, Class 10,000 and Class 100,000. Class 100 denotes that a particular clean room is designed not to exceed 100 particles of 0.5 microns or more in one cubic feet of air. To understand the effectiveness of these clean rooms, it helps to know that an average office room would have between 50,000 to 100,000 particles of dust in one cubic feet of air.

Other countries have established their own standards of classification. For instance, the UK has a recognised standard called British Standard 5295. Soon the need for a single universal standard was felt which resulted in the introduction of ISO standards from 1 to 9.

Data Recovery and the Clean Room

Data Recovery companies usually have clean rooms that range between Class 10 and Class 100. It is not enough to just have a professional to carry out the recovery job. Even the best professionals cannot save data, if hampered by unhygienic environment. In fact, the big players in the data recovery business are expected to have clean rooms if they want to attract the large clients willing to pay big bucks. The clean room has become synonymous with a good Data Recovery service. Since there is a huge demand for data recovery, a clean room is an extremely worthwhile investment.

Conclusion

Every once in a while, something new is invented or created and not all inventions endure the test of time. Clean rooms, on the other hand, have only gained in prominence and are continuing to grow. Clean rooms are no longer considered very niche, but instead viewed as a necessity to get a good job done. The growth of the data recovery industry has meant that the clean rooms are here to stay.

About the Author

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk

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