7 Data Recovery Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

Susan Snedaker, drawing on her extensive experience in IT risk management, crafted this book to address the growing complexities of disaster recovery amid evolving technology landscapes. You’ll find detailed guidance on integrating business continuity strategies with modern infrastructure challenges like cloud computing, virtualization, and mobile device risks. The inclusion of real-world case studies, especially those focusing on healthcare IT and high availability, helps you grasp how to maintain data integrity and system uptime during crises. If your role involves safeguarding critical IT operations or designing continuity plans, this book lays out the frameworks and considerations you need without unnecessary jargon or oversimplification.

Chris Childerhose's decades of hands-on experience in IT infrastructure shape this detailed guide to Veeam Backup & Replication 11. You’ll learn to implement robust backup strategies including continuous data protection and hardened repositories, mastering features like Veeam ONE monitoring and the Disaster Recovery Orchestrator. The book walks you through practical setups such as proxies and repositories, emphasizing data safety using the 3-2-1-1-0 rule and advanced capabilities like Linux proxy enhancements. If you’re responsible for virtual environments and want to deepen your expertise in securing and recovering data, this book offers a focused, technical roadmap without unnecessary fluff.

This tailored book explores the field of data recovery with a focus that aligns perfectly with your background and objectives. It covers foundational concepts, common challenges, and advanced techniques, all while addressing your specific interests and skill level. By providing a personalized pathway through complex topics such as file system structures, recovery tools, and data integrity checks, it helps you build practical understanding and confidence. The book examines essential recovery scenarios, hardware and software considerations, and preventative measures, offering a deep dive into the subject that matches your goals. This customized approach ensures you engage with content that matters most to your needs, making it an effective companion for mastering data recovery.

Robert G. Freeman, an Oracle Certified Professional and master principal database expert at Oracle Corporation, brings a wealth of hands-on expertise to this detailed guide on RMAN in Oracle Database 12c environments. The book walks you through practical skills like automating backups from the command line or GUI, executing Oracle Flashback recoveries, and integrating third-party administration tools, with dedicated chapters on cloud computing, performance tuning, and security. If you're managing Oracle databases and need to ensure reliable data protection and efficient recovery strategies, this book offers concrete workflows and examples to help you master RMAN's full capabilities.

Peter H. Gregory's decades of experience in security strategy and technology inform this guide to IT disaster recovery planning tailored for businesses and nonprofits. You gain clear insights on assessing risks, identifying critical systems, conducting business impact analyses, and assembling recovery teams. The book walks you through both short-term and long-term planning essentials, including how to secure management buy-in and keep your plans current. Specific chapters detail testing plans and adapting to threats ranging from natural disasters to insider cyberattacks, making it practical for anyone tasked with safeguarding organizational IT resilience. While it’s approachable enough for newcomers, the focus on structured planning benefits IT professionals responsible for continuity.

Bradley Beard, a certified expert in SQL Server and Business Intelligence, draws on his extensive experience to navigate the complexities of database backup and restoration. You learn specific techniques to ensure data integrity and consistency, including how to implement and manage effective backup plans using SQL Server Agent. Chapters delve into handling space and time considerations, which are critical for maintaining efficient backup operations. If your role involves safeguarding organizational data or managing SQL Server environments, this book offers clear guidance without unnecessary jargon, focusing on practical application for administrators needing to refresh or build their backup skills.

This tailored book explores focused actions designed to enhance your backup and recovery workflows efficiently. It reveals practical techniques for improving backup reliability, streamlining restore processes, and minimizing downtime risks. By matching your background and addressing your specific goals, this personalized guide offers a clear pathway through complex recovery challenges, helping you build resilience in your IT environment. The content emphasizes essential concepts like data integrity, storage management, and recovery testing, all aligned with your interests and current skill level. As a result, you gain a targeted learning experience that bridges expert knowledge with hands-on application, making your backup transformation both achievable and impactful.

After years of honing his expertise in virtualization, Abhilash G. B. crafted this guide to demystify disaster recovery using VMware vSphere Replication 5.5 and vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.5. You’ll find detailed walkthroughs supported by screenshots, flowcharts, and diagrams that clarify complex configurations, making it accessible even if you’re relatively new to virtualization. The book dives into deploying vSphere Replication as a standalone disaster recovery tool and orchestrating recovery workflows with Site Recovery Manager, offering practical insights for architects and administrators alike. If your role involves managing VMware-based environments and ensuring data resilience, this book offers the focused technical knowledge you need without overwhelming you with unnecessary jargon.

Shawn McGehee draws on his deep expertise in SQL Server management to deliver a focused examination of backup and restore processes critical for database administrators. You learn practical methods for using SQL Server Management Studio, T-SQL scripting, and Red Gate's SQL Backup tool to safeguard data integrity and automate recovery strategies. The book walks you through building robust backup plans and integrating alert systems to catch failures promptly, offering concrete examples of automation with PowerShell and SQL Server Agent jobs. If you're responsible for maintaining database availability and minimizing downtime, this book provides the essential technical guidance to prepare you for disaster scenarios without overcomplicating the procedures.