How long do SSDs really last? All the secrets of SSD data recovery

Many administrators and managers of companies (but also individuals) have always feared losing valuable data due to a sudden failure of the SSD drive where all information regarding their activities is kept. In the event of an accident, in fact, it is necessary to contact a company specialized in SSD data recovery. Because of these fears, SSD manufacturers have long since begun to convince end users that their SSD media are safe, even when they contain sensitive data of primary importance.

An SSD disk is a totally different medium than a traditional hard disk that stores all the data on a magnetic surface. The NAND Flash chip contained in the SSDs allows this type of media to be composed, in substance, by an electronic controller and different storage chips. In the market there are also hybrid discs that see the use of both technologies.

Speaking of SSD data recovery we refer to this type of media, much faster than spindle-equipped hard drives. In fact, a normal disc is made up of numerous mechanical components and rotating discs. When the head, which allows reading / writing, repositions, it takes much longer to transfer the data than the electronic interfaces of the SSDs.

Not all that glitters is gold. SSD disks with NAND Flash chips are also characterized by a limited lifespan due to default settings. Unlike traditional hard drives (which can potentially last forever, actually at least a decade or so), SSDs have a sort of predetermined "expiration date". The data, in fact, can be written and overwritten a well-defined number of times during the life of the support, beyond this limit the cells forget the new stored data.

Generally producers indicate the duration of the life cycle of the support in terabytes written (TBW) and use a wear-leveling algorithm, thanks to which the data are distributed uniformly on all the cells of the support so as not to overly overload some cells with respect to to others.

The data written by a normal user corresponds to a value ranging from 10 to about 35 GB, on a standard day. Even increasing this value up to 40 GB means that the user could write (and only write) more than 5 years before reaching the limit indicated on average by the manufacturers. However, SSDs can often last much longer than stated by the manufacturer.

Despite this it is good to always be very careful, the risk of data loss is always around the corner. If an SSD data recovery procedure is required, our advice is to always contact a professional data recovery provider such as UAE Data Recovery. If there is a physical failure, in fact, there is not much hope for the user to be able to successfully recover their data at home. Moreover, in case of failure of the controller or the storage chip, the use of a data recovery software can involve more damage than benefits with the consequent definitive loss of all the very precious data stored inside the support.