Gillware is a digital forensics company that helps clients recover lost data from computers, mobile devices, and storage media. Their pricing for data recovery services depends on the type of device, the cause of data loss, and the level of service needed. Here is a quick overview of what factors into Gillware’s pricing:
- Type of device – pricing is different for hard drives, SSDs, RAID arrays, mobile devices, etc.
- Cause of data loss – logical recoveries tend to be less expensive than mechanical/physical recoveries.
- Level of service – there are different tiers of service such as economy, standard, and emergency options.
- Amount of data recovered – larger recoveries incur higher fees.
- Clean room and manual work required – if opening a drive in a clean room or manually rebuilding parts adds significant effort, the price increases.
With all those factors, prices can range quite a bit. But in general, Gillware’s pricing starts around $300-500 for basic logical recoveries and goes up to $3000+ for complex mechanical recoveries with expedited service.
Gillware’s Service Tiers
One of the main variables that affects Gillware’s pricing is the tier of service. They offer three tiers: economy, standard, and emergency services.
Economy Service
This is Gillware’s budget-friendly tier of service. With economy pricing:
- Turnaround time is typically 1-2 weeks.
- Only logical/software-based recoveries are performed.
- There are no guarantees upfront on the percentage of data recovered.
- Pricing starts around $300-600 depending on the device type and amount of data recovered.
Standard Service
This is Gillware’s normal tier of service. With standard pricing:
- Turnaround time is typically 5-7 days.
- Logical and mechanical recoveries are performed as needed.
- Gillware guarantees recovery of over 90% of data or there are no recovery fees.
- Pricing starts around $500-1000+ depending on the device, type of recovery, and amount of data recovered.
Emergency Service
This is Gillware’s expedited tier of service for urgent situations. With emergency pricing:
- Turnaround time is 1-2 days.
- Logical and mechanical recoveries are performed quickly.
- Gillware guarantees recovery of over 90% of data or there are no recovery fees.
- There is a 100% surcharge added to standard pricing, so it starts around $1000-2000+ depending on the device and recovery complexity.
Pricing by Device Type
In addition to the service tier, the type of device being recovered also significantly impacts pricing. Here is an overview of how pricing differs by device type for Gillware:
| Device Type | Economy Service Price Range | Standard Service Price Range | Emergency Service Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Drive | $300-700 | $600-1200 | $1000-2000+ |
| External Hard Drive | $300-500 | $500-900 | $900-1500 |
| SSD | $400-800 | $700-1300 | $1200-2200+ |
| USB Flash Drive | $300-600 | $500-1000 | $900-1700 |
| RAID Array | $800-2500 | $1500-4000 | $2500-6000+ |
| Mac Computer | $300-800 | $600-1500 | $1000-2500+ |
| PC Laptop | $300-700 | $500-1200 | $900-2000+ |
| Android Phone | $300-600 | $500-1000 | $900-1700 |
| iPhone | $300-700 | $600-1200 | $1000-2000+ |
As you can see from the table, pricing can vary significantly. RAID recoveries tend to be the most expensive due to their complexity. Mobile devices and laptop recoveries are on the more affordable end. But there is always a range since the total amount of data recovered also impacts the price.
Factors That Increase Pricing
In addition to the base pricing ranges for different service tiers and devices, there are some other factors that can increase pricing for Gillware recoveries. These include:
Mechanical/Physical Failures
If a device has physical damage rather than just logical errors, extensive mechanical work may be required. This type of recovery work is much more complex than logical recoveries and often necessitates opening the drive in a clean room environment. The additional effort increases the pricing.
Expedited Emergency Service
As mentioned earlier, choosing Gillware’s emergency service tier results in a 100% surcharge on top of the standard pricing. This covers the extra costs to jump a recovery to the top of the queue and turn it around in 1-2 days.
Large Amounts of Data
There is a direct correlation between the total size of the data recovered and the overall cost. The more data that needs to be recovered, the higher the price will be to cover the extensive engineering work. Costs typically increase in tiers based on recovery size.
Specialized Devices
For specialized devices like DVR recorders, CCTV systems, medical imaging equipment, servers, NAS devices, etc. the pricing is customized based on the specifics of the device and situation. These non-standard recoveries incur higher fees to cover engineering costs.
Failed Previous Recovery Attempts
If a device has been opened or tampered with during a previous recovery attempt, whether by the client or another company, it adds complications that increase the price. Gillware often has to essentially re-do the recovery from scratch after a failed attempt.
Estimating the Total Price
With so many variables at play, it can be difficult for potential Gillware clients to estimate what the total pricing will be for their specific data recovery scenario. Gillware offers a few resources to help estimate pricing:
- The online pricing estimator – clients can walk through a series of questions about their device, failure, service needed, and data amounts to get an estimated quote.
- Calling the free estimate hotline – clients can call and speak to a Gillware representative who will gather details about the situation and provide a price estimate over the phone.
- Service Guarantee – with Gillware’s standard service tier, they guarantee recovery of over 90% of data. If they are not able to meet this, there are no recovery fees. This reduces the risk of guessing at the recovery likelihood and cost.
While the exact total pricing can vary quite a bit, clients have some options to get ballpark estimates before submitting a device for recovery. Gillware specialists can draw upon their extensive experience with different cases to guide clients on what pricing tier to reasonably expect based on the specifics of their situation.
Conclusion
In summary, Gillware’s data recovery pricing is influenced by several key factors:
- Service tier (economy, standard, emergency)
- Device type
- Cause of failure (logical, mechanical)
- Amount of data to be recovered
- Need for clean room disassembly and manual work
- Expedited turnaround
With these variables, costs typically range from $300 on the low end for basic logical recoveries and up to $3000+ for emergency mechanical recoveries on complex devices. While the many influencing factors make it difficult to pinpoint an exact price ahead of time, Gillware offers some useful resources to help estimate pricing including an online estimator, hotline consulting, and a data recovery guarantee on their standard service tier. By considering the key pricing factors and variables, potential clients can develop realistic expectations of what a recovery will cost with Gillware. The company has built their reputation on transparency and walking customers through the pricing process, so clients ultimately feel satisfied knowing what to budget for their important data recovery needs.