Binary Biz offers a worldwide data recovery service either by physical examination of your failed media or via the Internet.

Its software, Virtual Lab, acts as an Internet client that allows you to recover data using a recovery engine running on its remote servers using an encrypted connection.

The Virtual Lab client controls five modules: Volume recovery, Deleted file recovery, Email recovery, CD/DVD recovery and Photo recovery, each represented by an icon.

To get started you have to buy a ‘quota’ on the Binary Biz server and choose a recovery module. You will also need a safe storage system to save your recovered data to, though Binary Biz can provide remote storage if required.

Only available as a download, the Virtual Lab client is a small file. The disturbing thing about Binary Biz is that it doesn’t mention the product price anywhere on its website – payment options only appear after you download and install the Virtual Lab client.

You buy web storage on a quota basis, on a sliding scale related to data volume and type of service. Even this has two options: either a one-off quota purchase, which is time-limited and must be used within seven days, or a ‘Stoploss’ subscription.

For example, its one-off rate for each of the five program modules varies from $39.95 for 100MB to $199.95 for 100GB. The ‘Personal’ subscription starts at $19.95 a month for 1GB and the ‘Professional’ at $39.95 a month for 5GB and buys users privileges for all five program modules.

Binary Biz does provide a 100KB free quota when you register so you can try out the client.

Since you cannot use Virtual Lab without a working Internet connection, the user manual is stored online. As with many other companies, support and customer service is through an online automated system.

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of using a data recovery system that is client/server web based, then Virtual Lab is not for you.

This article is part of a grooup test. All articles in the test are as follows:
A quick recovery 
Active Data Recovery Active@ Undelete 
Binary Biz Virtual Lab 
Ontrack Easy Recovery Lite
PC Tools File Recover 5
R-Tools Technology R-Studio
Stellar Phoenix Fat + NTFS 
Retaining control of your data 
Broken drives and professional data retrieval labs