VentraIP responds to data-loss disaster

Popular TV website TV Central has pointed the finger squarely at its hosting provider VentraIP over an issue that saw all of the site's text, video and audio content disappear for good during a recent server migration. VentraIP, however, has come out with its side of the story.

TV Central's editor Aaron Ryan told Mumbrella yesterday that technical difficulties during a server migration saw the site's entire database lost for good, including the site's back-up history.

Ryan expressed his despair at the data loss, likening it to the death of his sister.

"Not since the death of my sister back in 1997 have I been dealt such a blow. Every ounce of passion goes into the site, and this is heartbreaking," Ryan told Mumbrella yesterday, adding that legal action against VentraIP is being considered.

VentraIP released a statement, however, saying that it was Ryan's fault that the data was wiped.

"As always, every story has two sides, and the unfortunate situation in this story is that it is simply a case of a client not taking appropriate action when prompted," VentraIP CEO Cheyne Jonstone said in a statement.

The hosting provider said that it keeps comprehensive back-ups of every customer's account to ensure that everything is covered, including accidental deletion. Once back-ups reach a certain size, however, VentraIP tells customers that they will no longer be part of the back-up process.

"We contact customers in writing [and advise] they should ensure that they have a copy of their data in the unlikely event of a server crash, or if they need to restore files for any reason," VentraIP said in its statement.

VentraIP added that it had given Ryan multiple warnings about the size of his back-up over the last month.

Since the issue became public, company CEO Jonstone said that he had instructed the company's chief technical officer to comb through the back-ups to see if any of TV Central's data could be recovered, and has ordered a review of the situation.

Jonstone, however, has expressed his distaste at Ryan's reaction to the data loss.

A statement made today by Mr Ryan that likens the loss of his website data to the death of his sister in 1997, are, in my personal opinion, outrageously disrespectful and in very poor taste. As a highly compassionate person, I feel for Mr Ryan's situation, and if I found that there had been any wrongdoing by my staff at any stage throughout this event, I would be at his mercy.

However, after a very thorough investigation, and taking into account all of the facts, I have found that our staff have acted in accordance with our tried-and-tested policies and procedures, and Mr Ryan's failure to act and respond to several written requests is ultimately the cause of this unfortunate event. It is also clear that Mr Ryan never checked his VPS to ensure his data had been migrated, which could have been done at any time, as he was furnished with the details required to log in to it.

VentraIP said that due to the threats of legal action both in public and in private, it would make no further comment on the matter.

At the time of publication, TV Central remains offline.