I was thinking to create this topic for a while, today I finalized it.

Well, we all know that Atola is another product in the line of a very few commercially available DR/Imaging tools. Although I don't own one but somehow I feel, that it must be a great product. But at the same time, I also do feel that the marketing phase didn't take it's place properly.

I am saying this because I have seen other manufacturers doing aggressive marketing (OK, read: Shameless Spamming). You know about them very well and I don't need to mention them specifically. But Atola, there was no really a buzz about that. Even Dmitriy himself created the dedicated forum for Atola after a long period of it's launch. It somehow suggests, that even he probably didn't have the time to come up with an aggressive marketing strategy. For example, what do we have in hands in the name of dealers? Peoples are aggressively appointing dealers with the jet speed, for some absolutely crappy products - and selling them too, with the help of the consistent crappy dealers. (Again, you know whome ). Even, Ace has a better network of dealers and such for the tools.

As I said, I haven't used Atola but I am sure that it must be way more better and supportive than SD's tools. But if it's not penetrated into the market with it's full potential, I would't blame the product itself, but rather the lazy marketing strategies. Dmitriy may be good in creating products, but not so good or perhaps way too busy for a same leveled marketing plan. He devoted all his time for making the product best and couldn't (or didn't want to?) pace with those spammers in terms of marketing?

Pardon me Dmtriy, I am not cursing you. Instead, I am pointing out the weaker link of the chain, where there great improvements can be done. It's a positive criticism with the wish of contributing my thoughts in making it a li'l better. Can the product be penetrated widely in the market with a great accompanying marketing strategy?

Anyone else thinks the same way? Any Atola owners? Dmitriy?

_________________
Bitlevel Data Recovery

Hi, I kind of agree with your things.
I spoke with one of the technician in the Atola data recovery service, the man how have directly connection with the engineers.
The reason why Atola Imager is kind of cheap is that they are young in the market and have to put their name before head.
In addition is the reason that Atola Imager can do image by heads only for seagate. The update for WD and hitachi will be available in 2-3 months for WD and Hitachi.
The others imaging tools (which more expensive) can do this acction right now.
I would like to know if someone have somthing to add.

Clusterox,
Thank you for the extensive feedback! I absolutely understand what you are trying to say.

For a long time, I wasn't sure what kind of "marketing" we really need. If you look at other companies... Acelab was trying to do hidden promotion of PC3000 on HDDGURU. Then SD was spamming here a lot, and now they are doing these "reviews": datatoolsreview.com...

I am not sure if we want to go either direction. What I believe in is not spamming or fake reviews, but better communication with our current and potential customers. And we are working on this

About the distributors - I think we have a great distribution network. The only continent that currently has no distributor or reseller is Australia.

_________________
Dmitry

@Clusterox

After investigating all possible chains the only way to sell / distribute is:

1. Personal contacts
2. positive word of mouth about a) the product and b) the service
3. Reviews in market directed special magazines

Allthough the products could cover a wide range of possible customers / users
(from PC / Laptop repair shop up to computer departments universities or companies)
they usually stick to their own (software) solutions and/or just dont want to spend their
money on tools they are frightened of ....

The biggest possible market would be the repair shops. But they disappear quicker
than its possible to start a sales conversation. Their first aim is to be "cheaper" than
their competitor around the next corner. And as there is no money left - they cant
afford the worthy tools. Therefore they play around with software solutions - needing
/ waisting a lot of time - oversee solutions for their customers, destroy data PLUS
bypass a lot of possible extra income....

+++

And this is where SD has penetrated itself - into the local repair shops and tech sort of peoples. Although, they may not know anything about DR recovery, but Salvations just seem to gift them a "magic wand".

I am personally thinking to get one myself!

_________________
Bitlevel Data Recovery

Usually the 'magic wand' ... AbraKaDabra... turn the 'tech' into a frog. Then a 'kiss' is needed...

Hmmm....

Just the question which one?

- Data Compass (2011): slow because of USB 2.0 + limited to drives up to 500GB
- Data Copy King: very, very fast, but definitely not in class of other imagers in terms of DR
- HD Doctors: just read the hundred of posts in this forum ....

Serious choices for
DR and DR Imaging: PC3000 UDMA, DeepSpar, Atola Insight

The only tool for a quick test
+ overview of a HDD
especially in terms of easyness of usage: Atola Insight USB or Ethernet

In my oppinion its the only tool which would fit as a tool for pc or laptop repair shops.
But - the ease of use costs money ....

+++

Walter,

Of course the Atola. As, I have already rest of them.

And hey, did I sound like one of them? Yuk, I was talking about THOSE computer and Laptop repair shops, not me. They just don't know anything about DR - just try to ask them some simplest things like reverse imaging and they will start staring you like dumbs!

But even in those peoples, the salvation army has somehow managed to convince them that this tool is just the "magic wand" they always needed and now everything is possible. I usually have to laugh every now and then, when any such person/firm comes to me and tell me that my hefty charging days are over and I should just surrender myself and my data recovery company because they now have got the "HD Doctor for Maxtor".

_________________
Bitlevel Data Recovery

Have you an idea about how many SD tools are sold 2nd hand because they were bought thinking they would have been 'the chicken who lay golden eggs' ? I REFUSE helping people with the cowboy attitude, if they really want they can outsource to me or hire me for training at a high cost - usually they choose outsource. That's market, that's life.

"Salvation Army"

Like it!!

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

atola is smart, I must say! this forum is battlefield created by atola, pc3k and sd are arranged to fight against each other, it's just a matter of time the two parties will lose its power and atola becomes the strongest and eat any other party..lol..terrible saying...

so far from the forum posts, it seems pc3k is the big brother with many times of soldiers of sd or atola, so sd or atola can just act as fish in the pot whatever they do! atola keeps quiet and watch, sd was trying to fight against but it seems they keep quiet as well...maybe they learn something...

atola grows on the shoulder of pc3k and sd and it grows much faster than the other two(both ace and sd are over 10 years' old, atola, two years), this is the secret and strategy...I am just guessing...when more end users including me are involved in this war without our own attack or defense power, we are finally played by all of them...

_________________
Question yourself before decision

What is even worst is that none of the above mentioned tools is really absolutely necessary if......... ....ooops....

Hello BlackST.... What means ooops ?

_________________
HWHacker
Smiles

One could learn how to work with drives on a low level just as these tools do, and put together equipment / software that is the best of all three (Pc3k, SD, Atola) tools, I suspect this = ooops

Or I'm way off, but that's my understanding of it