CSSi
CSSi is a South Africa-based data recovery and digital forensics specialist serving Fortune 500 firms, JSE-listed companies, African governments, and law firms from seven offices across Africa, with complementary distribution of 22 enterprise storage brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersMidrand, South Africa
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CSSi does
CSSi (legally Computer Storage Services Pty Ltd), headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a specialized data recovery and digital forensics services firm founded in 1998. It operates ISO 27001 certified security processes, ISO Class-100 clean room environments, and proprietary in-house developed data extraction tools to recover data from damaged HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, NAS/SAN systems, mobile devices, and tape media. The company cites a 91%+ recovery success rate and 59,000+ lifetime successful outcomes. Service lines include data recovery, RAID/server recovery, tape recovery and migration, ransomware recovery without ransom payment, court-admissible digital forensics and eDiscovery, and certified data sanitization and destruction (DOD 5220.22-M / NIST 800-88).
The firm's customer base spans Fortune 500 corporates, JSE-listed companies, African government agencies, law firms, and SMEs, with disclosed engagements in West, East, and Southern Africa. It runs an enterprise field-sales motion targeting these regulated segments alongside two structured channel motions: a reseller program with preferential volume pricing and co-marketing, and a Data Recovery Service Partner (DRSP) program that converts independent resellers into recurring revenue partners. CSSi is also an authorized distributor for 22 global enterprise storage brands, operating a dedicated e-commerce storefront (shop.cssi.co.za) with 4,000+ SKUs covering storage appliances, NAS, SAN, servers, and LTO-9 tape devices.
Revenue is generated through professional services (recovery, forensics, sanitization, emergency response) plus hardware resale. Pricing is predominantly quote-based and outcome-linked — including a "no data – no fee" policy on RAID and server recovery — while hardware sales follow unit pricing with a price-match guarantee. The company reports no external funding rounds and no parent company, operating as an independent private limited company with seven offices across Africa and a multi-channel marketing presence anchored by a 11,000+ subscriber newsletter. Recent recognition includes 2025–2026 industry awards as a leading African data recovery and forensics provider.
CSSi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CSSi
- Legal name
- Computer Storage Services Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://cssi.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CSSi is a South Africa-based data recovery and digital forensics specialist serving Fortune 500 firms, JSE-listed companies, African governments, and law firms from seven offices across Africa, with complementary distribution of 22 enterprise storage brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CSSi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Data Recovery Services
- NAICS
- Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (8112)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) & Data Destruction (EUAIAIAB)
Keywords
Where CSSi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Midrand
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices3 records
Markets served
CSSi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Data Recovery Services: Professional data recovery services for HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, NAS/SAN, flash media, mobile devices, and virtual systems. Includes free failure analysis and diagnostic evaluations. 91%+ success rate.
- Digital Forensics & eDiscovery: Court-admissible digital investigations, evidence preservation, and eDiscovery for legal, corporate, and regulatory cases across Africa
- Data Sanitization & Destruction: Certified secure erasure (DOD 5220.22-M / NIST 800-88) and physical destruction of media with verifiable certificates for compliance and chain-of-custody
- Ransomware Data Recovery: Specialized recovery from encrypted drives without paying ransom demands, combined with forensic analysis to identify attack vectors. Emergency services available.
- Hardware Distribution: Distribution of enterprise storage and IT hardware. Official distributor for 22 global brands including storage appliances, NAS, SAN, servers, and LTO-9 tape devices. Shop with 4,000+ SKUs.
- Tape Services: Tape and backup technology solutions including LTO technology distribution, backup cloud options, backup software distribution, certified repair for legacy formats (DAT, DLT, AIT, MO), and tape recovery services
- Reseller Program Revenue: Recurring revenue from resellers through preferential pricing, volume discounts, and channel opportunities. Partners receive technical support and marketing assistance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free Failure Analysis |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Data Recovery Services - Quote Based |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | No Data - No Fee Policy |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hardware Products - Retail and Reseller |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
CSSi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CSSi provides professional data recovery, digital forensics and eDiscovery, certified data sanitization and destruction, and ransomware recovery services for HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, NAS/SAN, mobile devices, and tape media. The company also operates a hardware distribution business as an official distributor for 22 global brands, selling enterprise storage, servers, NAS, SAN, and LTO tape devices through its online shop and reseller channel.
Product overview
CSSi is a single unified service offering centered on data recovery and digital forensics, not a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio consists of five integrated data recovery services (Data Recovery, RAID & Server Recovery, Tape Recovery & Migration, Ransomware Data Recovery, and Data Sanitization & Destruction) plus Digital Forensics & eDiscovery, all delivered through ISO-certified clean rooms and in-house labs. The company also operates a complementary distribution channel (CSSi Distribution) that resells enterprise storage hardware and IT equipment, which while separate in function, shares the same customer base seeking data storage solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Data Recovery
- Digital Forensics & eDiscovery Court-admissible digital investigations, evidence preservation, and eDiscovery services for legal, corporate, and regulatory cases across Africa. Designed for law firms, enterprises, and government agencies requiring legally defensible forensic analysis.
- Data Sanitization & Destruction Certified secure erasure following DOD 5220.22-M and NIST 800-88 standards, plus physical destruction of media with verifiable certificates for compliance and chain-of-custody. Used by enterprises and regulated organizations requiring end-of-life data disposal.
- Ransomware Data Recovery Specialized recovery from encrypted drives without paying ransom demands, combined with forensic analysis to identify attack vectors. Emergency service for enterprises hit by ransomware incidents.
- RAID & Server Recovery Expert reconstruction and recovery from all RAID levels, including custom configurations and enterprise storage systems, with a 'no data - no fee' policy. Targeted at enterprises facing complex RAID or server storage failures.
- Tape Recovery & Migration Data recovery and migration from legacy and modern LTO, DLT, DAT tapes, including damaged media with chain-of-custody documentation. Serves backup-dependent enterprises, data centers, and resellers managing legacy tape archives.
- CSSi Distribution (Enterprise Storage & IT Hardware Shop) E-commerce platform offering over 4,000 SKUs of enterprise storage and IT hardware from 22 official global brand distributors, including hard drives, SSDs, NAS, SAN, storage appliances, servers, and LTO-9 tape devices. Targets enterprises, resellers, and individual buyers across Africa with a price-match guarantee.
Quantifiable outcome
- 91%+ success rate in data recovery operations
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use CSSi
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CSSi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
CSSi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SeagatecoreFormer Seagate specialists form part of CSSi's in-house support team. CSSi operates as an authorized support channel for Seagate products.
- Western Digital / WDCcoreFormer Western Digital specialists form part of CSSi's in-house support team. CSSi operates as an authorized support channel for WDC products.
- ToshibacoreFormer Toshiba specialists form part of CSSi's in-house support team. CSSi operates as an authorized support channel for Toshiba products.
- 22 Global Brand DistributorscoreOfficial distributor for 22 global brands covering enterprise storage and IT hardware. Brands include storage appliances, NAS, SAN, servers, and LTO devices. Partners receive preferential pricing and channel opportunities.
- IT Resellers (DRSP Program)coreData Recovery Service Partner (DRSP) program for IT resellers. Partners earn recurring revenue, receive volume discounts, technical training, co-marketing support, and 24/7 support team access.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CSSi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DriveSavers: DriveSavers is a leading North American data recovery and digital forensics provider with ISO Class-100 clean rooms and proprietary recovery tools—the closest direct analog to CSSi's core service offering, though serving a different geography.
- Gillware Data Recovery: Gillware is a US-based data recovery and digital forensics specialist offering RAID, SSD, and mobile device recovery with proprietary tools, directly comparable to CSSi's core professional services portfolio.
- SecureData Recovery Services: SecureData Recovery Services is a US-based data recovery provider with ISO Class-10 clean rooms and enterprise/RAID capabilities, directly competing in the same professional services category as CSSi.
- Stellar Data Recovery: Stellar is a global data recovery software and services provider with both DIY software and professional services, comparable to CSSi's professional recovery offering plus its software-adjacent distribution business.
- SalvageData: SalvageData is a US-based data recovery and digital forensics company with RAID, SSD, and enterprise recovery services, directly comparable in service mix and customer profile to CSSi.
- CBL Data Recovery: CBL Data Recovery is an international data recovery provider with ISO Class-100 clean rooms serving enterprise and consumer segments, directly comparable in service scope and capability to CSSi.
Broad incumbents
- KLDiscovery / Ontrack: KLDiscovery (including the Ontrack data recovery brand) is a global leader in data recovery, eDiscovery, and digital forensics with worldwide lab coverage—directly comparable services to CSSi but at global enterprise scale.
- Iron Mountain: Iron Mountain is a global incumbent in secure data destruction, records management, and IT asset disposition, directly comparable to CSSi's data sanitization/destruction and tape services lines as part of a much broader portfolio.
- Epiq Systems: Epiq is a global provider of eDiscovery, digital forensics, and managed services for legal and enterprise clients, directly comparable to CSSi's Digital Forensics & eDiscovery practice at a much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Blancco Technology Group: Blancco is a specialist in certified data erasure and IT asset disposition software, comparable to CSSi's DOD/NIST-compliant data sanitization service line but delivered primarily as software rather than service.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CSSi social profiles
Digital presenceCSSi compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
CSSi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CSSi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CSSi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CSSi M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CSSi
What does CSSi do?
CSSi provides professional data recovery, digital forensics and eDiscovery, certified data sanitization and destruction, and ransomware recovery services for HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, NAS/SAN, mobile devices, and tape media. The company also operates a hardware distribution business as an official distributor for 22 global brands, selling enterprise storage, servers, NAS, SAN, and LTO tape devices through its online shop and reseller channel.
Is CSSi a public or private company?
CSSi is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CSSi founded?
CSSi was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CSSi based?
CSSi is headquartered in Midrand, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does CSSi make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Data Recovery Services are the primary driver. The others are digital Forensics & eDiscovery, data Sanitization & Destruction, ransomware Data Recovery, hardware Distribution, tape Services and reseller Program Revenue.
Who are CSSi's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DriveSavers, Gillware Data Recovery, SecureData Recovery Services, Stellar Data Recovery, SalvageData and CBL Data Recovery. Broad incumbents are KLDiscovery / Ontrack, Iron Mountain and Epiq Systems. Blancco Technology Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does CSSi have an API?
No public API is recorded for CSSi.
What industry is CSSi in?
CSSi's product category is Data Recovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAIAB, IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) & Data Destruction. Its NAICS code is 8112 and its SIC code is 7374.