Tips for archiving digital data

I think many people don't realize that, while digitized data can indeed be easier to archive and retrieve, digital data is more vulnerable to destruction, whether accidental or deliberate. And the fact that digital data is easy to retrieve, is a negative trait when it comes to an attempt to deliberately erase data.

With this in mind, I was extremely interested in a recent report by Network World. In the article, Fran Berman, the director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California offered some tips for preserving data for the long haul.

I highlight some of the key tips below, and include my thoughts on the matter:

• Make a detailed plan for the stewardship and preservation of your data, from its inception to the end of its lifetime.
  
  Just because the data is not tangible does not mean that nobody has to be in charge of it. In fact, I was trying to clear out a messy corner of the office, at one organization I worked for. It took a long time to clean as nobody wanted to ‘fess up to the ownership of various over-stuffed binders lying all around the shop. For both physical and digital files, such scenarios will only result in data being lost very quickly--for the simple fact that nobody cares.
  
  
• Be aware of data costs including hardware, software, support and time, and include them in your overall IT budget. Determine whether it is more cost-effective to regenerate some of your information rather than preserve it over a long period.
  
  It does cost money to maintain data. Data medium deteriorates or wears out over time; hard disks fail eventually, and managing all that data can become a full time job requiring the hire of a person dedicated to that task. Organizations that try to discount this fact are setting themselves up for failure. 
  
  
• Make multiple copies of valuable data. Store some copies off site and in different systems.
  
  While on-site RAID works great, it's completely useless against a fire, or an act of terrorism. In addition, it's also no defense against a malicious employee. Not only should there be off-site backups, another staff member should be put in charge of them as a simple precaution.

You may also want to read about 10 data storage companies to watch, or check out some of the strange data storage stories we wrote about in the past.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at NetworkWorld

Related Articles:
10 data storage companies to watch
Strange data storage stories