Archival Storage System - Why is it important?

In your business’s everyday work, you may need instant access to many critical files and folders – which means, of course, that you need to update that data frequently, back it up regularly, and keep it ready for action. But what about all those important files that you just don’t need very often? These files belong in your digital archives. What, you don’t have an archival storage system in place? Then let’s look at some common options.

Hard drives - Hard drives are  relatively cheap in terms of cost per terabyte, and they can easily last a decade or two with proper care. Unfortunately, they really do need that proper care. Their delicate innards feature mechanical parts that can easily sustain irreparable damage, and that’s not even considering the natural wear and tear they must undergo during their lifetime.

SSD and flash technologies - A solid-state drive (SSD) doesn’t suffer from the mechanical frailties of a hard drive, so it can provide trouble-free service for many years under tougher conditions. However, SSDs retain their data by trapping electrons. If you don’t feed them power periodically, they can fail on you.

Optical media - Blu-Ray disks rival hard drives in terms of value for money. The potential downside here involves their vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation. UV rays can alter the dyes that these disks use to hold data. Broad-spectrum sunlight, which imparts both UV and heat energy, can degrade them even more quickly.

LTO tapes - LTO stands for Linear Tape-Open. You’ll pay a pretty penny for the specialized drives that these tapes require; on the other hand, you’ll save big in the cost-per-terabyte department. This slow but reliable technology can work great for those archives you only dust off once in a blue moon.

Need help choosing the right option? Contact the Austin IT managed services team at Gravity Systems!