At this point, you might be backing up your data every now and then, but if you aren’t archiving it, you might be losing a significant feature of safekeeping your archive your data.
Keeping your data safe is the major reason why organizations archive their data and if you want to do the same, let’s tell you how.
You definitely have thousands of files stored on your computers or in the cloud and you want to save them somewhere where you can access them easily.
It’s pretty safe to assume that you want to save and retain these files and might want to back up at some point in time. And for that, archiving is the best option.
How to archive your data?
There are a variety of devices that you could use to archive your data. And as long term retention is your main focus, you might want to store your data on a storage medium that’s going to last for a long time.
With different kinds of devices having different life expectancies, not every medium is the best for you.
Depending on how much data you have to archive, you might also want such a solution that’s affordable and can save an enormous amount of data.
With that said, let’s discuss some of the devices that you could use to archive your data.
Flash Storage
A lot of devices like USB flash devices, memory cards, and other such types of storage could help you in archiving data. However, it depends on if its cost.
The long term retention of different kinds of flash storage isn’t that known for flash drives like that of hard drives as flash storage is potentially newer. However, they still work well and thus are a great option.
The best part about flash storages is the size which makes it very easy to carry and use across devices. You can also fit a lot of data on a tiny flash drive, even up to a terabyte of space which is even common these days.
However, the more the storage of a flash drive is, the costly it?s going to be. So, you might want to consider that before buying it.
Hard Drives
One of the most common types of the storage medium is hard drives which are probably one of the most used devices for storing and archiving data.
A significant feature of hard drives is that they are cost-effective and could be pretty affordable when it comes to getting multiple storage options.
Hard drives even have a life-span. However, if they are stored properly, they could easily last 10-15 years. However, make sure to use them within a few years to stop them from dying.
The disadvantage of hard drives is that they could take up some space and fairly delicate with all kinds of moving parts inside. You might want to be extra careful with them.
Online Storage
Online storage is one of the easiest and most convenient online storage services and apparently, services like Google Drive and OneDrive make everything practically easier for you.
However, the means of delivery might seem unsafe. Another thing is that the information is stored somewhere else on a different device. This might not be good for sensitive information.
Other problems are the monthly costs and transfer fees (in some cases). And a few times, you might want to access a file but you can?t because of your slow connection. There are certain concerns you would want to rule out before opting for online storage.?
The good part is that your data is saved somewhere else as well. This means that if your local data is gone, you still have your data stored.
CDs/DVDs
I know, these are usually used for movies and TV shows, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t archive your data here. With CDs and DVDs, you have a different data storage option that you can use to put any file on it and use it whenever you want.
This option is also cheaper and the best part is that when you buy BluRay discs, then could usually cost at around $25 for 50 discs at 25GB each. The total storage that you get is far better and more than other devices.
The downside is that you can’t save big files altogether. You might want to save them in parts and sort them accordingly. Another thing is that you would have to keep these discs safe for use. So, you might want to be extra careful around them.