How Long Will Your Document Archive Media Last?

[TWP]

 

I did say it would be slower.  I'll even say it won't fit on my library shelves.

The problem with changing media, over time, is that we must either keep a copy of the media reader in a Faraday cage, along with the software AND hardware to run it...

Or we must keep introducing the newer media forms and transferring the data from the archives.

Stone may be slower to work with, but it will last and the tools don't change...  I'm only half joking here.

[pengyou]

A third option, which entails a LARGE trust factor, is to use online storage.  This is only as safe as the business which is running the backup server... Which I don't think is really very safe.  Not if you expect to need that data after some event which might kill the internet.  The business might fail due to bad management too.

I have always thought that if anarchy sets in, one of the first things the remaining government would try to control would be the internet, and anything related to it, including online storage facilities.

[TWP]

pengyou, you're correct, which is why I listed online storage as the last option in my original post.

I will not consider a third-party storage option simply because the trust factor makes it so dangerous.  Even encrypted storage might be broken, if there was sufficient suspicion on the part of other people/agencies/governments.

You're argument, which I second, is that the 'net is simply not reliable in a crisis, of whatever cause, makes the most sense as a reason to avoid online storage of archives.

That being said, the only argument for online archives is as part of a multi-copy backup plan.  You Might be able to get it back... Perhaps, Maybe...