So what’s the next best thing to keep your bits crisp for centuries?
What if you oughta preserve information somewhere for someone 100 years or more in the future?
For various reasons, you might need to hold onto data for a long time.
Corbin Davenport / How-To Geek
First, digital storage media likehard drivesand SSDs can degrade over time and eventually fail.
That means you must keep making new copies of long-term data before your storage devices fail.
Another challenge to consider is file format obsolescence.
They say these discs will last several hundred years, so you better hope they still have Blu-ray players in the year 2500.
Some file formats may become outdated or incompatible with newer software as technology advances.
Cold Storage vs.
Hot Data
In data storage parlance, “cold” storage refers to how rarely accessed data is stored.
These Ultrium LTO tape cartrides are rated for over a million passes and have a projected lifespan of 50 years or more.
This is usually data kept for compliance or other necessary record-keeping irrelevant to day-to-day business.
If data is kept in cold storage, this can affect how long it will last.
Two factors are commonly responsible for “disc rot.”
Magnetic tape has been used for decades as reliable long-term data storage.
It’s highly durable and can withstand extreme temperatures and humidity.
It’s also relatively inexpensive compared to other options.
However, magnetic tapes need specialized equipment for reading and writing data.
Mechanical hard drives have been used for decades as primary storage for computers.
They’re reliable, fast, and relatively inexpensive.
