What is Data Archiving and How to Choose the Right Archiving Medium

Background Information

In the digital age, data backup and data archiving are often confused, though they are distinct. Yet the terms are frequently used interchangeably.

Large datasets are available to organizations. Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things generate huge amounts of data. Time has reduced the cost of storage. More data is stored cheaply. AI and big data can leverage this data. These tools help companies make informed decisions.

Data needs a home. Large datasets are stored in the cloud or data centers. They cannot be stored locally. Your company might face challenges when archiving these massive databases. However, some organizations can benefit from archiving, but not all businesses can make use of it. This article will discuss data archiving and everything you need to know about it.

What is data archiving?

Data archiving is the process of moving inactive data to a different device for long-term storage. Archived data is older information that must be retained for future reference or compliance purposes. Data archiving can be indexed for finding and retrieving files.

Archived data is stored in a lower-cost tier, reducing the use of and charges for primary storage. Companies must inventory their data to determine what should be archived.

Some archival systems are read-only, to prevent alteration, while others allow writing. Data archiving is best suited to operational data or regulatory data, such as document files, email communications, and historical database entries.

How to Choose the Right Data Archiving Medium

The choice of storage matters for the accessibility and security of your materials, as well as the costs of generation and maintenance. Archives are useful only if the data can be retrieved when needed, so check your storage regularly.

1. Tape

Tape was one of the first media used for digital data archiving. Although it has been largely replaced by other media for primary and backup storage, its high capacity, low cost, and durability make it ideal for archiving.

CD (Compact Disc)

Optical media, primarily CDs, were compact backup storage devices. Data was written to the disc by a laser beam etching pits in a spiral pattern. Optical media storage was once popular for archiving because it offered one of the first write-once, read-many (WORM) data protection formats. This meant that once the media was written to, it could not be altered. As a result, it had a longer lifespan and could hold more information than its predecessors.

3. Store Locally

On-premises storage means the company's servers are located on site, within its own infrastructure. It stores data on servers, PCs, and other local hardware. You and your team can store data on servers you purchase and set up on-site. On-premises storage has become the biggest challenger to tape as the preferred medium for data archiving. With the availability of SATA hard disk drives with capacities up to 2TB and prices under $150, it competes with tape.

4. Mobile Disk Storage

A USB flash drive is a portable storage device connected via USB. Removable and rewritable, they resemble both flash cards and common data storage mechanisms. Unlike flash cards, USB flash drives can be inserted into the USB ports of most modern computers. These drives have capacities ranging from 32 MB to 64 GB. Portable disk storage offers the advantages of tape portability and disk-based archiving.

5. Cloud Archiving

Archive-class cloud storage has improved functionality and reduced the cost of storing data for long periods. Online-storage systems such as Dropbox, iCloud, and Microsoft OneDrive are reliable for data preservation. These services are user-friendly and can be accessed from anywhere. For data archiving, cloud storage is well suited, and SaaS providers are defining their offerings as a more economical way to do it. But there are risks in storing compliance data in the cloud without careful vetting of third-party services.

These are common archival media; choose the one that is right for you.

Conclusions

Archiving is an old idea. Unstructured data is growing so fast that it is becoming unmanageable, and companies are struggling to comply with regulatory requirements. New solutions, such as cloud storage, save time and money by safeguarding the ever-expanding flow of information.

And it will be up to companies to decide whether data archiving is the right way to address their concerns and sleep easy.