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Free Image Format ConversionAre you looking for the most reliable way to archive your data for the long term? Learn how to store your data safely and easily in just a few steps. Read on for a detailed step-by-step guide.
Given how important it is, no one really knows how safe it is to entrust it to the cloud. Digital data stored on a computer's hard drive may seem permanent, but it is not. And we must remember that all matter has a lifecycle, and degrades in quality over time.
Is there any way to be confident that your critical data will always be available to you? For that, you need a reliable way to store your data for the long term. This article will introduce you to the most reliable ways to store data for the long term to help you with that. Let's get started!
< a id="1" name="1">1. Using Backup and Restore Software for Long-Term Data Storage
With data backup software, users can quickly and easily back up and synchronize essential data. For long-term information storage, data backup is a simple and cost-effective solution. Knowing that your precious family photos, videos, and important files are safe and secure will save you time, money, and effort.
More often than not, the files on our computers that we access the least contain the most important data. Losing this data can be devastating. To ensure your data is safe, backup and recovery software can be a great help.
Advantages
- User-friendly
- Cost-effective
- Regular backups
Disadvantages
- Insecure
- Vulnerable to security exploits
2. Store data using digital drives, such as HDD, SSD, or USB.
In this section, we'll delve more into hard drives and storage devices. Any of these options can be used for an external drive, but I strongly recommend using one of these.
If you plan on storing data for a long time, an external solid-state drive (SSD) would be a good option. Since there are no moving parts in an SSD, dropping the drive is less likely to cause significant damage to your data than with a regular hard disk drive. Additionally, they outperform hard disk drives in terms of durability and speed.
If you need a smaller storage solution, thumb drives and USB drives are essentially the same thing – solid state drives. Digital drives are great for people who want to back up smaller files that don't take up a lot of space.
While wired hard drives still exist, several wireless options have recently been introduced as alternatives. These typically last for eight years or more. However, their longevity depends significantly on the brand of manufacturer and the complexity of its application. With proper use, they can last well beyond their designed eight-year lifespan.
Advantages
- Larger storage capacity
- Easier to access
- More affordable
Disadvantages
- Limited lifetime
- Data corruption
### 3. Store Long-Term Data on RAID
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology has been used by large enterprises for years. RAID is a popular way of combining hard drives with the aim of increasing storage capacity. When implemented correctly, it ensures that critical data is verified even as it is first being created by the user.
RAID is a common method of data backup, but advances in technology in recent years have exposed some of its limitations. For example, in the event of an emergency, a RAID array can become a single point of failure, leading to the loss of multiple hard disks. Moreover, implementing and optimizing RAID is a complex task that relies on specialized internal knowledge, which many small businesses do not possess.
Advantages
- Good cost-to-performance ratio
- Increased reliability
- Fault tolerance
Drawbacks
- Utilizes only half of the storage capacity
- More expensive
- Requires power to be shut off
Read also: How to Recover Data from a Broken RAID
4. Utilize cloud storage for long-term data preservation
The best way to safeguard data is to store it in the cloud, which offers unparalleled security and reliability. Moreover, end-to-end encryption ensures the safety of all data in transit.
Typically, cloud-service providers offer clients a small amount of storage for free, so that they can try out the service and determine whether it meets their needs. Additional capacity can be purchased for a fee. With everything connected to the Internet, all of one's data can be stored in the cloud.
One of the main advantages of using cloud storage for long-term storage is that the media is located in different places. For added security, they store users' data on multiple servers in several locations. This way, the user's data is always accessible and remains on the servers as long as the subscriber is a customer.
With cloud storage, data security is also a concern, because if the cloud server goes down, your data could be lost. And, because they are vulnerable, they can be subject to malicious attacks. So these services must have the highest level of data security to protect their clients' personal information.
Use a cloud storage device for long-term data retention 
Advantages
- Persistent storage
- Added security
- Larger storage capacity
Disadvantages
- Poor data security
- Vulnerable to the same attacks
- Service hijacking
Read Also: Cloud Drive Data Recovery – Recover Data from WD, Dropbox, Google, etc.
How to recover lost or deleted data from a long time ago
As you probably know, it's usually difficult to recover important files and data once they've been deleted from your computer's recycle bin. However, if you wish to retrieve this information, you would need the assistance of a third-party tool. In this case, "Data Recovery Wizard" is your best option. It's a user-friendly Data Recovery Wizard tool that can help you swiftly recover lost data.
With the Data Recovery Wizard tool, you can restore deleted files even after they've been emptied from the Recycle Bin. It can also recover data lost due to device failure or computer viruses. Furthermore, the tool can recover deleted or lost partitions, even if the disk has been formatted or dynamically created, preserving their original file names and storage locations.
The wizard mode makes the data recovery process simple enough for beginners, and it can recover data from a variety of storage devices, including hard drives.
The main advantages of this data recovery software include:
- Compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7 and macOS
- Ability to recover permanently deleted photos, documents, files, etc.
- Facilitates easy data recovery from the Recycle Bin
- Helps you preview all recoverable files
- Scanning results can be filtered by file type
Step 1: Scan the SSD
Launch tools Data Recovery Wizard, select the SSD where you lost data, and click "Scan" to start.
Step 2: View the results
Once the scan is over, check the “Deleted Files” and “Other Lost Files” folders and use the “Filter” and “Search” options to retrieve lost SSD data.
Step 3: Restore Files from SSD
Select the required data and then click on the “Recover” button to restore lost SSD files.
Conclusions
Choosing the most reliable way to store data for the long term is not straightforward, as it depends entirely on the specific application and user behavior. As a precaution, it's best to keep your data on two or three different storage devices so that it remains accessible even if one fails. Additionally, in case you accidentally delete important files, we recommend using tools like Data Recovery Wizard to restore your data.