Data storage is an evergreen issue for businesses, and the best solution seems to change with every new innovation. That said, the principles behind effective data storage seem to be fairly cut and dry. Today, we want to share some data storage best practices that transcend time.
We always like to ground these types of articles in a realistic example. Let’s say you want to store a hard drive filled with pictures, documents, and other valuable information. That said, you don’t want to connect it to your primary computer. You could transfer these files to an external hard drive to get them off your computer, especially if you need to upgrade to a new piece of hardware (like, say, when you upgrade to Windows 11). Hard drives can be stored for a long time, provided the conditions are right, so this approach would make sense.
What you don’t want to do is store a bunch of old computers in one location and pull them out when the time is right. Not only does this clutter up your office, but it also puts those outdated devices at risk, not only from the threats of the Internet, but also hardware failure as their components age and degrade over time.
And make no mistake, data will degrade over time. Research has shown that for a strong hard disc drive, however, data degradation isn’t a big issue, as long as it’s stored in an appropriate environment. In this case, you’ll want it to be in a climate-controlled environment (we like to call it “cold storage”). What you shouldn’t do is throw a bunch of powered-down hard drives in a box and call it a day; that’s a recipe for disaster.
It might seem like there’s only so much that can go wrong with a powered-down hard drive, but you’d be surprised. Here are some tips to ensure you keep your hard drives functional over the years:
Does your business need help with data backup, storage, or redundancy? Reach out to First Column IT and we’ll get you sorted out. Learn more by calling us at (571) 470-5594.
