Offline Storage & Automated Data Archiving

 


What is data archiving?


The practice of relocating data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage medium for long-term keeping is known as data archiving. Archive data is older data that is still useful to the company or must be kept for future reference or regulatory compliance. Data archives are indexed and searchable, allowing files to be located and retrieved.


Archived data is stored in a lower-cost storage tier, reducing primary storage consumption and associated expenses. Data inventorying and determining whether data is suitable for archiving is an important part of a company's data archiving strategy.


The Advantages of Data Archiving


The most significant advantage of data archiving is that it lowers the cost of primary storage. Because a storage array must deliver enough IOPS to meet operational requirements for user read/write activity, primary storage is often expensive. Archive storage, on the other hand, is less expensive since it is often based on low-performance, high-capacity storage media. Data archives can be saved on low-cost hard disc drives (HDDs), tape, or optical storage, which are typically slower than performance discs or flash devices.


Archive storage decreases the amount of data that needs to be backed up. By removing infrequently accessed data from the backup data set, backup and restoration performance is improved. Data deduplication is typically conducted on data that is being migrated to a lower storage tier.


Backup vs. data archiving


Data archives should not be confused with data backups, which are data copies. Although both are classified as secondary storage and employ a lower-performance, higher-capacity storage medium than primary storage, they serve distinct functions. Backups are used for data protection and disaster recovery, whereas archives are used for data retention.


Data archives can be conceived of as a data repository for data that is rarely visited but yet readily available. Backups, on the other hand, are a component of a data recovery method that can be used to restore data that has been corrupted or erased. Backup data frequently contains critical information that must be restored rapidly if it is lost or deleted.


Data storage: online vs. offline


There are various types of data archives. Some systems use online data storage, which stores archive material on disc devices that are easily available. Although most archives are file-based, object storage is gaining prominence.


Other archival systems use offline data storage, which involves writing archive data to tape or other removable media with data archiving software rather than keeping it online. Tape-based archives require significantly less electricity than disc systems since the tape may be removed. This means lower archive storage costs.


Another option for archiving is cloud storage. Amazon Glacier, for example, is intended for data storage. This method is affordable, but it necessitates a continuing investment.


Data archiving and lifetime management of data


Archiving software is almost always used to automate the archival process. The features of such software vary from vendor to vendor, but most archiving software automatically moves aged data to archives based on a storage administrator-defined data archival policy. This policy may also specify the length of time that each category of data must be kept.


Some archiving software will automatically remove material from archives if it has exceeded the data retention policy of the business. Many backup software and data management solutions now include archiving capabilities.


Compliance


Due to regulatory compliance, certain firms are compelled to keep data for specific periods of time. Staying within compliance rules is a common corporate problem, whether enforced by industry laws or government legislation. Penalties for noncompliance might include restitution, fines, and contract cancellation.


Data archiving assists firms in meeting compliance requirements by keeping data indefinitely and consolidating data for quick access in the event of an audit. The regulations governing how long data must be preserved, where it can be held, and who has access to it vary by industry and the type of data generated by businesses in that area.


How does All Pro Solution assist you with data archiving?


As the amount of content produced grows each year, it is critical to preserve digital data for the long term. When cost-effective solutions are required, optical disc-based systems play an important role in offline data archiving. Optical discs are also ideal for long-term data storage or backup copies.


Whatever type of data archiving is required, All Pro Solutions has the solution. We have solutions for archiving emails and office documents; storing software source code; archiving log files; and archiving collected video or medical photos. Whether this data is stored to meet legal obligations or to protect corporate assets, All Pro Solutions Blu-ray Disc archiving solutions will keep it safe and secure. All Pro Solutions Archiving and Storage solutions minimize archiving expenses and facilitate recall while safely storing and keeping crucial data offline for decades. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about our products.

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