Your organization accumulates more and more data over time. Some information remains critical, while others become irrelevant. Why keep all data in an expensive storage location? Archiving software solutions allow you to identify which information is crucial to your current operations and get the irrelevant data off your Tier 1 storage. Here are a few more benefits of data archiving:
In a Nutshell
Data archiving is the practice of moving information that is currently irrelevant to an organization to a separate storage space for long-term retention. Typically, you’d want to archive data that are unimportant at the moment but might still be used either for future reference or operational or regulatory compliance reasons (e.g., email messages, old records, etc.).
Data Backup vs. Data Archiving: What’s the Difference?
Backup and archived files serve different purposes. Backups are copies of data you can use for protection and recovery, whereas archives serve as a repository for currently irrelevant but always readily available information. It is not a question of whether to archive or back up your files; organizations must do both. What’s left to do is figure out which files must remain in your primary storage and which ones must be moved to cheaper and lower-tier storage.
The Perks of Archiving
- Reduce Primary Storage Costs – By moving irrelevant data to a lower tier of storage, you can reduce your primary storage, which is typically expensive. Archiving software solutions cost less because they rely on low-performance yet higher capacity storage.
- Optimize System Performance – Storing all your data in your primary storage (e.g., computer) can affect its system performance.
- Protect Your Files – Organizations can choose to store their files offline (tapes, flash drives, hard-disk drives, and other removable media) or online (cloud storage, etc.). No matter your preference, the process protects your files from modification (by treating data as read-only) and from disaster.
- Avoid Duplication of Information – Depending on the vendor, archiving software usually features deduplication to reduce the volume of information to be backed up. This saves you time in going through each saved file and cuts the overall footprint of your storage.
- Make File Management Easy – Redundant data takes up more than 80% of your server. The primary feature of an archiving system is to consolidate your data to identify which ones are a candidate for archiving and which ones must be obsolete. Most software has indexing and search features, which will allow you to locate and retrieve files easily as needed.
- Make Lifecycle Management Seamless – Many regulatory boards require organizations to retain data for specific periods. Choose the type of software that automatically moves data to the archives according to your organization’s policy. It also helps if the software automatically purges files once they exceed the retention period.
Should You Archive Your Data?
Archiving data is a must for organizations if we consider the benefits mentioned above. If you’re still unsure whether to archive your information, speak to a reliable data archiving company to see how your organization can further benefit from this solution.