Of all the different ways to store data- what is the best long term data storage option, and which of those are the most reliable? Here’s who you can trust:
Our lives have become so intertwined with the internet that we’re leaving digital imprints everywhere we go. Our digital life is not as separate anymore from our physical one.
That said, it’s important to save these digital imprints for future use. Want to learn how to store digital photos? Want to save sensitive information about you and your family in a safe place?
Find the best long term data storage so you can still enjoy them in the years to come. Speaking of, let’s review your options to determine which is the best for you.
1. Hard Drives
Traditional hard drives aren’t new to us; you might even be using a hard drive right now if not a solid-state drive. They have fast read and write capacities; they last years when treated right.
With the ready stocks of external hard drives, they’ve become a popular choice for storing data in the short or long-term. They’re good for backup media files and other files.
Plug them in once in a while to avoid losing your data. It has magnetic properties, which are susceptible to unrecoverable failures, as well.
2. Solid-State Drives
Solid-state drives, on the other hand, are some of the best long term data storage because they have no moving parts. This makes them more secure against mechanical failures.
They’re shock-proof and they have greater reliability than hard disk drives. They work faster, too, so it has become the better choice for a computer’s primary storage medium.
It has two downsides, however: it’s more expensive and it’s new technology. It’s so new that no one can vouch for its lifespan yet. We’re still not sure how it keeps the data when unpowered for a long time.
If you do choose this option, make sure to plug it in every once in a while like you would an external HDD.
3. Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is tempting; that’s for sure. After all, you let a third-party service handle and safe-keep your data. Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and similar services all offer storage options you can scale up or down according to your needs.
It makes sense for long-term storage since we know the Internet is going to be around for a long time. That’s its major advantage—while the technologies to read data from the other storage options may become obsolete, we’re sure that the Internet is staying for decades to come.
Your data is safe from physical harm, as well. You may lose your external hard drive or get it damaged from flooding, but you won’t ever lose access to the Internet.
The important issue here is the cloud storage provider. Are you going to trust them to store your data for years?
You’ll have to pay monthly for more storage, unfortunately.
An alternative to the cloud is a NAS drive, which you can do on your Mac. You’ll have to map a network drive to use it, but it may not be appropriate for long-term storage.
4. Optical Drives
Optical drives refer to CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays. Yes, they can contain more than video files or songs. They remain to be a feasible way to contain data for a long time, provided you don’t scratch them up.
Note that CDs and DVDs have low storage space with only 700 MB and 4.7 GB respectively. Blu-Ray disks are the way to go with 25 GB on a single-layer disk and 50 GB on a dual-layer disk.
The latter is pretty reliable; Facebook even relied on it for their cold storage.
5. M-Discs
M-discs fall under optical drives, but it deserves its own spot here. M-discs are DVDs; but the difference is that it lasts from 1,000 years to forever. Well, not forever but close to it.
M-discs have a ceramic part, which contains the data. This is more durable than biodegrading polymer, which is in use by your common DVD.
You don’t write data on it like usual, though. It needs special equipment that may not be available to a home user.
6. Magnetic Tape
Tape may sound ludicrous to you, but it’s a reliable way of storing data long-term in actual. It may date back to the time of your grandparents, but believe us, it’s still a part of our future.
The technology behind the magnetic tape hasn’t remained stagnant at all. It has evolved through the years much like the hard disk.
It has a lifespan of decades, which, paired with its large capacity, makes it perfect for long-term storage. It’s reliable, as well; it’s not susceptible to software bugs that can cause the loss of huge amounts of data in hard drives.
A tape has built-in encryption, so your data is safe. It’s so reliable that businesses like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon use magnetic tapes to store data.
A disadvantage is that it’s not as fast as the other options.
Due to these reasons, the magnetic tape may not be the best option for the average computer user.
7. Flash Drive
What about flash drives? Unfortunately, they’re less reliable than the other options.
Flash drives can last as long as 10 years, but note that they can break down much earlier than that. They’re fast to deteriorate when idle and they have a higher rate of mechanical failure than HDDs or SSDs.
That aside, storage space isn’t that much of an issue since you can now buy 256 GB, 512 GB, or even 2 TB flash drives. The issue here is the price as they can cost upward of a thousand dollars. That makes it much more expensive than hard drives.
Its small size and portability are the main advantages.
Which Is the Best Long Term Data Storage for You?
As of the moment, the best long term data storage options for the average user are the HDDs, SSDs, and cloud storage. These are available anytime and you don’t need special equipment to use them.
Which of the three best suits you is up to you. You need to factor in your budget, your storage space needs, and how many years you plan to keep that data. You might then find that the other options are better for you.
You’ll need some time to find out which one is the best in your case. If you need more tips, though, feel free to read more of our blog posts today!
