IT archiving: How enterprises preserve, manage, and access critical data
What is IT archiving?
IT archiving is the process of moving inactive data, files, and records from primary systems into a separate, long-term storage environment where they remain accessible but no longer consume active infrastructure resources. Unlike backup, which copies data for recovery purposes, IT archiving relocates data to reduce system overhead while maintaining compliance with legal and regulatory retention requirements. Common use cases include email archives, financial records, legal documents, and audit trails.
File management is the practice of storing, organizing, locating, and distributing digital files.
How is data archiving different than backing up data?
An archive of data is a place where we store information and records for future use. A data backup is where some information or records are duplicated or copied. A data backup doesn’t necessarily have to be moved to a new storage location. However, archived data is moved to a separate location. This ensures a company isn’t overwhelmed by data that doesn’t need to be at the forefront of daily transactions.
Here’s an example to illuminate the unique differences between backing up data or archiving it. If an art museum had ten paintings but could only fit eight on their walls, they could archive the unwanted paintings and save them for another time. This is similar to data archiving. Now imagine that same museum took those ten paintings and ordered replicas of each, hoping to preserve the look of the picture. This is similar to backing up data. Archiving moves the pictures elsewhere, while backups replicate the pictures.
What kind of data is typically archived?
Some companies will need to have data like financial records archived for a long time. Others may need to archive emails, phone logs and other data types. These different case-uses show the wide range between importance of data archiving (financial records are likely much more valuable). Remember that the type of data stored is meant to be unused for a long time. Important financial records are archived only if they don’t need to be referenced periodically.
Legal compliance data is a common form of information in an enterprise’s data archive. Like financial records, this type of data deserves long term archive consideration, typically indefinite. The reason we archive legal data is due to the severity of losing or accidentally editing the piece. Therefore, it’s vital you store valuable data safely away to create clarity in daily workflows. Keep in mind that companies rarely reference a lot of different legal information.
Other considerations
The following are some concerns to consider when it comes to data archiving:
Storage space
It’s important to note that archiving frees up space and takes it away at the same time. On the main server, drive space is freed up. However, wherever the archiving takes place fills up quickly. One thing that needs periodical evaluation is the storage space and limits of the servers used. The inevitable outcome of archiving data is exponential data growth over time. Make sure your systems are keeping pace.
Compatibility
The longer you archive data, the higher the chance you’ll have compatibility issues. Pay attention to the types of files moved to the archive, as those file extensions lose their validity in modern technological changes. Similar to storage space, implement scheduled checks and data reviews to solve compatibility issues.
Data archiving secures important information in an organized manner. Pay attention to your company’s archiving practices and make necessary changes whenever possible. You’ll free up a lot of extra space and work more efficiently.