Learning About Computer Services

Additional Forms Of Data Migration That You Need To Address

by Hector Meyer

Maintaining and overseeing servers and other data collection centers is complicated enough without having to worry about coming across old data that is barely accessible. Part of your job includes data migration, moving the data from one place to another in an attempt to keep it in a readable format. But it's not just your main computer files that need to be moved repeatedly. You've got many other formats of data storage in your office that need to be moved into forms that are less degraded and that will be readable for a longer time.

Old, Fading Files

Paper files are usually purged or scanned in most companies after a certain amount of time. Really old files that haven't been touched in a long time, such as those from years where carbon paper was still used, can fade and become unreadable. One of the tasks you need to complete is getting all of those old files restored and then scanned electronically. Sometimes, really old files won't be worth anything in terms of information, and those you can shred. But for records that you need to keep long-term, you need to get people (such as those from a data migration company) to sort through the files.

MP3s

Technically, MP3s should last almost indefinitely. They don't really degrade in quality over the years, despite rumors. However, the hardware they're stored in or the media they're stored on can deteriorate. You can't really leave a CD full of interviews, for example, alone in a drawer for years because environmental conditions can cause them to warp, dust can scratch them if they're not kept in cases, and so on. When you take care of your data migration tasks, you should inspect and try to play any MP3 files/CDs to ensure they are still in good condition, and transfer any that may be on failing hardware.

Backups

Backups of files typically aren't stored for very long; they're usually erased and written over with another backup later on. But sometimes you need a backup of a system as it was at a certain point, and you have to be sure the media it uses is still usable for everyone who needs to access it. For example, if you have a backup made using a RAID array, and you're no longer using the hardware necessary to create RAID backups, you need to get that file data moved onto another form of media.

You can find companies that specialize in data migration and have them take care of the planning and actual migration work for you. Set up a consultation so you can see which of your files and data sources could be transferred and how.

For more information, contact Famsoft or a similar company.

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