Voyage Tech Blogs

Voyage Technology has been serving the Beaver Dam area since 1999, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

What Happens When Even the Backups Fail?

What Happens When Even the Backups Fail?

If the Internet has made one thing in popular culture abundantly clear, nostalgia is a potent force. It makes us look back on our formative years to experiences that shaped who we are today. One such example is music, but what would you say if we told you that this music could disappear forever?

If you consider that this music is stored on older hard drives, it should be no surprise that they could fail (and already have failed) at any moment. This is a prime educational opportunity for any SMB out there.

Iron Mountain Media and Archive Services

There’s a company out there called Iron Mountain that specializes in this type of data management and storage services.

Iron Mountain works with industries to ensure their document management and digital transformations are fulfilled without a hitch, including the music industry. The company offers archived storage for media assets for its clients. It has been doing this for years, storing client data on hard disk drives since the 1990s.

During a routine survey of its storage, the company found that thousands of HDDs—around 20%—were shockingly unreadable.

HDDs As the Standard Storage Format

The shift to HDD as a standard storage format was due to a similar problem to what we face today.

Masters, once they were converted to the commercial format of the time, were stored on tape. Tape degradation, however, was soon discovered thanks to the Guitar Hero franchise and 5.1 surround sound. Artists wanted to ensure that their work would be compatible with these new formats, and as a result, they found that their tapes no longer worked the way they were supposed to.

Whether the files were damaged by degradation, storage space conditions, or obsolete or missing, they no longer worked… and this situation exposed tape’s shortcomings in a way that prompted a quick shift in the preferred standard.

HDDs Have Their Own Problems

All that said, HDDs are far from perfect and come with their own fair share of shortcomings.

Let’s say that a nu metal band from the ‘90s have their masters stored on HDD. They eventually break up as the interest in their type of music wanes. Then, they get back together as interest in the genre is brought back to life, only to find that their old masters don’t work any longer.

It’s enough to make even the most hardcore metalhead thrash around with frustration.

The big challenge with HDD is that hard drives are not designed with long-term storage and archiving in mind. Their design, with moving parts, means that they are more prone to failure if any of the parts no longer operate. Furthermore, older file formats make these master files difficult to access, if not impossible.

While it’s a better solution than tape, HDD is still not ideal—for the music industry or your business.

How Can Your Business Respond?

Here are the two lessons your business should learn from this:

First, backup is crucial to your business’ survival. Think about how hard it would be for your business to build back from nothing. This is what would happen if you don’t have a backup system in place that can create multiple copies of your data and store them in a redundant manner in off-site locations.

Of course, that backup is useless if you cannot implement it.

Second, you need a backup strategy in place. This system should be automatic, but you need to have people trained on how it works on the off-chance that they need to know. Ideally, you can operate simply by running your business off the backups should you need to.

If you can guarantee the reliability of your backup through routine testing, you’ll be in a much better spot should the need to use your backup arise.

Backup is About Being Prepared

Learn more about how you can ensure your business is ready for any type of data loss incident by calling us today at 800.618.9844.

 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Captcha Image

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Mobile? Grab this Article!

Qr Code

Tag Cloud

Security Technology Tip of the Week Best Practices Business Computing Data Productivity Business Software Innovation Hackers Cloud Network Security User Tips Hardware Internet Efficiency IT Support Malware Privacy Email Google Phishing Workplace Tips Computer Collaboration IT Services Users Hosted Solutions Mobile Device Ransomware Quick Tips Small Business Cybersecurity Microsoft Workplace Strategy Data Backup Communication Smartphone Passwords Saving Money Backup VoIP Business Management Smartphones Android Mobile Devices communications Upgrade Disaster Recovery Data Recovery Managed Service Managed IT Services Browser Social Media Microsoft Office Windows Tech Term Network Internet of Things Remote Automation Artificial Intelligence Facebook Current Events Cloud Computing Productivity Covid-19 Managed Service Provider Miscellaneous Gadgets Remote Work Server Outsourced IT Information Holiday Encryption Spam AI Employee/Employer Relationship Windows 10 Business Continuity Data Management Compliance Government Office Training Business Technology Bandwidth Windows 10 Virtualization Blockchain Wi-Fi Mobile Office Data Security Apps Two-factor Authentication Chrome Mobile Device Management Budget Managed Services Gmail Voice over Internet Protocol Apple App Networking Employer-Employee Relationship Vendor Access Control Marketing Tip of the week Conferencing WiFi How To BDR Computing BYOD Information Technology Hacker Applications Avoiding Downtime Office 365 Office Tips Analytics Website IT Support Health Augmented Reality Help Desk Storage Password Retail Bring Your Own Device Healthcare Big Data Managed IT Services Operating System HIPAA Risk Management Computers Router Virtual Private Network Paperless Office Windows 11 Infrastructure 2FA Monitoring Excel Firewall Document Management Remote Workers Telephone Scam The Internet of Things Data loss Cooperation Free Resource Going Green Social Project Management Windows 7 Patch Management Cybercrime Save Money Microsoft 365 Remote Monitoring Vulnerability End of Support Customer Service Vendor Management Solutions Display Printer Holidays Outlook Money Data Storage Word Humor Smart Technology Supply Chain Video Conferencing Machine Learning Managed Services Provider Saving Time Virtual Machines Professional Services Sports Mouse Managed IT Service Safety Maintenance Antivirus Downloads Administration iPhone Licensing Entertainment Vulnerabilities Data Privacy Settings Images 101 Printing Wireless Telephone System Multi-Factor Authentication Robot Mobility Content Filtering Customer Relationship Management Cost Management YouTube Cryptocurrency Hacking IT Management VPN Employees Meetings Presentation Physical Security Integration Virtual Desktop User Tip Modem Data storage LiFi Wireless Technology Processor Computer Repair Mobile Security Proxy Server Reviews Cookies Monitors Cyber Monday Medical IT Halloween Recovery Tactics Development Hotspot Transportation Small Businesses Websites Mirgation Hypervisor Displays Hard Drives Shopping Nanotechnology Optimization PowerPoint Domains Hacks Scary Stories SharePoint Addiction Electronic Medical Records Language Employer/Employee Relationships Outsourcing Chatbots Navigation Refrigeration Fun Management PCI DSS Lenovo Gig Economy Screen Reader Writing Distributed Denial of Service Workplace Deep Learning Public Speaking Lithium-ion battery Service Level Agreement Internet Service Provider Virtual Reality Computing Infrastructure Teamwork Hiring/Firing Server Management Regulations Compliance Private Cloud Identity Evernote Paperless Education Entrepreneur Superfish Bookmark Identity Theft Smart Tech Memes Co-managed IT Twitter Alerts SQL Server Technology Care Mobile Computing Download Net Neutrality Financial Data Error History Business Communications Undo Search Browsers Smartwatch Connectivity IT Social Engineering Break Fix Scams Best Practice Remote Computing Azure Hybrid Work Buisness Upload Procurement Social Network Telework Cyber security Legal Multi-Factor Security Tech Human Resources IT solutions CES Tablet IoT Communitications Dark Web Cables Business Growth Alert Application Trends Supply Chain Management Managed IT Customer Resource management FinTech File Sharing Regulations Dark Data Google Calendar Term Google Apps Cortana IBM Data Analysis Star Wars IT Assessment How To Microsoft Excel IT Maintenance Alt Codes Notifications Staff Value Business Intelligence Downtime Gamification Flexibility Organization Travel Social Networking Legislation Shortcuts Hosted Solution Techology Fileless Malware Digital Security Cameras Google Maps Smart Devices Ransmoware Typing Wearable Technology Memory Vendors Content Remote Working Health IT Unified Threat Management Motherboard Data Breach Google Drive Comparison Google Play Be Proactive Competition Knowledge Unified Threat Management Directions Videos Assessment Electronic Health Records Permissions Workforce Wasting Time Threats 5G Experience Trend Micro Google Docs Network Congestion Specifications Security Cameras Workplace Strategies Unified Communications Bitcoin Running Cable User User Error Microchip Internet Exlporer Software as a Service Fraud Meta Managing Costs Amazon Google Wallet Username Point of Sale eCommerce Black Friday SSID Windows 8 IP Address Laptop Database Surveillance Virtual Assistant Outsource IT Tech Support IT Technicians Virtual Machine Environment Drones Media Network Management

Blog Archive