How Long Will My Data Backups Last?

One of the most common questions regarding data backup is the lifespan of the media storing the data. It is hard to determine the lifespan of any media as how it is stored and used directly impacts its longevity.

While the lifespan of CDs and DVDs has been asked many times over the years, let's look at the lifespan of some other common methods of backing up data.

Hard Drives. The lifespan of a hard drive is dependent on several factors. While they are meant to be the workhorse of any computer, they can also be one of the most fragile. I have had hard drives last a good ten years with much wear and tear, but no problems with data storage. On the other hand, I have also seen hard drives become unreadable after only a few years. Since a hard drive does have moving parts, it can be prone to breakdown. If a hard drive is protected from such things as electrical storms and power outages through a UPS, then it could last many years. Just as with many things, if you take care of a hard drive will be server you well.

CD or DVD. Out of all the backup storage media, these two optical discs are probably the most debated. All CDs or DVDs are not created equally. The more expensive, well-known brands perform better and last longer than the bargain brands. For data backups, choose a brand such as Taiyo Yuden, Sony, TDK or Verbatim for storage. There are also gold archival varieties that also promise a shelf-life of 300 years, through lab testing. Unfortunately, since CDs and DVDs haven't been around too long, the true shelf-life of some brands is anyone's guess.

Flash Drives. I have been thinking about switch to these for backing up my data. They are becoming larger so they would hold most, if not all, of my data. The issue right now is that they are still more expensive than my existing backup media. While expensive, it is suggested that they have a lifespan of 10 years. They also have a limit to the number of writes to each block, but most people won't reach that limit. They also have no moving parts and are small enough to carry and store anywhere.

Magnetic Tape. I don't talk about tape backup too much as it is just too expensive for home or personal use. Many companies use tape for backup because they can hold over 50GB of data. I read that they can have a lifespan of up to 30 years. The number of times you use the tape will also affect the total lifespan of the media.

There are many media options for backing up your data, but each media also has a certain lifespan. It is important to understand this as you will be required to update your media every few years. The good news is that as technology progresses, the storage size of the new media will be large enough to allow you to combine existing backups onto one device.