It’s safe to say floppy disks have gone the way of the dodo. Even USB sticks are seeing less use as people adopt cloud services to promote collaboration. Modern technology is enabling access to data around the clock, as and when it is required. However, most of us will occasionally stumble across a floppy disk or old USB drive hidden in the depths of a drawer. Have you ever wondered what it might contain?
It’s an important question of security for individuals and businesses. For the former, who can remember what information they stored on their first USB stick, and was it life or death information? Probably not. For businesses, critical business or customer data could be stored on external drives that have been misplaced over the years, putting information at risk. This is a real concern when it comes to external storage, but the trend continues with internal company servers and software systems, where huge amounts of business-critical data is stored. Over time, so much data is created that the oldest iterations become inaccessible legacy formats.
No one wants to invest in technology, software or otherwise which doesn’t have a proven shelf life or that has built-in obsolescence. It just doesn’t make economic sense. You can’t operate as a business if your file formats regularly become outdated and unreadable as technology progresses – falling into a ‘Digital Dark Age’.
Legacy systems, legacy data
For example, banks have long been known as organisations overly reliant on legacy data systems. Banks regularly offer new services which utilise modern technology that must be patched on to older, existing systems. New file formats, data and functions are introduced; some of which replace old systems whilst others envelop the old and the new together. You regularly hear of customers whose information gets lost in between the two – to the detriment of a bank’s reputation and a customer’s account access.
Small businesses face similar risks. They require access to historical customer data at all times. It could be that a customer wants to look back at old information to compile historical reports – this needs to be easily provided. External auditors may also require immediate access to historical information from any number of years ago. It wouldn’t be acceptable for a business to turn around and say that this data is unavailable, lost in the ‘Digital Dark Age’ thanks to historical data formats that are no longer accessible or redundant entirely.
Archaeological coding
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Data storage will change over time. We’ve seen it happen in hardware (floppy disks to USBs) whilst software can change rapidly to suit new business demands. It can prove to be an archaeological coding mission to unearth historical data within a business should it be called upon – costing time, money and potential embarrassment for those involved.
This is compounded by the pace of technological change that industries face. Innovative and disruptive technologies mean that business systems are often refreshed, upgraded or completely replaced. What’s happening to legacy system data in the meantime? Businesses must ensure that they’re adopting technologies that easily integrate every data component and archive effectively so nothing gets missed.
Paying the price for data-loss
No corners should be cut when it comes to customer data. New EU legislation regarding data security soon comes into place which will provide extensive financial sanctions on organisations which mishandle customer information. Businesses must adopt technologies which allow audit trails for customer data with capabilities for storing large sums of critical information.
The best way to combat falling into the ‘Digital Dark Age’ is using tried and tested software that still provides access to data from one version to the next. Investment in the correct systems will soon pay for itself compared to organisations struggling to access siloed data systems or those which are fined for compromising confidential information. Organisations need to thoroughly research which combination of software and hardware will allow access to their mission-critical data over time, so as not to get caught out.
We’re moving towards a technological future where offices are paperless and business data is all stored electronically. The filing cabinet will soon be another piece of office equipment confined to history. Businesses must make sure that vital data doesn’t follow suit.
