Storage Review  All technology has a shelf life, and this includes the medium or devices that your content is stored on. For example, external hard drives tend to have around a five-year life span and cloud storage will only be accessible as long as the bill is paid.   Removable media, such as CDs and DVDs, can be easily lost or damaged. Hard disk drives can malfunction or break. Legacy storage media, such as floppy disks, may not be supported by contemporary computer environments.

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Check that your current storage media for all your content is still accessible and functioning properly. Bear in mind that storage media can sometimes fail suddenly and unexpectedly. Replace or upgrade as needed to ensure your content stays accessible. Replacing storage before you have issues accessing content will save both time and money in the future. This includes making sure that payment for any cloud or off-site storage is up to date and those involved know what they need to do to keep it active.  

Use  this template to keep track of the storage you have and any changes you make.  

Next Steps  Working with the current storage you have is a good first step but carrying out a review of available storage options will help you find out if a more suitable option is available. The next level will give details about the options you have and help you identify the best option for your set up.

Check your copies Having more than one copy is one way of ensuring your files will remain accessible over the long term. However, it is also important to regularly check that the content you are storing hasn’t been changed or damaged in some way. Digital content is more fragile than physical records and will become obsolete or “rot” as technology and formats change or if storage media becomes damaged. The process of file checking is called fixity checking. This short clip explains why and how this is caried out. There are several ways of doing this.

If you store your content in a cloud environment, such as Amazon AWS or Microsoft 365, your data will be backed up and basic checks carried out as part of the subscription you pay. This does not produce reports, so you won’t know if any files have been changed or fixed during the checks, but your files should remain operational. You can also pay extra on your subscription to have more in depth checks performed and logged.  

If your files are stored on another medium, or you want to run a check yourself, the easiest option is Fixity Pro. An easy-to-use program which allows you to schedule and run your own fixity checks while providing detailed reports. Fixity Pro is $50 (or your local equivalent) per year, so is a cost-effective option. This video shows you how Fixity pro works. 

Corz is another tool option, but make sure you read the listed disadvantages before you attempt to use it as it may not be suitable for your purposes. There are other software options available which are free to run, but they can be complex to use, and in some cases, knowledge of your computer command line or terminal, or coding experience may be needed to make them work 

The 3 – 2 – 1 Rule  Keeping a copy (or copies) of your digital content is a great step towards keeping your content safe. But just in case the unthinkable happens and the original digital file and the copy become unusable in some way, it’s best to have contingency in place. The 3 - 2 - 1 copy rule offers more piece of mind that at least one of your copies will be safe. This rule is described in more detail below.

The 3 – 2 – 1 rule is simple- 

3 copies of each file	On 2 types of storage medium	With at least 1 copy offsite

In an ideal world, using the 3 – 2 – 1 rule, you will make three copies of each file you have. These copies will then be split and stored on different storage mediums, for example, one on an external hard drive and two copies in cloud storage. At least one of these copies will be held off site. In this example, cloud storage ticks this box, but if you store your content on a laptop and an external hard drive, the external hard drive should be stored in a separate location from the laptop so the two cannot be damaged at the same time.  

Storing files in this way does mitigate risk to your content, but it is not always possible. As many copies as you can manage stored separately from each other is still good digital preservation.  

Next Steps 

Now that you have several copies of each file, your content is automatically better protected. However, it is still important to carry out regular checks on your content to keep it accessible and usable. Level 3 will tell you more about how to do this.  

Back up your content offsite A huge range of threats can endanger your digital collections and the work that’s been put in to create them. Whether it’s computer failure, fire or flood, or simply failing to continue to pay for a cloud storage account, it’s important to not keep all your eggs in one basket. Making more than one copy of digital collections creates means your content is more likely to remain accessible.

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A great way to start is to back up your digital collections to an offsite location. There are a range of ways to do this. Backing up to several external hard drives that are kept at different locations and rotated monthly is a manual approach. Replicating your content to the cloud using a simple cloud provider account is a more automated alternative but may have a higher cost.  

Next steps… 

Whichever method you choose, it’s critical to ensure that the backup process continues over time and that the additional copy, or copies, that you create are not forgotten about. At the next level we’ll consider how to replicate your content in a way that will mitigate all the common threats and ensure your digital collections will survive the test of time. 

Check Your Contracts  If you decide to use a commercial software or hardware provider for any aspect of your digital preservation work, it is very likely that you will need to sign a contract to agree to the company’s terms of service. It is important that you understand what you are signing and know exactly what will happen to your content once it is stored or processed by an external provider.

Knowing how your data will be processed by the company is important as small print could be included within contracts that allows them to sell your contact information, or in some cases, use your content for something you don’t want it to be used for. If you are unsure, ask for help from your local or national archive who can offer advice and explain the jargon used to help to understand exactly what is being signed.  

If you sign a contract and realise it’s not what you initially thought you were signing, it can be difficult and costly to break, with some companies even charging early exit fees. Taking the time before you sign to understand all the clauses clearly will greatly reduce the risk of issues arising in the future.

How to talk to Suppliers  If you are considering using any kind of software, system, or service to help you preserve and provide access to your digital collections, you need to make sure that you know what you need. Being able to talk to suppliers or creators will allow you to ask the right questions to make sure you get the most out of each conversation and ensure you get the product that is right for you, regardless of whether the software is free to use or paid for.

The approach we recommend here is to take a holistic view of how you would like to manage your collections and what technological solution would enable you to do that. Considering the points below will help you to do this.  

These points are broken down by the stages of the lifecycle to help you work through each step of your process and work out what is required. 

Knowing what you need, what is a deal breaker and what are “nice to haves” will help your conversations with suppliers go smoothly and ensure you choose the right product for you.  Make sure you follow the advice in level one and don’t put your content anywhere that you don’t fully understand how you will get it back if you need to.

Exit Strategy Having your digital collections locked into a particular system, app, service, or website can be a huge risk. Especially if that system or service is closed down, or you simply want to move it elsewhere.  A common example is the use of Facebook groups by community organizations. They are relatively easy to setup and engage an audience, but if digital photos and other information is collected on a Facebook group, it’s very hard to extract that information so that it can be shared or preserved elsewhere.

It is therefore critical ensure that any software, system, or website that you use has a clear exit strategy that details how you will get your data back if you decide to stop using them.  

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If you decide to use a system to manage, preserve, or provide access to your content, make sure you understand the process to get your information back. This information should be included as part of any contract you sign. If it is not there, do not sign the contract and reassess your options. 

Next steps…  It is important to verify that you can successfully extract content before committing to using a particular system. Level 2 will explore how you can do this, what to look for as an adequate exit strategy and how to document it.

Storage Options Now that you know the storage you have is functional and accessible, it is worth looking into what options you have for long term storage of your content and any copies you make.   Technology is constantly changing and researching the options currently available could not only save your group money but may also lead to a more suitable storage solution for your content. Some of the storage options currently available are detailed below along with some pros and cons of each.

External Hard Drives 

External Hard Drives are the same storage drives used inside laptops and desktop PCs, but they are encased independently and connect to a computer via an external connection, usually USB cable. 

Third Party Cloud Storage Provision 

These involve paying a fee (usually monthly) to a third-party service provider, to send copies of your digital content over a network. The provider may also maintain backups for you as part of the service.

Network Attached Storage 

A NAS is a storage device connected to a network that allows storage and retrieval of data from a central location, usually on your premises. You can control access permissions to further protect your content.

Next Steps  Now you know what storage you have, and what your options are, it makes sense to work out what storage you need and how you go about putting this in place. Level 3 will help you work out your storage requirements which will help you choose the right option for your group.

Using a System A file management system (FMS) is software that helps organisations store, organize, and manage electronic documents and files. FMSs can be used to store a variety of files, including text documents, images, videos, and contracts. These systems can help you improve accessibility and security, make information easier and faster to retrieve, and they can be more secure than paper or physical filing systems.

When choosing an FMS, it's important to consider the needs of the users, including their preferences as well as their requirements. Some things to consider include ease of use, accessibility, language options, and user interface. 

Cloud storage systems such as Google Drive or Microsoft 365 can be used as file management systems as well as content storage areas, which will save on costs. It is important to make sure that the system you choose does everything your group needs it to do. Level 2 of Control Your Content will help prepare you to have conversations with file management providers to help inform your choice.  

File Management Systems are not a necessity, and you may choose to manage your content using lists and file explorers on your own storage.   For more information on naming conventions, file structure and file management systems, see the Organise your content section of the ‘What Next?’ document. These additional resources will provide more information and examples you can learn from.