Virtualisation and Preservation: How cloud computing changes how we think about digital preservation

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Virtualisation and Preservation: How cloud computing changes how we think about digital preservation

22 July 2014 | 10:00 - 16:00 Cambridge | Cambridge City Hotel

*Apologies for the poor sound quality in this recording - we are working on a new AV setup that will improve this for future sessions*

Cloud-based approaches to storage and computing are having a profound impact on how individuals and agencies interact with computing resources. Desktop software and hard disk storage which tie users to a particular location and a fixed platform are rapidly being replaced by online services in which everything is available everywhere: computing power and data storage becoming utilities to be paid for on demand. By unleashing enormous economies of scale and scope, storage capacities are transformed; computing power can adapt to need; while intricate requirements can be met with apparently infinite flexibility.

These approaches have the potential to transform preservation. The opportunities for storage whilst recognising the challenges of securing, managing and exiting cloud storage provide an obvious starting point for any archive struggling to cope with quantities of data. But the cloud is not simply about storage, providing new capabilities too, enabling more flexible responses to the preservation challenge. For example, the ability to virtualise on demand transforms the practical application of how entire computing environments can be recreated, whether by reconstructing desktops or simulating the operation of hardware. Although distinct from emulation, virtualisation via the cloud has the potential to help the preservation community overcome many of the long-standing barriers to emulation, with consequent opportunities for managing the authenticity, interdependencies and performance of digital materials. It wakes a largely dormant debate about emulation over migration and it has important implications for the capture, collection and maintenance of technical metadata.

This one-day workshop will give DPC members a chance to debate the implications of cloud computing and virtualisation for preservation. Case studies of cloud-based preservation services will be presented and consideration will be given to how the development of virtualisation services may transform preservation.

Programme

Overview and Introduction - Natasha Milic-Frayling, Microsoft Research

State of the art: the Cloud and Preservation in 2014

Emerging trends