On Storage
©2006, Mark Lieb, Ad Litem Consulting, Inc
Tape is rarely 100% reliable, but can fall from several feet into a puddle and still be OK. I would highly advise people to check with their IT department or vendor sites to see how long to rely upon tapes. If the main copy of critical discovery and firm work product is on a tape from several years ago, simply finding the software and hardware necessary to restore it may be problematic. Depending on the age, the data may not be reliable, even if software and hardware are not a problem. Tapes are considered “off-line” storage. Typically, one must transfer the resident information to a hard drive before accessing the information (beyond getting a list of files).
External Drives
External hard drives are a great “near-line” storage solution. If one needs to access data, a simple AC plug and a USB cable may be all one requires. Near-line storage is a good intermediary step between on-line data (on your PC hard drive or network server) and off-line data. Unfortunately, one hard fall and you may need that forensic specialist.
DVDs
Perhaps the best solution is to write everything to optical media such as DVD. They take up very little space and do not require the technical know-how associated with tapes. Everyone knows that it takes a long time to create a DVD, but this is usually due to the DVD burner in the office. For around $1,400 it is possible to buy a robotic burner that will also write the labels, too. Simply tell the robotic burner which network folder to archive and return the next morning for your new stack of filled DVDs. As DVDs can handle 8GB (with a new format allowing 30GB coming), a complete copy of 200GB would still require ~25 DVDs. I always recommend a redundant system, so the second set of DVDs brings the total to 50 DVDs. The DVDs will cost less than $50. Tapes and external hard drives are way more expensive.
Conclusion
The next question is WHERE to store the tapes/HDs/DVDs. If the WTC and NOLA experience taught us anything, it is to keep backups in geographically disperse areas. After all, FEDEX and UPS can overnight materials from anywhere and DVDs in a nylon binder ($15, holds 128) weighs very little.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark R. Lieb is the President of Ad Litem Consulting and author of the books, Litigation Support Department and Litigation Support Technical Standards. Mr. Lieb has provided Litigation Support to legal teams for cases ranging from small collections to multinational, multi-firm litigation, involving millions of pages of ediscovery. He currently consults with firms, law departments, service bureaus and software companies on litigation technology best practices.
