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Donna Read, CRM, CDIA+ Florida Gulf Coast ARMA Chapter May 19, 2015 1

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Defining Apocalypse Not the Biblical definition Event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale Usually a single event.. What was the single event that changed the face of technology forever? 2

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First Computer Built in 1945 ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer, built during World War II by the United States. Filled a 30 x 50 foot room 3

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ENIAC Contained 17, 468 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, and 10,000 capacitors 4

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Todays Computer Circuit Boards Motherboard CPU Heat Sinks 5

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Media (Medium) vs Format Medium - the way in which the content is transferred The definition of media is the plural of medium, or ways to communicate information. Format - how the content is presented Medium is string and some cans Format is voice 6

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Formats Over 17,000 different format being used You know about.jpg -.png -.docx -.xls -.pptx What about all the others?.cpio.shar.LBR.iso.mar.tar.bz2.gz.sfark.arj.dar.dgc 7

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Formats Have Versions File formats are subject to rapid obsolescence and evolution and the process of selection and assessment of options for preservation is largely one of risk reduction. PDF has issued more than 15 different iterations since the early 90s But only promised 20 years of backwards compatibility (which is more than most manufacturers). 8

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Minimizing the Risks Use file formats which have been: Well documented Undergone thorough testing Are non-proprietary Usable on different hardware and software platforms This minimizes the frequency of migration and reduces the risk and costs in their preservation. 11

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Widely Adopted Formats Utilize formats that have been widely adopted: Minimizes risk as it is more likely that migration paths will be provided by the manufacturers and a degree of "backward compatibility" will be available between versions of the file format as it evolves. It is important to note that backward compatibility is rarely maintained for more than one or two previous versions and that the "window of opportunity" to migrate is therefore relatively brief. 12

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Non-proprietary and Open Specs Non-proprietary, open specificationsIn terms of guaranteed long-term availability, published specifications produced by international standards bodies are the safest. Generally, representatives from many different constituencies are involved in creating the standard, helping to ensure that it balances the needs of a wide variety of users and that it isn't beholden to any particular commercial interest. Broad participation also helps provide incentive for wide support once the standard is completed. Backward compatibility with older, related standards is usually a priority and there are no commercial pressures for rapid obsolescence. One of the most recent examples of this is the standardization of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) as an open source format. ODF stemmed from the open XML-based OpenOffice.org specification and was approved by ISO as a standard in 2006. http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/oldmedia/obsolescence1.html 13

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Technology Will Die Its Inevitable 14

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Medium - Media Medium - the way in which the content is transferred The definition of media is the plural of medium, or ways to communicate information. 16

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Medium Requires Special Handling DeviceOperatingNon-OperatingLong term storage Magnetic tape cassettes 12.7mm 18 to 24C 45 to 55% RH 5 to 32C 5 to 80% RH 18 to 22C 35 to 45% RH Magnetic tape cartridges 10 to 45C 20 to 80% RH 5 to 45C 20 to 80% RH 18 to 22C 35 to 45% RH Magnetic tape 4 & 8mm helical scan 5 to 45C 20 to 80% RH 5 to 32C 20 to 60% RH CD-ROM10 to 50C 10 to 80% RH -10 to 50C 5 to 90% RH 18 to 22C 35 to 45% RH Summary of Environmental Conditions Recommended in BS 4783 for Data Storage Media 17

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How Do We Deal With The Media? It will eventually be replaced with new media It can be really small It can also be really big It can hold tons of data in all format It allows for ease of transfer Can allow for long term storage (think microfilm) It can be fragile 18

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Lifetimes of Media Varies Widely Device25RH 10C 30RH 15C 40RH 20C 50RH 25C 50RH 28C D3 magnetic tape 50 years25 years15 years3 years1 year DLT magnetic tapecartridge 75 years40 years15 years3 years1 year CD/DVD75 years40 years20 years10 years2 years CD-ROM30 years15 years3 years9 months3 months 19 Sample Generic Figures for Lifetimes of Media

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Pay Attention You need to do an inventory of what media exists in your organization Check 1 st with IT to see if a data map has already been generated it should contain the types of media Are there restrictions on the use of external media in your organization? Is there a migration plan in place for the data kept on the media? 20

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Doing An Inventory If you have done an inventory of your records within the organization then you should have captured at the same time the location of the records e.g. if it exists on external media If not, then ask the content owners to identify where their records actually reside make sure they look for external media 21

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After The Inventory Once you have the inventory of what exists: 1. Make sure you have identified the individual types of medium 2. Determine what type of data exists on the medium 3. If possible determine the formats that exist on the medium (including version) 4. Who owns the data (office of record)? 5. Are there records or copies of records on the medium? 22

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If IT Has Inherited Old Media Often old media is left over from departing staff, reorganizations, changes in management, etc. If no one is around who has an idea about the content on the media, then you must do an sampling of the data. Usually 3% is sufficient. The best way is to find staff with corporate memory who can help with identification of the data. 23

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So Why Do You Care About Contents On Old Medium? Because it may hold information of value: Official Records Personal Information (PII) Classified Data It might be the only copy of the original drawing for the engineering project back in 1993. 24

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Chances Are The Contents Are Copies If the volume is large you may have to do a risk assessment to determine the ROI on ascertaining the contents before destruction. If you no longer have the hardware/software to read the data on the old media then you may have no choice but to destroy the media and its contents. 1 st Notify staff that this media is being destroyed unless someone knows the content and reason to keep it. Prior to destruction document to the best of your ability the medium, the capture any metadata that may exist on the medium. 25

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Create the Record Explain what media was found & how much (video tapes on VHS- 15 in a box) Document where it was located (in back storage room in the IT department, with no climate control) If there are dates anywhere, capture them (1976-1985 written on the case) Copy all metadata available about the possible content (site visit by Colonel Mustard) Document efforts to obtain information about content (put out a broadcast email seeking information) Document the destruction date and by whom 26

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How To Avoid This Scenario Know what medium exists in your organization Keep track of it Have policy and procedure in place for the use of external media Make sure IT has a procedure for not allowing old medium to rot on the shelf and become obsolete 27

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Have A Migration Policy Have a policy in your organization that makes individuals who store data and records outside of the live system responsible for the migration to newer medium. Do no allow the use of external storage devices in the organization (good luck with this one) Have health check/migration plan in place for older media (the boxes of microfilm that no one looks at) 28

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Best Risk Avoidance Keep the data alive on an active system that is being maintained by IT Reduces risk to the data and records Cuts costs of maintaining old medium 29

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Resources Digital Preservation Coalition Interactive Assessment: Selection of Digital Materials for Long-term Retention 7 page decision tree www.dpconline.org/handbook/dec-tree.html http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/electronicreco rds/erdigital.php http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/electronicreco rds/erdigital.php 30

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Summary Technology Dies If you want to save the data you have two choices Migration or Live System 31

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32 Donna Read, CRM, CDIA+ dlread@verizon.net