I think Hugh makes a lot of good points here, but the first thing that 
occurred to me re-reading the snip was that the lifespan of the media 
is, relatively speaking, irrelevant. Even if the CD-R only lasts 10 
years, that is still likely to exceed the lifespan of the reader and 
almost certain to exceed the ability of the software to accurately read 
and return the digital record as stored. Take it to 20 years and it is 
all but ensured that hardware and software incompatibilities will render 
the preserved CD unreadable.

The issue with death of product lines due to M&A or just to shift of 
vendor corporate strategy is all too real and lots of money is made by 
VARs, integrators and consultants converting from one deprecated product 
to a more current or more available one. How do you avoid or mitigate 
the risk of this? Short answer is to look for solutions that are more 
standardized so that if something happens you still have access to the 
data. Ask the vendor/s about migration and conversion paths, and get IT 
involved in the discussion as well - perhaps by reminding them that THEY 
will be the ones that have to migrate from the proprietary solution in 
the event it is necessary. After all, IT doesn't have anything else to 
do....

Cheers from sunny Denver,

Jesse Wilkins
CDIA+, EDP, LIT, ICP
IMERGE Consulting
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
(303) 574-1455 office
(303) 484-4142 fax

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance