Snips and replies

On Nov 11, 2006, at 12:01 AM, RECMGMT-L automatic digest system wrote:

> From:    "Ronald W. Frazier" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: backup vs archiving - was Climate Controlled Mini Vault 
> (Very weak humor)
>
> Hugh,
>
> Thanks for the detailed reply.  And, thanks for the local contacts.
>

>  Suppose I accumulated hundreds of Mini-DV tapes of source
> footage that I want to save for a decade or so.  I would access them 
> only
> rarely when I wanted to retrieve old footage and edit it.  I would use 
> the
> master, copy master, work copy method.  Should these be stored in a
> different facility other than the backup tapes?  Should they be stored
> under different conditions?
>
> These are the mysteries of life, er technology, that keep me up at 
> night!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ron

Well its 1:00 AM and I am still up but in this case I am in mourning 
over the loss of my beloved Texas Longhorns to the wicked Kansas State 
Team (who played great.)

There are specific standards that deal with archival storage.  While I 
am a member of SAA and ARMA I believe that a true archivist or an 
expert in archival storage should answer your question here.  There is 
so much to storing things properly.

If you truly store them for a long period of time with no access at 
all, then a colder temperature is great.!?  Who agrees?

I think storing your backups in different facilities increases your 
odds of survival if both locations store to the same degree of 
environmental protection. (Example:  You store them properly onsite for 
ten years and then have a disaster!  You turn to your storage company 
who stored them improperly for ten years!  Guess what they won't play 
or you need to have a reconstruction specialist come into fix the 
problem and the cost is far more than storing them properly.)

Certain entities store their media with two storage specialists both 
providing the same high level of protection.  This is then a three 
pronged protection strategy.

This is best against a disaster as you still have redundancy after a 
loss of an archive. But the problem through the years is a 
misconception about storage. Often  Eggheads or Technologists describe 
a method of protection that few will spend the money to achieve.  A 
certain large software company has their escrow software recorded on 
gold CD's so there is no corrosion and they are stored in a very 
precise environment.  It is amazing.  It is a long term strategy.  I 
know of no one else doing it.  I don't need to tell you why.

When IT 9.11 was written I told people to meet this standard but then 
they came back to me and called my bluff and said "Hugh, how do I 
achieve this level of precise temperature and humidity control in a 
vault?"   When I called the head of the IT9.11 Committee and asked him 
how he was able to create those long term environmental conditions his 
standard called for, he replied "We cut the film into strips, we put 
the short strips into Bell Jars, dropped the humidity to 30% and then 
sealed the jars.  Then they put the 30% RH Bell Jars in coolers to 
maintain the precise temperature only.

I said "Well how am I supposed to do that in a vault, no one wants 
their media cut up into short strips?"  He replied "When you figure 
that out, let me know?"  I hung up in disgust.  His solution was a 
fantasy.  I deal in the real world.

So I looked for people who solve this problem in the real world.  How 
do you put gel capsules together if the capsules are sticky due to 
humidity? Answer you don't.  The pharmaceutical industry had the 
solution to storing capsules and manufacturing in the low humidity 
environment real world.  So we introduced Cargocaire dessicant 
dehumidifiers to the vault industry.  They can reduce the humidity to 
10%, 20% or 30% as they are marvelous for controlling humidity.  Now 
air conditioning or refrigerating is a much easier task.  But the 
solution is a $14,000 to $22,000 system.  Offsite companies will spend 
this money as their precision is directly translatable to new business. 
  Few CIO's at corporations will do it and they usually offer the 
excuse, hey we're not storing this stuff but for a few months so who 
cares?

But archival is a whole different ball game.  This list has four or 
five people who are more expert than me on this issue of archival 
storage. Two of which are Standards specialists.  Take it away Ginny 
and Larry. Plus we are blessed with several State Records Management 
experts.  This is where I come to learn new things.

This List has taught me everything............ except how to afford 
three kids in college. My strategy of running up a lot of student loan 
debt and then claiming insanity defense apparently does not work.  
Shoot I even used three of my posts to this esteemed List to prove my 
case.  They agreed I was insane;  but I still owe the money.

Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
[log in to unmask]
(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM

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