On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 5:40 AM, PeterK <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Is Keeping Legacy Data More Trouble Than It's Worth?
> Legacy data (backup tapes, file shares, personal storage tables, and other
> storage media) when kept indefinitely has no value or purpose. But it can
> create expensive havoc and costs that can be avoided if the data is
> properly managed—and destroyed when business and legal retention
> requirements expire.
>
> Source:
>
> http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1327262306949&hubType=TopStory&Is_Keeping_Legacy_Data_More_Trouble_Than_Its_Worth
>

Not a bad article, but I think the writer doesn't understand what most
organizations think of as "legacy data".  The most frequently used
definition for legacy data involves "information in potentially old or
obsolete formats that is difficult to read due to a lack of software or
applications, or on media without hardware available for ready access".
http://goo.gl/431k4

File shares, personal storage tables (PSTs) and other storage media
regardless of how long it is kept isn't generally thought of as 'legacy'
data, and the fact that data is kept indefinitely doesn't necessarily mean
it has no value or purpose.  The balance of the intro paragraph about
"destroying when business or legal retention requirements expire" is
correct though.

Some areas that face problems with true "legacy data" are industries like
R&D, science, health, defense and others that may have utilized specialized
programs developed internally or proprietary systems designed by
manufacturers of equipment used to log or track experiments, measuring
devices or other processes related to experiments that either cannot be
recreated or otherwise were one-of-a-kind. http://goo.gl/OuxUb This data
may have lengthy retention periods, up to Permanent, depending on the type
of process it was related to and while it may not be frequently accessed it
is essentially retained indefinitely.

Care SHOULD be taken to periodically refresh the media and/or migrate the
content to avoid degradation, obsolescence, or other factors to ensure it
remains persistently accessible, but as we all know that doesn't always
happen.  http://goo.gl/OV0rY http://goo.gl/In6yT

What the balance of the article discusses is the practice we have come to
know as "Information Governance"- the understanding of sources of
information, how it is used, its informational value and required
retentions, its relative value to an organization, and the steps required
to ensure it remains viable and accessible for as long as it is required
for use.

Larry
[log in to unmask]
-- 
*Lawrence J. Medina
Danville, CA
RIM Professional since 1972*

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