The Use of CD-ROM as Transfer Media

The portable media that most people prefer is the CD-ROM (Compact Disc - Read Only Memory). This is known as WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage and once written cannot be changed. Therefore it is acceptable to Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise etc. However we always advise clients to check before conversion of data.

The density of storage on a CD-ROM is high, approximately 4 x four drawer filing cabinets of A4 documents or 2,500 - 4,000 drawings can be stored on one CD. Therefore 3 or 4 CD's would release a considerable amount of space. CD's can be easily and cheaply duplicated and distributed to all authorised data holders. By holding duplicate CD's at several sites, the possibility of data loss is dramatically reduced. CD's can have a life of up to 20-30 years but there will always be the facility to copy your digital files onto whatever new type of digital storage media that comes along, e.g. DVD.

CD-ROM drives for the PC are inexpensive and can easily be installed on to any computer if not already installed. The rate of transferring data from the CD to a computer is much faster than floppy discs and approaches that of a hard disk when read by modern CD drives. Image files may be copied on a company's central computer and can then be accessed by any authorised persons, by laptop, telephone, e-mail or intranet, irrespective of location. A "juke box" of CD's can easily be integrated into a computer network. This will ensure data remains un-changed and can also be updated by replacing individual CD's.

Is a Digital Archive Safe?

From the loss point of view, the data is as safe as your company's ability to hold multiple data copies in different locations. For example, three or four copies of your records each held in a different location under differing appropriate levels of security should be safe. For SME's this may be adequate but numbers of copies etc can be increased in line with insurance company requirements, likely risk of loss at any one storage location etc.