Over the past seven years or so, companies have increasingly woken up to the necessity of data archiving.

Not to be confused with data backups, a data archive is a system of stored data that doesn’t need to be accessed constantly (if it will at all). A data backup, on the other hand, is stored data that is still in use and can be restored to a single point in time.

A lot of companies have decided to use data archiving software as a result of business growth and expansion. It perhaps goes without saying that the more users on your system, the more your data grows with time. For this reason, companies have been compelled to leverage data archiving software.

This article breaks down in detail why you should use data archive software to better protect your data. Read more to find out.

1. Access Data Easily

Data archive software will help you perform searches so you can access your files with convenience. Granularity is very important for any data archive software since it allows the user to sieve through large amounts of data swiftly to find the information they’re looking for.

The software will conduct searches according to the author/owner of the file, metadata that matches specific information such as account numbers, or the file type such as spreadsheets, pictures, emails, and other files.

2. Optimize Storage Space

The next most significant benefit of using archive software is the ability to govern and customize the storage space available.

For instance, with archive software users can reduce the volume of data thus reducing overheads and making secondary data easily accessible for reporting and analysis. Simply put, you won’t have copies of the same file in your archives since you’ll have more control over your data.

3. Provides Incredible Flexibility

Reliable archiving software is flexible in that it can support many data types and platforms.

There might not be a single universal approach to data archiving but there are products on the market that are compatible with various applications and platforms. Some of these products handle multiple data varieties such as a company’s social media activity.

They also provide users multiple options when it comes to data retrieval and recording. You can put in a disk, the cloud, or any other medium you find convenient.

To Sum It Up

While people often use ‘data backups’ and ‘data archives’ interchangeably, they’re very contrasting concepts as highlighted above.

However, this doesn’t stop some businesses from using backups as archives. This isn’t the very best idea since backups are usually images of the entire system and can be difficult singling out specific files. This leads to the entire backup being stored as an archive, thus increasing the need for more storage costs.

All in all, data archiving software remains to be the most convenient and straightforward approach to managing data archives. It’s not just companies that are amassing an incredible amount of data but individuals and governments too.

With so many archival options available on the market, institutions can’t be limited to conventional systems of archiving.

Read Also:

• Data Privacy Laws – Is Your Business Compliant?
• 5 Ways To Improve The Security Of Your Company’s Databases
• Security Tips to Secure your Business’ data