OPINIONS VARY on how to preserve data on digital storage media, such as optical CDs and DVDs. If you want to avoid having to burn new CDs every few years, use magnetic tapes to store all your pictures, videos and songs for a lifetime.
Unlike pressed original CDs, burned CDs have a relatively short life span of between three to five years, depending on the quality of the CD. There are a few things you can do to extend the life of a burned CD - like keeping the disc in a cool, dark space, but not a whole lot more.
MATERIAL DEGRADATION
The problem is really material degradation. Optical discs commonly used for burning, such as CD-R and CD-RW, have a recording surface consisting of a layer of dye, that can be modified by heat to store data. The degradation process can result in the data 'shifting' on the surface and thus becoming unreadable to the laser beam.
Many of the cheap burnable CDs available in the various retail outlets have a life span of around two years. Some of the better-quality discs offer a longer life span of five years.
To overcome the preservation limitations of burnable CDs, it is suggested that magnetic tapes are used as they can have a life span of 30 years. Even if magnetic tapes are also subject to degradation, they are still the superior storage media. It is important to note that no storage medium lasts forever and, consequently, consumers and business need to have a migration plan to new storage technologies.
COMPANIES
Companies in particular need to be constantly looking at new storage technologies and having an archiving strategy that allows them to automatically migrate to new technologies. Otherwise, you may wind up in a dead end.
