Overview

Data backup and data protection are different and critical issues to any operating environment. Whether the facility is a computer IS department or a broadcast on-air master control using video servers, preparing today for the inevitable digital transition includes having a plan for the long-range management of the station's assets.

Developing a plan for long-term storage, whether on data tape, videotape or any other form of media, should be considered part of the economic and operational equation of any server implementation. The long-term storage process, referred to as archiving, involves finding answers to questions that really have multiple parts. Since there is generally no getting around the issue of asset storage, once a facility enters the digital age, it has no choice but to consider the questions.

We will assume the term archive describes the media in digital form. The digital conversion format and process will also be a part of the question discussed.

One of the first questions is, "Do you archive some or all of the existing assets in the facility?" The next logical questions become "How do you store it?" and "In what form(s)?" This can be challenging if you've never dealt with digital storage before. The deliberation should begin long before the choice of a server is made.

First, the facility managers must consider all the present and past uses of the video assets. This includes looking far forward into how those assets will be used, reused, and preserved in conjunction with (not separate from)...