How to Store a Hard Drive (Safely)

Data storage is an evergreen issue for businesses, and the best solution seems to change with every new innovation. That said, the principles behind effective data storage seem to be fairly cut and dry. Today, we want to share some data storage best practices that transcend time.

How You Can Safely Store a Hard Drive

We always like to ground these types of articles in a realistic example. Let’s say you want to store a hard drive filled with pictures, documents, and other valuable information. That said, you don’t want to connect it to your primary computer. You could transfer these files to an external hard drive to get them off your computer, especially if you need to upgrade to a new piece of hardware (like, say, when you upgrade to Windows 11). Hard drives can be stored for a long time, provided the conditions are right, so this approach would make sense.

What NOT To Do for Your Old Hard Drive Storage

What you don’t want to do is store a bunch of old computers in one location and pull them out when the time is right. Not only does this clutter up your office, but it also puts those outdated devices at risk, not only from the threats of the Internet, but also hardware failure as their components age and degrade over time.

And make no mistake, data will degrade over time. Research has shown that for a strong hard disc drive, however, data degradation isn’t a big issue, as long as it’s stored in an appropriate environment. In this case, you’ll want it to be in a climate-controlled environment (we like to call it “cold storage”). What you shouldn’t do is throw a bunch of powered-down hard drives in a box and call it a day; that’s a recipe for disaster.

Best Practices for Hard Drive Storage

It might seem like there’s only so much that can go wrong with a powered-down hard drive, but you’d be surprised. Here are some tips to ensure you keep your hard drives functional over the years:

• Power your device on every couple years: The drive’s data probably won’t leak away, but keep in mind an HDD is a piece of machinery. You don’t want the oil on the ball bearings to dry out, which could lead to a crash and lost data.
• Ensure true climate control: Data degradation shouldn’t be a problem, but it can happen when it’s subjected to extreme temperatures or humidity. We recommend you consider where your data will live and equip your storage area with appropriate resources to keep it safe year-round.
• Make copies of your data that you store in a different location:
  These apply to cold storage hard drives, but the real redundancy hack is to upload your data to a cloud-based storage solution where it can be safely accessed, backed up, and restored as needed. Here is why we like to recommend the cloud for data storage:

• It makes the files easily accessible.
• It’s secure.
• It’s affordable.
• It frees up clutter caused by old equipment.
• It’s an adaptable technology that changes with the times.

Does your business need help with data backup, storage, or redundancy? Reach out to Quercus IT and we’ll get you sorted out. Learn more by calling us at (780) 409-8180.