Storage Media Protection and Management
It's tempting to think that the ubiquitous nature of cloud-hosted storage has eliminated the need for physical copies of important datasets or software to be created, stored, protected, managed, used, and then suitably destroyed at the end of their records retention and useful life periods.
4 slides · 1 min read · Domain 7
Business continuity, disaster recovery, evidentiary and digital discovery, and a number of other purposes may dictate that copies of such files be placed onto physical storage media, such as tapes or disks, and that those physical media be stored, protected, and managed.
Under almost all circumstances, these copies should be made following the 3-2-1 rule:
- three copies,
- made on two different types of media,
- and at least one of those copies located in an off-premises secure storage facility.
Media storage facilities may be onsite and offsite from the main facility.
If onsite with the main facility, backup copies should ideally be stored offsite and fireproof/waterproof containers should be employed. Offsite storage should duplicate critical media stored onsite and retain the ability to recover critical information.
Media typically contains sensitive historical data that likely still requires protection. Some media types may support encryption while others do not. If sensitive data is stored on unencrypted media access, control must be strictly limited and monitored. Some organizations may limit access to dedicated archivists.
Encryption keys must be securely managed, which in many cases dictates the use of hardware security management systems and their concomitant multiple person integrity controls.
Temperature and humidity should be consistent with media storage requirements of the particular media in the facility.
As media types evolve, this must be continually reassessed but must be maintained consistently with the needs of all stored media. Fire protection should be in place at both room and container levels.