Updating the SNIA 100 Year Archive Survey 10 Years Later

Ten years ago, the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) 100 Year Archive Task Force developed an influential survey that was intended to determine the requirements for long-term digital information retention in the data center. The survey was a leading instrument, bringing awareness to the extreme problem of long term digital information retention, and led to the development of the SNIA Self-contained Information Retention Format (SIRF). Since that time, much has happened to improve the situation. Major efforts have been undertaken to solve elements of the problem in groups like the US Library of Congress, UK National Archives, SMTPE, SNIA, EU/CASPAR, etc. In addition, several commercial software packages and cloud services are now available providing preservation services. However, what is not clear, is whether these tools are being used widely and whether needs are being met.

The SNIA Long Term Retention Special Interest Group (LTR SIG) and the Data Protection and Capacity Optimization (DPCO) committee have developed a new 100 Year Archive survey which should be available prior to SDC. This presentation will kick off the new survey, presenting its goals, target audience, and an overview of the questions. It will also invite members of the target audience to participate.