Glossary
Data Archiving
What is a data archive?
A data archive is a place to store data that's crucial for one’s business, yet doesn’t have to be accessed regularly (or ever). In other words, it can be thought of as a convenient modern solution for long-term data retention.
What types of archived data are there?
There are many reasons why businesses want (or need) to archive their data: meeting legal regulations and retaining business continuity are just two major examples. However, when it comes to archiving data for any reason, there are multiple ways in which it can be done. For example, an active archive is data that’s only occasionally accessed but still available instantly online, without being restored from another source.
Meanwhile, an inactive archive is infrequently accessed data that might be maintained long-term for regulatory compliance; this inactive data has historically been archived to tape and stored somewhere offsite. However, with the emergence of hot cloud storage and services like those offered by Wasabi, you now have the option to rely on one simple, fast, and bottomless storage tier. In the modern age of cloud storage where you can store all of your data at the same low price, the concept of cold storage - such as keeping data saved to tapes - has become a thing of the past.