Long-Term Data Storage for Home Users

A comprehensive overview of long-term data storage options for home users, covering hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, optical media, and cloud storage. Explains the difference between data backup and archiving, provides expected data retention periods for each media type, and offers practical guidance on refresh schedules. Key takeaways include: hard drives retain data ~5 years (refresh every 3 years), SSDs are not ideal for cold storage due to electron leakage, archival-grade optical discs can last 50+ years, and cloud storage offloads preservation responsibility but can be costly at scale. Recommends keeping at least two copies with one offsite, and applying the 3-2-1 backup rule where feasible.