HDD, SSD, or tape for local backup storage, how long does each medium last?
Disk shape and media choice, not the cloud-vs-NAS debate (that lives in 'Cloud vs NAS' under backups). Here: which physical carrier do you pick and how old can it get?
Try this first
- 1HDD (mechanical): cheap per TB, 3-5 year service life on daily use, longer if powered off most of the time (cold storage). Bad with vibration or drops.
- 2SSD (NVMe or SATA): faster, more robust in transit, 5-10 year service life if not constantly rewritten. Cells lose charge when unpowered for months, so not ideal for 5+ year archives.
- 3LTO tape: slow, but 15-30 year service life and immune to ransomware while on the shelf. Only worth it at TB volumes when you already manage a tape drive.
- 4Hot-swap (always connected, frequent writes) versus cold storage (in a safe, attached weekly): the second group physically lasts longer but needs a rotation schedule.
- 5Format and firmware: NTFS or exFAT for cross-OS, ZFS/BTRFS on a NAS for checksums. Update firmware once a year, especially SSDs. Firmware drift can surprise you after 3+ years.
When to bring us in
Which combination fits your data volume and RPO/RTO? We work out which media mix still makes sense for the next 5 years.
See also
- Should we buy or lease laptops as a 5-person company?Both work. Lease is predictable but pricier over the term; buying needs cash and your own depreciation. The difference is mostly admin.
- Is buying refurbished smart or asking for trouble?For office work fine, if from a serious vendor with warranty and a clean OS install. The trap is shady marketplace listings.
- How much RAM and SSD for office work in 2026?Rule of thumb for knowledge work: 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD as a comfortable minimum. 8 GB already feels tight; 32 GB is for heavy tools.
None of the above fits?
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