Why the future of data storage need not be like Doctor Who October 14, 2013 Why the future of data storage need not be like Doctor Who When it comes to Doctor Who, most people will think of cybermen rather than cyber security, but this weeks news has brought to mind the potential consequences of data loss. Tapes of nine lost episodes have been unexpectedly found in a storeroom at a TV station in Nigeria, with the stories dating from the early days of the show in the 1960s when the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, played the role of the Timelord. Among them are The Web of Fear, the Doctors battle with a robot yeti on the London Underground, and the six-part adventure The Enemy of the World. Director of Television International Enterprises Archive Philip Morris, who found the missing episodes, said: The tapes had been left gathering dust in a storeroom at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words, Doctor Who. When I read the story code I realised Id found something pretty special. While the discovery of these episodes – which were first shown in 1967 and 1968 – has brought much cheer to fans of the show, the fact remains that 97 episodes are still missing. Unless they can also be found, they may as well have been exterminated by the daleks. The problem, of course, is that these early episodes were filmed and stored using the limited technology of the day. They ended up on tapes in cans. As Dr Who TV has revealed, the fact many episodes are missing is not a surprise, as nobody had carried out steps to establish an archive to store them in when the show began in 1963. Back then, videotaping was in its infancy and many tapes would be wiped for re-use in another programme, while no archive for storing old videos was established by the BBC until 1978, as this early period predated the years when people would have video players and recorders in their homes -. Indeed, the audit of the videos in stock at that time found that there were 253 missing episodes of Doctor Who, including all of those featuring Patrick Troughton and the first Doctor William Hartnell. Times have changed. While the shows found in Nigeria were stored in a safe place that prevented them from deteriorating or being destroyed, episodes filmed nowadays at the BBC studios in Cardiff will always be stored digitally and backed up. Nobody 50 years from now will be worrying about missing episodes from the David Tennant or Matt Smith years. However, some companies have yet to embrace the latest data technology. For many enterprises, old ways of storing information can pose similar problems. Without remote back-up, the use of microfiche facilities and off-site backup, there is always the danger of data being lost forever if it is stolen, mislaid or damaged by fire or floods. If it is backed up, however, such records – like the Doctor himself – can be regenerated. Given the use of a TARDIS, many who have lost data would happily deploy it to go back in time and ensure they got it backed up. However, any time-traveller knows that the future is as important as the past, so it is important now for people to take steps to ensure their data will be protected. Unlike residents of the planet Gallifrey, humans only have one heart and no means of time travel and are therefore at the mercies of the clock, so it is important not to also be unnecessarily vulnerable to fate and fortune by leaving data at risk of being irretrievably lost. In addition to protecting information against being mislaid, stolen or damaged, such back-up can be done securely using the latest technology to keep information thieves at bay. After all, just as the Doctor has his deadly nemesis the Master to contend with, so there are master cyber thieves out there who would love to get hold of sensitive data. Once securely protected with remote backup and the most up-to-date means of keeping dangers at bay, nobody – except, perhaps, someone with a sonic screwdriver – will be able to access such data without authority. - See more at: storetec.net/news-blog/why-the-future-of-data-storage-need-not-be-like-doctor-who?goback=%2Egde_1772630_member_5796257113567145987#%21
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 16:40:23 +0000