Storage of documents: Choosing the Right

Choosing the right storage medium based on the life of media, the legal filing, frequency of use and cost of archiving.

Life of storage media

If you want to save your documents on CD-ROM, be aware that the life of your data will be limited. Beyond 2 to 10 years for the original CD-ROM and 2 to 5 years for cd-rom burned, your data may be partly erased or impossible to read. The lifespan depends on the assumed exposure to light, shocks and the quality of the cd-rom. This conservation problem is especially true if the images or pictures. To maximize conservation, store cd-rom in a dark, cool and dry - often the place not the most accessible!

When the storage disk drive or server, the reliability depends on the quality of equipment. The main board to meet for more safety is the diversification of your storage media.


These problems lead naturally to consider a regular migration of data to your media is more recent and more secure. Be careful not to unnecessarily oversupply in new equipment. While reading your old media by more recent material is still possible, there is no reason for alarm.

Choosing the proper method of storage

Depending on the length of archiving documents

The choice of storage media is also to the type of document to be stored. Administrative documents of a company are to be archived for a number of years.

• 3 years: records of employees dismissed
• 5 years: tax documents relating to company law and the law (balance of any account, pay slips, personnel records, individual account, register of attendance)
• 10 years: records (books and documents) and documents relating to VAT (invoices, bills, registers)
• 30 years: titles and bills of sale, distribution sheets of participation and incentive.

The terms laid down terms are legal. Attention: the recommended duration of conservation is often longer than the legal limits. For example, it is advisable to keep records relating to wages 10 years, while the legal duration of retention is 5 years.

For documents to back up more than 5 years, prefer a solution rather than external CD-ROM or hard drives internal personnel. It is the duty of external services to adapt their storage medium, you pay the service and you do not have to regularly buy new storage media based on the inevitable technological advances.


Depending on the frequency of records

Another question to ask about the use of archived documents: are these documents to be used regularly or is this document that will constitute evidence in case of any legal dispute, tax, etc.. ? In other words, what will the frequency of use of these documents?

For the documents to be used regularly, opt for a solution internally, on your server, your hard disks or CD-rom.