Marilyn Monroe holding down a flying white skirt. The sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square. The explosion of the Hindenburg. Ansel Adams’ The Tetons – The Snake River. The lone protester in Tiananmen Square. Photos that capture the essence of a person, a time or a movement.
While an architect’s project photos or a designer’s interior pictures may not equal the power of the above photos, they are still extremely important to the firm. The photo of an award winning project. The charrette sketch that turned the tide for a complex project. The final CAD files. They must be protected as the valuable assets they are. They document not only the professional success and accomplishments of the company but also the history of the firm and its people.
So how do you protect your assets? My credo for backing up any data is that the more important the data, the more copies you should have of it and the further apart those copies should be from each other.
Step one is a database. Build a database to catalog photos, sketches, project details, personnel details as related to projects. A database allows you to find the information much easier since you organize and file the items in a more logical manner than “Photos” on the company server. The database’s keywords allows great flexibility to find “fire station” projects or “$10 million” projects. A side benefit of your asset database is that you can respond to Requests for Proposal or award submittals much more quickly as all of the data is gathered in your database instead of being crammed willy-nilly into project file boxes.
Part of the organization process should be placing the clearly ID’d items into appropriate containers in a protected area. Slides in slide boxes. Photos in appropriately sized boxes with acid-free paper. Plans in flat boxes.
So how do you make the second or third copy of an asset? Go digital.
With older items, this means scanning the item. Scanning software will not only capture the item, it will allow you to add keywords, dates, names, etc. for your database. Newer photos from your digital camera or your computer can be stored and go right into the database.
Where do you store the digital images?
Some companies point proudly to their CD or DVD library. However, CD lifespan is questionable. When asked how long CDs could be relied on, a MAM-A engineer replied “Who knows? We’ve only been making them for 12 years.” Realistic estimates from international testing organizations place the timeframe between 2-5 years. The readability lifespan has lots of factors that can compromise it. CD-R disks survive longer than CD-RW. There’s a lot of difference between manufacturers. How well was the CD burned? Did you use good software at a slow speed? How was the CD stored? In a place with little light, the right humidity in the right container?
Some companies have developed RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) systems. Having multiple hard disks which back each other up gives you duplicate or triplicate copies of your photos as well as your daily work files. Should one drive fail, its information is on another drive. You can simply replace the bad drive with a new one. Your database provides the means to locate the particular photo, plan or sketch you want.
Your most important data should have a third copy in online storage. While cloud storage is more expensive than CDs or RAID back ups, it has the advantage of being off site with its own back up system. A company in tornado alley can choose a cloud server in Arizona where there is little threat of natural disasters.
Eric Jamison, principal with Studio J, (This month’s Hotshot photographer!) works with his clients to develop a storage plan. They were able to help one client scan and organize 20 years of printed assets into a digital storage box the size of a bread box. Eric emphasizes the need to catalog your digital assets carefully. Sort carefully to distinguish 2 copy, 3 copy or even 4 copy assets based on the importance of the item. This gives you protection while controlling your costs.
Bringing in an expert with database experience and a wider range of scanning equipment can be advantageous for your firm. Let experts set everything up, catch up the backlog and train your staff to keep the system up to date. Schedule an annual review to be sure the system is still fulfilling your needs.
Regardless of how you store today, your company must have a plan for updating its storage plan that is reviewed regularly. Media changes! It is conceivable that a company could be audited and need 7 year old financial data that is on floppy disks. Who has a floppy drive anymore? Your company needs to upgrade storage media as new alternatives become available. Don’t be caught flat footed!
Written by: Pamela Bir, Your Computer Lady
As published in Sources+Design Magazine October/November 2010 Issue
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