Summary

Your data -- and everyone's -- is in danger. Discover why -- and what you must do about it!-- Why today's approaches to data storage are courting disaster -- for individuals, businesses, and civilization.-- What to do about it: specific, realistic solutions you can implement now.Today, most of the world's data is stored in media and formats that are frighteningly ephemeral: Web sites and email stores that are here today and gone tomorrow; magnetic media that isn't proven to last; document and e-book formats that quickly become obsolete. In Dark Ages II, Bryan Bergeron shows why our data is at far greater risk than we've ever imagined -- and envisions a frightening future, where so much critical information is lost that civilization itself is at risk. Bergeron then offers specific, realistic solutions -- for individuals, companies, governments, and societies. Dark Ages II covers every aspect of the looming crisis in data storage: risk factors associated with today's magnetic and optical media; the economic and management issues that lead to the loss of huge data repositories stored on Web sites and in email repositories; fast-changing document and media formats that quickly make old documents inaccessible; and more. After projecting the potential impact of massive data loss, Bergeron offers step-by-step techniques you can use to solve the problem in your own home, organization, or enterprise. This book is essential reading for everyone who depends on d