The biggest risk is not in a hard disk crashing or a fire (although theses are real risks, too); the greatest risk is with the constant technological innovation in the software industry. As we have witnessed, software applications have short lives and are quickly replaced with newer, faster versions. The older software versions quickly gather dust, are discontinued, and are no longer supported.

This is inconvenient on many levels, but for blueprints and other complex files stored digitally, the consequences are catastrophic. In a nutshell, the new versions of the software are not designed to be a 100% compatible with the older versions. With a simple ?Word? document, you might notice a loss of functionality or an occasional loss of data as you attempt to open old documents with a new version of Word.

For a blueprint, the impact could be loss of the intricacy of the drawing itself, which is the inherit value of the blueprint: all the details are in the blueprint. Unfortunately, these details don't necessarily get translated with accuracy with the new software versions, or at all.

Studies have shown that digital files are being stored at 100 times the rate of paper files today. While digital blueprints are being stored at a similar rate, the risk of data loss is far greater than with simple e-mail or word documents. The complexities of blueprint documents make them more difficult reproduce and read. The possibility of data corruption and loss makes digital storage of blueprints inadequate without paper backup.

Long term storage of blueprints and other large format documents may be best done with vertical file storage systems, which use plastic covers for dust protection and keep the documents safe from injury from document retrieval. Additionally, this form of storage allows for better organization and access, when compared with traditional flat file cabinet systems, which store blueprints in a horizontal position.

The software industry has yet to come up with a solution to this challenge with digital records. Given the risk of data loss from digitally archived blueprints, long term paper storage seems a prudent option.