As organizations worldwide embrace the concept of "infinite archives"—storing data permanently rather than for fixed retention periods—a new set of formidable challenges is emerging that threatens the long-term viability of digital preservation. According to the Active Archive Alliance's 2025 Annual Report, the shift toward permanent data retention is creating unprecedented obstacles in technology obsolescence, cost management, conversion time, and data migration.
The Rise of Infinite Archives
The report identifies a fundamental transformation in how organizations approach data retention. Applications across multiple sectors—including movies, financial records, patents, news archives, sports events, legal documentation, medical and pharmaceutical data, and government records—now require permanent retention times. This shift from traditional cold archives to what the Alliance terms "infinite archives" represents a paradigm change in the scope and magnitude of data archiving.
"The dawn of the infinite archive is here, making long-term data retention a necessary discipline," the report states, emphasizing that every application requiring permanent retention is a candidate for an active archive solution.
Technology Obsolescence: The Silent Threat
One of the most critical yet frequently overlooked risks in long-term archiving is format obsolescence. The report highlights a sobering reality: a document saved today in a proprietary format may become completely inaccessible within decades—or even years—if the software or hardware required to read it becomes obsolete.
This challenge extends beyond simple file formats to encompass:
- Hardware obsolescence: Storage devices and reading mechanisms that may no longer be manufactured or supported
- Software obsolescence: Applications and operating systems required to interpret archived data that are no longer maintained
- Format evolution: File standards that change or become deprecated over time
- Metadata degradation: Loss of contextual information that makes data searchable and interpretable
The report emphasizes that ensuring data remains "accessible and searchable over decades—sometimes even centuries" requires careful planning and ongoing management. Metadata plays a crucial role in this process, enabling faster retrieval of archived content regardless of its age.
The Cost Equation
The financial implications of infinite archives are staggering. As archives grow to encompass petabytes and exabytes of data, the costs associated with maintaining accessibility compound exponentially:
- Storage infrastructure costs: Continuous investment in storage media and systems
- Energy consumption: Ongoing power requirements for keeping data accessible
- Migration expenses: Regular costs associated with moving data to newer technologies
- Management overhead: Personnel and systems required to maintain archive integrity
The report notes that while active archives can reduce carbon emissions by up to 58% over a 10-year period when incorporating tape storage (compared to HDD-only solutions), the absolute scale of infinite archives means that even optimized solutions face significant cost pressures.
Excessive Conversion Time: The Migration Bottleneck
As storage technologies evolve, organizations face the daunting task of migrating massive datasets from older systems to newer ones. The report identifies excessive conversion time as a major challenge, particularly as archive sizes grow into the exabyte range.
The mathematics of data migration are unforgiving. Even with modern high-speed transfer rates, moving petabytes of data can take months or years. This creates several problems:
- Technology lag: By the time a migration is complete, the target technology may already be approaching obsolescence
- Business continuity risks: Extended migration periods can impact data accessibility and operations
- Resource constraints: Migration projects consume significant IT resources that could be deployed elsewhere
- Validation complexity: Ensuring data integrity across massive migrations requires extensive verification processes
Data Migration: A Perpetual Challenge
The report underscores that data migration is not a one-time event but rather a perpetual challenge for organizations maintaining infinite archives. As the Active Archive Alliance notes, organizations must shift "from short-term, reactive data projects to strategic, sustainable data architectures."
This strategic approach requires:
- Forward-looking technology choices: Selecting storage solutions with clear migration paths and industry-wide support
- Standardization: Adopting open formats and standards that reduce vendor lock-in
- Layered architectures: Implementing intelligent data management software (IDMS) that abstracts the physical storage layer
- Metadata preservation: Ensuring descriptive information travels with data through migration cycles
The Role of Active Archives in Addressing These Challenges
The report positions active archives as a key solution to these challenges. Unlike traditional static archives, active archives integrate multiple storage technologies—including SSDs, HDDs, tape libraries, and cloud storage—behind intelligent data management software. This approach provides:
- Technology flexibility: The ability to incorporate new storage technologies without disrupting access
- Cost optimization: Automatic tiering of data based on access patterns and business value
- Accessibility: Keeping data "always online and easily accessible" while managing costs
- Future-proofing: A framework that can adapt to evolving storage technologies
Looking Forward
As the report concludes, "the ability to migrate, preserve, and access archival data efficiently will become a defining factor in long-term success emphasizing the role of metadata." Organizations embarking on infinite archive strategies must recognize that technology obsolescence, cost management, conversion time, and data migration are not merely technical challenges—they are strategic imperatives that require ongoing attention and investment.
The Active Archive Alliance's framework emphasizes that successful infinite archives require more than just storage capacity. They demand intelligent data management, strategic planning, and a commitment to sustainable, adaptable architectures that can evolve with technology while preserving access to humanity's growing digital heritage.
Source: Active Archive Alliance, "Preparing for Tomorrow's Expanding Storage Challenge with Active Archive," Special Report, November 2025. Available at: https://activearchive.com/