File Retention Times

[dgerb]

I'm curious what your policy is for keeping customer files. As it's tax season, I was archiving my '16 customer files when I realized I have a pile of disks with old data through the years that I haven't touched since I stored them. I think the longest time a customer came back wanting to reorder an old order was well within a year.

So how long do you keep your files, if at all? I'm not talking about the biz files for irs or anything needed for permits. The ones I'm talking about are the design files, digital proofs, portfolios, etc. I delete older than 2 years off my hard drive, and archive the last calendar year to an archival DVD.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[GaSouthpaw]

Personally, I "archive" from two years' back on (i.e., 2015 and 2016 are still on my workstation, everything else removed to a DVD and an external hard drive). Most of the company's I've worked for also store work files on a server, so there's less concern about space- we can get files as far back as necessary.

 

[Baz]

Hard drives are cheap. I keep everything. I have access to files that are over 20 years old. "Sometimes" i might get a request that makes me have to go deep in those archives. Especially old logos.

 

[bannertime]

I've had to pull files from as far back as 10 years, but I have files from mid 90s. We keep every single file in an active hard drive, with redundant back ups. Separated in folders in alphabetical order, each customer has it's own folder. Schools, Corporations, etc each have department folders inside them. If needed, it's further broken into years or job names. Surprisingly it's only about 600 gigs.

 

[shoresigns]

We have everything, going back 10 years to when we opened. We keep it all on a NAS with RAID 1 (mirrored on 2 disks). It's handy having it all accessible, as we dig up old files for various purposes all the time.

 

[d fleming]

I have everything. Just this week pulled a 12 year old file.

 

[Johnny Best]

I still use files from Zip drives. Now that's old.

 

[dgerb]

Not sure if I'm lucky... or not. I have return customers, but they want the same thing except all the content is different! So I make a new design or use a template.

Johnny, I have Jaz media from the 90s from another business. I doubt I still have the drive.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Johnny Best]

I have the drive for the Zip disks.

 

[ikarasu]

I store everything in the cloud. The place I work at now was running out of "backup space", Why they didn't spend $200 on a 8 TB HD, I don't know... but I convinced them to backup to the cloud. Amazon has like $50 a year... And you get unlimited storage. I have over 10 TB Backed up to amazon, encrypted so no one but us can see and use the files (Just incase). We also have about 5 years stored locally, and mirror to an offsite backup at our IT department.

 

[GAC05]

I keep mine until the very last minute.
(last minute = I hear the FBI trying to break down the door)

wayne k
guam usa

 

[visual800]

I have the drive for the Zip disks.

man! the zip drive was the absolute BOMB! and NEVER id I have an issue with it

 

[WildWestDesigns]

man! the zip drive was the absolute BOMB! and NEVER id I have an issue with it

You can still get Zip drives and discs. Mainstream use of different storage methods may go out, but a lot of places still use the old methods (can still even get tape drives), so most are still made.

We had some, but never did use them much. Not that we had issues, just never really used them.

 

[Johnny Best]

I have #3 1tb Seagate backup plus drives that takes up as much room as a zip drive. Before sending files over the internet, Zip drives were the way to go, but for storage they don't hold that much info. I now use the drives for files and cloud services for photos that are mostly in RAW format.
I would never buy ZIP drives now, you probably could find them for nothing at garage sales, but technology is outdated.
It's like buying used tires.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I would never buy ZIP drives now, you probably could find them for nothing at garage sales, but technology is outdated.
It's like buying used tires.

You can actually buy the stuff new now. Same thing with floppy drives and tape drives. I do agree that they are outdated, but they do serve a niche storage application (not necessarily for us), but that's how you can still get new versions of these outdated methods.

Shoot DVD/BluRay optical storage is on it's way out as far as mainstream use.

Shoot, my newest computer (about 1.5 yrs old now) has PS/2 plugs, serial and parallel ports along with USB 3. So there are still areas where "legacy" devices are still needed and still have new components being made.

 

[d fleming]

One of my older pc's had an ls drive in it. Supposed to have been the newest thing after zip. Never got much use.

 

[Marlene]

it depends on your business. we have long term repeat customers, lots of them that go back to the late 1980's. they love that they can come back and get a new sign when their old one dies and that could be anywhere from 8 to 10 years and they come in between then for other projects. if you don't get repeat business, then don't worry about keeping files as they won't be back.

 

[Billct2]

I keep them forever

 

[printhog]

I keep them for as long as they are in business. I routinely email the dormant clients every 4 years or so and it stimulates sales.