Rapid Expert Consultation on Archival Data Storage Technologies for the Intelligence Community (2024)
Chapter: Conclusion
Conclusion
As the IC considers its future data storage needs and begins to plan program budgets and allocate resources in the FY 2026–2030 timeframe, there are several mature technological options. Current technologies, such as magnetic tape, HDD, NAND-based flash SSD, MRAM, and optical storage, are commercially available and, depending on the specific needs of the IC customer, may offer the most practical solutions. Emerging data storage technologies, such as DNA data storage, silica optical data storage, and ceramic data storage, may also be of interest. However, as noted previously, the IC may not always be able to rely on innovation to happen by itself and may need to take a more active role to foster innovation in the data storage sector. Finally, the IC may want to consider employing data storage best practices in order to most efficiently utilize any of the storage technologies discussed.
Acknowledgments
We thank the following individuals for their review of this rapid expert consultation: Patricia Brennan (NAM), University of Wisconsin–Madison; Clifford Lynch, Coalition for Networked Information; and Jian-Gang Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University. Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse this document, nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this document was overseen by Steven Lipner (NAE), Safecode.org, and Robert Sproull (NAE), University of Massachusetts Amherst. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this rapid expert consultation was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authors and the National Academies. The National Academies administered the review and editorial processes.
We extend gratitude to the staff of the National Academies, in particular Ryan Murphy, Evan Elwell, Marguerite Schneider, and Caryn Leslie who contributed research, editing, and writing assistance.
This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
Copyright 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
