LSREL03-BP01 Digitize and modernize archival of research data
Replace legacy storage formats such as tapes, optical disks, or local hard drives with digital storage strategies that provide redundancy, immutability, and verifiable integrity. Centralized digital archives keep data accessible, protected from degradation, and adhere to long-term retention requirements.
Desired outcome:
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Research and clinical data remains intact and accessible for extended periods.
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Immutable archives block tampering or accidental deletion.
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Metadata supports efficient search and retrieval for audits or scientific review.
Common anti-patterns:
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Relying on physical tapes or local servers with no periodic validation.
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Storing critical data without metadata, making retrieval inefficient.
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Keeping data in non-standard formats that hinder long-term usability.
Benefits of establishing this best practice:
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Improved durability and accessibility compared to physical archives.
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Reduced operational costs and manual overhead of physical storage.
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Simplified adherence to regulatory audits through traceable, verifiable archives.
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Supports reproducibility by keeping datasets intact and usable over decades.
Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: Medium
Implementation guidance
Long-term storage strategies should prioritize immutability and regulatory alignment. Establish centralized digital archives with policies that enforce retention and stop premature deletion. Periodically validate archived datasets with integrity checks and maintain metadata to verify that datasets are searchable and contextualized. Migrating legacy media into durable repositories reduces the risk of data degradation and provides consistent access across global research teams.
Implementation steps
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Digitize and migrate legacy media into Amazon S3 with Object Lock to enforce immutability.
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Use Amazon Glacier Vault Lock to apply retention rules.
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Migrate large historical datasets efficiently with AWS DataSync.
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Schedule automated integrity checks with Amazon S3 Inventory and log validation results into AWS Audit Manager for audit tracking.
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Maintain searchable metadata indexes using Amazon DynamoDB or Amazon OpenSearch Service to enable rapid dataset retrieval during audits or scientific reviews.
Resources
Related best practices:
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Data integrity validation for regulatory adherence
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Metadata management and data cataloging
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Lifecycle management policies for long-term research data
