The only constant is change. This too shall pass. Pick your idiom, it’s all the same–if you’re hoping that everything in your life will stay exactly as it is now, I regret to inform you that you are in for a huge loss if you don’t learn to roll with the punches. If there’s anything in your life that isn’t perfect yet, guess what–everything is going to change anyway, so don’t worry about it.
When it comes to digital storage, change will come in one of two forms–the form you choose and the form that happens to you.
Technology is made out of tangible things and tangible things don’t last forever. Time will take it’s toll. Also, as the industry advances, five year old equipment that runs perfectly may still not be ideal for your project based on what’s available now. In time, even if your machine is still running, if technology has moved on and no one else is compatible with your old system, you’re done.
Eventually, you will have to change–you will have to let go of your old stuff that you are comfortable using and embrace the new. The new is better–shinier, faster, and so much smoother–but you have to accept the change first.
Option One: you call an engineer, design a system that meets your needs, discuss budget and timeline, and slowly acquire the new things you need to augment what you have and keep you running as smoothly as possible. This involves voluntary change–you agreeing to make changes and learning to work with the new stuff. It’s not as hard as it sounds.
Option Two: you insist that your system is the only system that has ever been created since the beginning of time that is impervious to wear and tear, you refuse to change, and when physics shows up to vote on the matter, your world crashes. This involves involuntary change, and no amount of staring at the computer screen and clicking the back button is going to bring back yesterday’s lost work.
You will change. That’s not up for debate. The only question is whether you will choose to change or wait until change knocks you into next Tuesday. I really hope you call us, but I’ll have a Tech-Tip ready for when you come-to, just in case…