The market for data storage and management systems extends well beyond
preservation programmes, so there are good COTS (Commercial Off The
Shelf) products available. Using COTS technology is possibly the most easily
managed, low risk and cost effective approach as technical support and
upgrades are provided by vendors in a competitive marketplace. Standards are
sufficiently widely used in the storage market to allow mixing and matching
products from various vendors so that a number of upgrade and replacement
paths are available when needed.
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