Compliance adds a further dimension. Data encoded as permanent optical modifications cannot be overwritten, reducing ransomware exposure. But “compliance is a system property, not a substrate property,” Gogia cautioned. “Enterprises must still ensure encryption key rotation, metadata indexing, and audit trail completeness. A 10,000-year medium does not remove the obligation to demonstrate governance discipline.”
No commercial product yet
Microsoft said in a separate blog post that the research phase of Project Silica is now complete. “We are continuing to consider learnings from Project Silica as we explore the ongoing need for sustainable, long-term preservation of digital information,” the company said, without disclosing a commercialization roadmap. If commercialized, glass storage is unlikely to displace tape.
“It is more likely to emerge as a specialized ultra-long retention rather than a replacement for tape-based cold storage,” said Gartner’s Divya. “Any new medium would have to compete on the full-stack equation — economics, hardware, software, and operational model — not just on media longevity.”
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