Editing Data degradation (section)

==Mitigation==
There is no solution that completely eliminates the threat of data degradation,{{Sfn|Rosenthal|2010|p=47}} but various measures exist that can stave it off. One of these is to [[replication (computing)|replicate the data]] as [[backup]]s. Both the original and backed data are then [[data auditing|audited]] for any faults due to storage media errors by [[checksum]]ming the data or comparing it with that of other copies. This is the only way to detect ''latent'' faults proactively,{{Sfn|Baker et al.|2006|p=229}} which might otherwise go unnoticed until the data is actually accessed.<ref name="Baker_2006-p224"/> Current storage systems such as those based on [[RAID]] already employ such measures internally.{{Sfn|Rosenthal|2010|p=51}} Ideally, and especially for data that must be [[digital preservation|preserved digitally]], the replicas should be distributed across multiple administrative sites that function autonomously and deploy various hardware and software, increasing resistance to failure, as well as human error and cyberattacks.{{Sfn|Baker|Keeton|Martin|2005|p=5}}