Please note that hard drives have a very short lifespan.

The study conducted by Backblaze reveals that the average lifespan of hard disk drives (HDDs) is shorter than expected, with an average age of 2 years and 6 months. The study also shows that smaller capacity drives seem to last longer before failing.

If you keep important data on a hard drive, this study might concern you. According to research by Backblaze, the average lifespan of hard drives is shorter than expected, with failure occurring on average after 2 years and 6 months. This underscores the importance of regularly backing up your data and considering other storage solutions, such as cloud storage, to ensure the safety of your valuable information.

241,000 hard drives and SSDs for 2.8 million TB of storage

Backblaze, a cloud storage company, conducted a hard drive (HDD) lifespan study based on a large sample. It must be said that Backblaze uses 241,000 hard drives and SSDs, which makes it possible to have a huge sample at hand, covering 30 models from four manufacturers which represent almost 2.8 million TB of storage.

Looking at 176,155 failed hard drives, the average age of failure was 2 years and 6 months. These results are consistent with those of Secure Data Recoveryalthough the sample used by the latter company was smaller.

To get these results, Backblaze analyzed all of these failed hard drives, with data such as failure date, model, serial number, capacity, and SMART values. The study covered 72 different models of hard drives.

Looking at 176,155 failed hard drives, the average age of failure was 2 years and 6 months. These results are consistent with those of Secure Data Recoveryalthough the sample used by the latter company was smaller.

To get these results, Backblaze analyzed all of these failed hard drives, with data such as failure date, model, serial number, capacity, and SMART values. The study covered 72 different models of hard drives.