26 3.4 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DIGITAL DATA STORAGE Digital data storage can store large amounts of information securely and cheaply in a way that facilitates quick retrieval and data sharing, but current data-storage practices are not systematic. Local digital data storage offers massive capacity, good security, fast retrieval, cheap, easy backup and copying, and convenient sharing. Township department offices usually have shared hard drives and sometimes a network drive, and USB thumb drives and external hard drives are cheap and ubiquitous. Cloud-based storage offers most of the benefits of local storage, with added levels of password-protected security, data synchronization with local devices, and backup and recovery of deleted files. Township officials with internet-connected devices have been making increasing use of cloud storage. Google Drive is a popular service. With well thought out rules for filenames and directory structures, retrieval and sharing can be fast, reliable, and convenient, but many users simply use the default directories and naming conventions that come with their apps and devices, depositing files with cryptic filenames in unknown locations and thwarting data management and retrieval. Digital solutions can facilitate effective data sharing. Digital data storage creates new possibilities for large- scale data sharing within and without the government. For example, the widespread adoption of technically simple interfaces accessible by a wide range of devices, known as an application programming interface (API, figure 3.2), makes it easier for devices and software of all kinds to connect with widely disparate data sources. An API removes the need for human involvement in the data-sharing process, allowing quicker and easier access and eliminating human error. The ease of access offered by APIs needs to be carefully managed (see above). Data loss is the greatest digital storage issue that data managers face. Disorganized data is more likely to be inadvertently deleted and overwritten; township officials may not always ensure data is effectively backed up; and small, portable storage devices such as USB thumb drives are easily lost. Apart from loss, the ease of copying and sharing digital files creates the risk that data will fall into the wrong hands, through theft or careless sharing. As the quantity and value of stored data grows, the risks of inadequate data-security protocols grow too. Worldwide ransomware attacks on municipal government computer systems are only the most recent and obvious example. FIGURE 3.2 What is an API? An application programming interface (API) is an interface with a set of rules that allows programs to talk to each other. APIs allow systems to communicate without requiring much technical knowledge about the communications channel. The result is that it is possible to build loosely coupled systems where components can interact with each other in a simpler way. App 1 App 2 Website 1 Website 2 API Database 1 Database 2 Database 3