Consumers Fail to Properly Back Up Large Digital Libraries, Says CEA

New Research Shows Average American Has 1,800 Digital Files
ARLINGTON, Va.--(Business Wire)--
Americans are not backing up their digital photos, music,
documents or other types of files, according to a new study released
today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)(R). Results of the
study, Amassing Digital Fortunes: A Digital Storage Study, show that
nearly one in three consumers don't see the need to back up their
files, while nearly a quarter (22 percent) say they aren't backing up
files because it's too time consuming. "The issue appears to be a
combination of lack of awareness of storage options and ease of use,"
says CEA's Director of Market Research, Tim Herbert. "Generally,
consumers don't know how to back up their data and if they do, they're
failing to back up data because they claim it takes too much time."

The average American adult has 1,800 digital files, totaling 310
billion digital files nationwide. With another 1,060 being added per
user in 2008, the total number is expected to hit just under 500
billion by the end of the year.

"The sheer amount of data being amassed every day creates
tremendous opportunities for the digital storage market," says
Herbert.

Photos (85 percent) and music (67 percent) comprise the largest
percentage of stored files, making them more common than productivity
files, like home office documents (59 percent), which ranked third.

Research results show that consumers are satisfied with their
storage options. Eight out of 10 respondents reported using their home
computer as their primary long-term storage option. For back-up, over
three quarters of people surveyed (77 percent) burn their files onto a
CD or DVD. Over a quarter (29 percent) of those surveyed copy their
files onto more than one device, such as having a file on a computer
and a portable MP3 player.

CEA offers several tips for consumers to keep digital files safe:

-- If you are saving content onto a CD, DVD, USB Flash Drive or
other removable device, keep an extra copy off-site, like an
office. This ensures your contents safety in case your home is
damaged by events such as a fire, flood or earthquake.

-- Use an online backup service to protect your content from
disasters and/or hardware failures.

-- Scan and clean your backup drives. Viruses can spread to
removable drives and other network connections, damaging your
music and photos.

-- Regularly defragment your hard disk drive. This will ensure
your computer is running faster for longer with less wear and
tear.

-- Establish a regular back-up schedule. Many external
hard-drives come with software that can assist in the back-up
process and help maintain a consistent schedule to ensure data
gets saved even if you forget to.

For more tips on how to protect and archive digital content, visit
www.DigitalTips.org.

The Amassing Digital Fortunes: A Digital Storage Study (February
2008) was conducted in December 2007. It was designed and formulated
by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data,
forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer
electronics industry. Please cite any information to the Consumer
Electronics Association (CEA) (R). The complete study is available
free to CEA member companies. Non-members may purchase the study for
$999 at www.eBrain.org.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade
association promoting growth in the $161 billion U.S. consumer
electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of
CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research,
technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering
of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages
the International CES - Where Entertainment, Technology and Business
Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry
services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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*T
-- Digital Patriots Dinner
April 2, 2008, Washington, DC

-- CEA Washington Forum
April 2-4, 2008, Washington, DC

-- International CES/hometech
May 25-27, 2008, Dubai, UAE

-- DIGITAL DOWNTOWN (D2)
June 12-14, 2008, New York, NY

-- Connections(TM): The Digital Living Conference and Showcase
June 24-26, 2008, Santa Clara, CA

-- SINOCES 2008
July 10-13, 2008, Qingdao, China

-- CEA Industry Forum
October 19-22, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

-- Digital Hollywood
October 27-30, 2008, Hollywood, CA

-- EHX Fall 2008
November 4-7, 2008, Long Beach, CA

-- 2009 International CES
January 8-11, 2009, Las Vegas, NV
*T

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
Jennifer Bemisderfer, 703-907-4322
jenb@CE.org
http://www.CE.org
or
Steve Kidera, 703-907-4358
skidera@CE.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008