Depending on how many disks you are talking about, you can store them in an
fireproof box. Note that there is a difference between fireproof safes
which are for computer media and those which are not. Those which are not
will keep the contents below the flash point temperature of paper for the
specified time, but CD's and tapes would be rendered useless at far lower
temperatures.
Ideally, I would keep one full set of media on site, for ease of use, and
one full set off site - probably wherever I store my off site backup tapes.
Register your software. All the major software companies will provide
replacement media for lost or damaged products at far less than the cost of
replacing the entire license. Keep a record of the serial number, and CD
key's for everything, and you will be able to reinstall with any media -
AutoCAD, Office, Photoshop, etc, all work fine using your original S/N and
Key, installing from any media. And yes, this is legal. Read the EULA's,
the details are spelled out there in legalese. Usually, you are allowed to
burn one extra copy for yourself, as a backup. One thing that you could
consider is making your office copy online, rather than a CD, and putting
the CD offsite. Even in a small company, installing over the network will
save you time, and for products that install with an MSI, that need to
reference the original installer whenever they get patched, the software
remembers the install location, and will look back there for it
automatically, greatly easing updates and patches.
"John Doe"
wrote in message
news:E6C8FFF74A381194262315E2EFB5D2F5@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I'm the network administrator of a small company.
> Our company has 3x AutoCAD 2002 / 2x AutoCAD Lite / And some viewers.
> Now my boss asked me how we can best protect our software investment
against
> fire.
>
> I told him that only the serial number is important. But now I'm not quite
> sure anymore.
> Let's say that our complete company burns down. (god forbid) Everything
is
> lost.
> I only have the serial & CD key's of all software licenses (kept it in a
> safe at another location).
>
> Questions:
>
> * Can I order new copies of the install CD's ?
> * Is it legal to only have a serial number and not the original CD ?
>
> What is the normal procedure for this kind of problems ? How do other
> company's solve this ?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Micha
>
>
>