Ideals offers several project archiving options: a downloadable archive, a USB archive, and the newly introduced online archive. You can choose the option that best fits your needs or combine them at different stages of the project lifecycle. Keep in mind that when a project is completed and your subscription ends, all project data is deleted from the servers according to the data retention policy, so selecting an appropriate archiving option is essential for continued access. Below you may find a quick overview of archiving options.
Type | What it is | Good for |
Read‑only, cloud‑based version of your project | Primary long‑term depository for 3+ years when data remains stored on servers, stays accessible directly in the product, and benefits from centralized access control and backups | |
Password‑protected archive recorded on a read-only USB drive | Long‑term offline backup that the organization physically controls but which depends on safe handling and may be harder to access or share than the online archive | |
Password‑protected archive available for download | Short‑ to medium‑term handover or backup managed by users (for example, storing on their own drives or systems) but note that the archive can be downloaded only within 30 days after creation |
💡 If your project contains long paths and you have encountered issues opening archives on Windows OS, another key advantage of the online archive is that it preserves the original document structure, unlike offline backups where long paths are truncated.