Understanding and managing modern storage is a complex issue. Media can be digitised in various qualities and formats. Costs vary according to a large number of factors, including volume of storage, access requirements, level of redundancy and the content management system in place. Prices change over time. Media migrate from media with smaller per-unit volumes to media with larger capacities.

The Storage Ready Reckoner draws on the experience of audio visual archives together with relevant information from manufacturers. It is a simple piece tool to allow archivists to get answers to the basic how much, how many questions concerning both physical and electronic storage management. It can provide the basis for calculating total cost of ownership of various storage options over at least a twenty-year timescale.