The great tape debate continues to backup
As time passes, organizations are finding their information resources are becoming more stratified all the time. The reason for all this diversification, some experts point out, is that companies are trying to stretch for the cloud without first having their feet firmly planted in their backup media management architecture. This could result in a dramatic variation between what assets reside in various kinds of storage resources, which in turn can lead to compliance and backup recovery dilemmas.
A divisive argument
Data Center Journal wrote that the basis of these issues lies with the individuals using the technology. As the source pointed out, a wide array of opinions and ideas about the current state and future of hard disk management and tape tracking tools shows that the corporate IT world is strongly divided on whether these assets are dead or not. On the one hand, some professionals feel that solid state drives continue to play an integral role in the overall continuity of a company. Still more individuals are certain that these devices are outdated and are being replaced by remote cloud servers.
The problem, however, comes in calculating the impact of big data and threat mitigation. According to a study by VMware, more than two-thirds of CIOs are worried about their storage assets remaining relevant and reliable in the coming years. The price of maintaining databases hasn’t gone down, either, even in cloud-enabled infrastructures, BizTech2 pointed out, reporting on the study. The price of downtime, however, has increased significantly from last year, as has the average amount of time companies spend in this state before restoring operations. Part of this problem, according to BizTech, lies in the fact that businesses with the most cloud assets tend not to maintain physical resources for immediate disaster resolution.
Dismantling the disagreements
Considering the arguments regarding the state of tape management software and the facilities it services, it may be wise to start thinking more in terms of the big picture. Where an entity can store and transmit information much faster in the cloud and virtualized server spaces than through solid state devices, continuity and compliance will continue to rely on these legacy solutions for periods when the cloud can’t cut it.
In short, as Data Center Journal stated, there are times when one form of storage will be appropriate for an enterprise-level solution. Other occasions will require some storage and recovery appliances, and yet more could demand a full hybrid array capable of cloud and tape utilization at once for best coverage. That said, there is no sign of tape leaving the market any time soon.