No Need to Turn your Back on Backup Tapes Just Yet
It would be far fetched to claim that backup tape solutions are a thing of the past. In fact, according to backup tape sales data courtesy of the Santa Clara Consulting Group, the industry is still well worth over $100 million. Despite the fact that several competing technologies have rose to prominence over the past decade, there are still many instances where backup tape is the cheaper long-term storage option or the company’s basic operations make tape storage the obvious choice.
Even decision makers who initially balked at the idea of tape storage may change their minds after doing a bit more research regarding the technology. Learning more about the perks that keep backup tape storage relevant and profitable will help you identify instances where tape and new technologies can operate in harmony.
Old school organization still has advantages over disk storage
Just because there are newer forms of data storage doesn’t mean that they are inherently superior to tape – there are multiple factors that will determine which option is better for your business. For instance, if our company is expected to keep detailed receipts of all the data being stored or destroyed, they are better off choosing a tape storage option.
Why? The physical nature of on-site tape storage offers more direct control over who has access this information, and well established software solutions like AssetAware make it a cinch for companies to track tapes being stored or en route to destruction. Establishing a streamlined, repeatable system of accountability for data stored on the cloud is far less practical.
Backup tape continues to innovate
Just because much of the data storage industry has been absorbed by newer forms of technology doesn’t mean the the tape industry stopped innovating. For example, InfoStor pointed out that recent advances in Linear Tape File Systems have a made it possible to configure backup tapes as network attached storage. Likewise, storage capacity for tape storage applications continues to rise to stay relevant to the needs of today’s increasingly data-driven enterprises. Even some of the world’s largest supercomputers use backup tape for the storage medium’s cost-effective capacity – such systems can easily store 20 to 40 terabytes of raw data per day.
Small businesses stand to gain the most from backup tape
Many small business owners see tape as an outdated solution or a tool exclusively used by large corporations. However, those who look past these misconceptions will find that the storage medium offers a very simple, reliable user experience. The cost to capacity ratio for backup storage is especially attractive to small businesses that need to archive large amounts of data but aren’t worried about accessing and manipulating that data on a regular basis. Likewise, companies that have no need for the cloud shouldn’t adopt the technology just for the sake of storage. A bit of research into the comparative pricing scales should show small business owners why tape storage is the right choice.
Legacy solutions offer an answer to modern problems
In addition to the many advantages inherent to backup tape, their medium also remains relevant for enterprise storage precisely because the competition is so new. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research noted that the cloud is full of security vulnerabilities, and those companies that rely on cloud storage put themselves at risks. Compromised data can have a long list of consequences for your businesses – the safety and simplicity of tape for storage stands out in this regard. Considerable time and energy is necessary to achieve tape-like security on the cloud – IT teams can circumvent this work entirely by instead investigating the perks associated with backup tapes.