A backup is a necessity for businesses of all sizes. There are many data storage technology options, so choosing the most efficient one for your company is critical. Tape storage is often employed as a long-term backup system.
There are various reasons why organizations decide to go with tape storage. However, many drawbacks can stay unknown until something bad happens. Today, we will discuss all the advantages and disadvantages of using tape as a backup in your business.
What is Tape Backup?
Tape backup is a way to store a copy of your data on the external storage system. All the valuable information is written on the tape successively, one file after another. The same way data is accessed from the tape. Hence, it is hardly possible to randomly find the data stored on it.
Tapes are widespread due to their durability, reliability, and high performance. These devices are constantly improving to provide users with the highest level of storage.
Magnetic Tape Backup Advantages
Cost-Effective Solution
Tape is a very affordable way to back up your data. Tape maintenance can save you a lot of money. Magnetic tapes have a long shelf life. In addition, businesses can reuse them numerous times.
Portability
Mobility is another advantage of magnetic tape backup. This factor can play a significant part in case of a physical disaster. These devices are light and small, so it is easy to transport them.
Security of the Data
Magnetic tapes are isolated from the Internet, which makes them resistant to cyber-attacks and other threats. Storing all your documents offline can be a perfect data protection solution.
Low Energy Consumption
Tapes do not need the energy to operate. Hence, you do not need to keep your tape system connected to the electricity. Moreover, power failure does not threaten tape drives.
Longer Lifespan
The lifespan of a tape is around 30 years. This lifespan exceeds many other data storage devices. Nevertheless, many requirements should be maintained to support tapes and their reliability.
Durable Performance
Tapes are designed to resist critical situations. Hence, it will provide long-term performance. As with any device, it requires extreme care and should be kept in a controlled environment for its durability.
Magnetic Tape Backup Disadvantages
Regardless of all the advantages of tape backup, this system also has many drawbacks that can decrease the efficiency of backup.
Low Speed. One of the biggest drawbacks of using tapes as your backup is their speed. Data is written sequentially, so it can take lots of time to back up large amounts of data. Restoring files also takes a lot of time.
Time-consuming Search. Accessing data on tape backup is as time-consuming as writing it. Due to the sequential system of the tapes, before finding the specific document, you should go through all the documents before it.
Difficult to Recover Specific Files. Another difficulty caused by a sequential system of tapes is recovery difficulties.
The whole magnetic tape must be examined to find the required files for recovery, as it is impossible to access it right away.
Susceptible to Physical Damage. Tape devices are exposed to physical damage. Sometimes, physical damage can make a tape completely useless. External factors can cause data alteration, loss, or permanent tape malfunction.
If your business is looking for a dependable and durable way to back up sensitive data, then choosing tapes will be a good decision. However, if there is a need to restore your files at the earliest opportunity, it can be quite challenging with tape systems.
When facing a data loss on your tape systems, PITS Global Data Recovery Services can help you with that.
Our Tape Data Recovery Solutions
PITS Global Data Recovery Services offers businesses and individuals a recovery of all tape formats. This complicated process requires high skills, patience, and lots of attention, and our engineers will perform it at the highest level possible.
We perform data recovery from tape cartridges in specialized labs. By working in ISO Certified Class 10 Cleanroom, we safely recover the data without damaging any tape components.
Our team first starts the recovery process with a technical inspection. This way, we find the most appropriate recovery strategy for your tape media and achieve the maximum result.
Become one step closer to your data by requesting our tape recovery service. Get in touch with us by calling our customer service line at (888) 611-0737 or filling out the form below.
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