Data Protection

Tapeless Backup: Why It's More Popular Than Ever

In the past couple of years tapeless backup has really taken off in the data storage industry. Not only is tapeless backup often more cost effective, it also can be more secure, easier to store, and have a longer lifespan. Some users have never fully trusted tape based backup and seek tapeless backup solutions for both reliability and performance. One method being used for large libraries and data centers is virtual tape libraries or VTLs.

A prime example of the switch to tapeless backup storage is the city of Overland, Kansas. Overland is the second largest city in Kansas and has 1,000 and 1,300 users at any given time on its mostly PC based computers and hosts more than 15 Terabytes of data. To protect these systems, the City has a data backup and archiving strategy, which initially involved large tape libraries. As time passed Overland Park's tape backup gear became outdated, cumbersome, and lacked the performance and storage capacity needed. Reliability was a concern, and administrative overhead also became more of a worry.

Overland Park's IT staff were overstretched and spending nearly 90% of their time rotating tapes and searching through backups. The City decided to get a new backup system. As part of a public Request for Proposal (RFP) process the City reviewed proposals from various companies' VTL offerings. In the end, the two things that cast votes for the winning system were the simplicity of the solution and the price. The simplicity was tremendous. The product was browser-based and was significantly less expensive.

VTLs are by no means the only options for tapeless backup. If your storage and protection needs are on a smaller scale you can consider such options as an online backup storage service or dual layer DVDs. High quality, secure online backup services can be found on the internet for reasonable monthly rates. In addition, a well thought out data protection system is vital if your information is sensitive or high security.

Be sure the solution you choose offers 24/7 tech support. A high use, critically important data base may be needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and a major interruption could be catastrophic for your business or organization. Whatever solution or solutions you choose, we wish you luck in your tapeless backup adventure and are sure you will be more than satisfied with tapeless backup once it is implemented in your facility.