Antiquated IT backup: Ready for replacement

Companies laboring away with tape-based backup solutions for all of their vital information may be stuck in a problematic habit that has followed them for a few years. Going forward with no way to recover data is extremely foolish, and these solutions may have been industry standards when they were purchased. However, the industry has moved on and there is no reason to keep dealing with clunky tapes when online managed solutions have progressed so far. In the event of a disaster, leaders have more than enough to worry about. If their recovery tools are also problematic, the situation can become worse.

Tape doesn’t cut it anymore
Executives may at first be loath to update backup and data recovery procedures. Changing a major system may seem like an unneeded complication. However, viewing legacy options’ drawbacks in light of current equivalents shows that tape has had its day. For example, there is the constant threat of damage to the tapes themselves. Keep them on-site and the same external factors that damage the servers may also harm the recovery materials, leaving the business out of options. The recent harsh weather sweeping the East Coast has served as a potent reminder that any season can strike companies’ infrastructure.

Sending the tapes away to an external storage facility clears up that one danger, but introduces a host more. For example, the journey may harm the fragile backup media. Furthermore, it adds time when users are ready to boot the system back up in the wake of the damaging event, waiting for the delivery of vital materials. Theft of tapes is also a possibility, meaning letting them out of the building may not be such a good idea at all.

After considering these drawbacks and the fact that there are new types of disaster recovery and data backup services available, leaders may acknowledge that their current approaches have outlived their usefulness.

Managed options relieve the pressure
Providers can now keep images of valuable corporate information in secure offsite locations, frequently updated through an encrypted connection and ready to be implemented if a failure occurs in the client firm’s server room. If users want their information back, they can simply request it remotely, without transporting risky tapes. As long as leaders select partners that will take a proactive stance on monitoring and maintaining this information, the project can provide the same peace of mind that tape backups did when they were first developed, simply updated to suit modern IT needs and demands.