Is Tape Dead? Tape Storage in Modern Backup
Extinct, dead, antiquated...these are words you will hear used to describe Tape Backup and Storage, but is that true?
Rumors of the death of tape storage have circulated for more than 30 years in favor of hard drive media storage and now cloud storage. However, close to 30% of businesses still rely on some form of tape storage as a part of their backup strategies. So why is tape storage still relevant to many businesses?
The most important part of any business backup strategy is simple, you must backup your data. This sounds easy, but the costs associated with modern backup strategies such as cloud backup and hard disk drive (HDD) backup have their own faults. Now 60% of end users trust cloud backup over other backup strategies, but cloud backup software can be expensive. Storage costs with cloud always seem low initially and build over time as you expand your total storage. HDD media backup, though a lower cost over time, is not as reliable as either cloud or tape. A single disk error can be enough to render an entire series of backups useless.
Tape storage provides a low cost, reliable, and long term data backup method for the companies that depend on it! Tape media cartridges can be easily transported, and the data on them compressed for a significantly lower cost per GB than other backup storage systems. In addition, many IT professionals can use tape as a part of their existing backup strategies. Tape storage has better longevity than modern backup systems, storing data for up to 30 years. This makes tape storage the ideal solution for Small Businesses with tight budgets or business of all sizes who need a reliable way to archive their data long term.
More key benefits of tape backup include:
- High Capacity - Tape storage drives can store between 12TB/30TB (Native/Compressed) on LTO-8 Tape Drives.
- Scalability - Individual tape drives allow users to scale their storage capacity for less.
- Portability - Tape storage is extremely portable and easy to store, even with climate control as an important factor.
- Reduced Energy Costs - Studies show tape drives use less power as well as generate less heat than HDD storage.
- Lower Cost Per GB - Tape cartridges and drives average a total cost of $0.01 per GB.
- Compatibility - Tape has superior backward read compatibility of any modern storage system.
Looking to add reliable and budget friendly tape storage to your business backup strategy? Aventis Systems now carries a wide variety of LTO-6 - LTO-8 Tape storage drives by Overland Storage! Check out our Internal and External Tape Storage Drives today, and join the 30% of businesses who still trust tape as part of their backup strategy!
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