Are Disk Based Backup Solutions Worth it?

Traditionally any large enterprise has used tape to back up its data. This method if data backup has been around for decades, and is a trusted and time proven method for data storage. Although tape storage is relatively inexpensive, it does have its downsides.

As the amount of data stored by companies grows, the amount of time that it takes to back up this data has also increased and many companies are finding that tape storage is simply too time consuming. Retrieving data from tape backup systems is also inconvenient in that the correct data must first be located on the tape storage system.

This is a linear process in that the tape must manually be spooled to the correct location and then data identified and uploaded, again, a time consuming process. In today’s business environment companies can simply not afford the time that tape storage solutions take up. The alternative is Disk based backup solutions.

The Disk based backup solutions are far quicker at both backing up data and retrieving it. Whereas tape solutions are almost like the old audio tapes where the user has to forward wind and rewind to find the song that they wish to listen to, Disk based backup solutions act almost like a CD, to find the correct song just use the menu to locate the musical choice.

This process is much faster and more user friendly than the old tape based backup solutions that have been on the market for some time.

Tape based backup solutions also have some other weaknesses when compared to Disk based backup solutions. Tape degrades extremely quickly due to environmental factors; it can stretch and get dirty, resulting in data degradation. The mechanical nature of tape based solutions also means that tape heads can become dirty and affect the quality of the data that is retrieved.

Disk based backup solutions offer many advantages over tape based backup. If you think that your organisation could benefit from cutting edge technology then contact us for more information.