Data Storage Faceoff: Tape vs Disk vs Cloud

- Posted by Author: alex in Category: Data Centers |

Data Storage Faceoff: Tape vs Disk vs Cloud

In September 2010, Virgin Blue airline’s check-in and online booking systems went down for a period of 11 days, affecting around 50,000 passengers and 400 flights. Ultimately the downtime ended up costing the company over $20 million. So, what is the true cost of downtime you ask? Studies have shown that cost of partial data storage backup outages cost an average of $5600 per minute or $300 thousand dollars per hour! Depending on the industry, any single downtime can run into the millions of dollars of lost revenue. Just ask Virgin Blue.

Most businesses have (or should have) plans in place for emergency outages. Data backup procedures are a critical part of these emergency downtime plans. However, as the number of possible backup options multiplies with the introduction of new technologies it can be difficult to ensure you made the correct data backup decision.

Whether companies are looking to upgrade and retire aging infrastructure or are just preparing for the future, an assessment of options is needed. Welcome to the data storage face off- tape vs. disk vs. cloud backup.

Data Tape Storage Backuptape data storage

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, tape was the main way to store any backup data. Since then, it has evolved and grown with changes in technology and growing infrastructures for more than forty years. By deciding to implement or continue using tape will leave your organization with very few infrastructure improvements.

Tape is also the most affordable data storage option due to minimal infrastructure enhancements and the cost of tape itself. Usually, tape is an inexpensive alternative to both disk and cloud storage options; however, its dependent on the total amount and type of data your organization backs up.

Another major benefit of using tape as a main data storage method is the ability to take advantage multi-site storage. As with any organization’s emergency downtime initiative, it is ideal to ensure multi-site data storage. That way a disaster at one storage site doesn’t risk destroying all of the company’s proprietary data. Nevertheless, the multi-site tape storage method can be pricey once you factor in costs of secure tape transfer and storage in data centers at off site facilities. Although tapes have certainly been in existence the longest, like everything else they’re bound to evolve.

Hard Disk Storage Backuphard disk data storage

Disk-based backup such as hard drives, is vastly quicker and more consistent for data repair than tape backup. Instead of writing from disk to a tape, writing from a disk to a disk is purely a more effective method of data transfer.

In the same way, restoration from disk based storage is a fairly efficient process. Restoration allows the avoidance of retrieving, sequencing and then replicating tapes one at a time.

The biggest downside to disk-based storage backups is that they’re located in an on-site facility. For multi-location storage, a third-party is needed for off-site backup. If you don’t want to use an off-site storage provider, it can become extremely expensive to keep increasing disk space.

Cloud Storage Backupcloud data storage

Cloud-based backup refers to an online off-site back up through cloud enablement technologies. Organizations can typically store data with superior cost efficiency in a cloud, by eliminating the need to buy and refresh tapes or disks. Cloud backup is also a much less painstaking process, as data replication is done as a service.

Cloud backup normally consist of multi-site data storage. A local data copy can live in an on-site appliance like the SmartFrame, while it also replicates data to your off-site data storage provider. These applications and enablement technologies constantly run in the background of your IT processes, removing some manual IT processes.

Since cloud based back up is still a relatively new technology, there are some perceived security concerns around the cloud. Questions remain whether cloud backup will open their data to being hacked or even leaked from a third party. There are also concerns of accidental mixing of data with other customers existing in the same data center.

Decision Time

No matter which data backup method an organization chooses to implement, it will have its fair share of both benefits and drawbacks due to technology continuing to make advances in speed, efficiency and security. When the time is right for your business to install a data storage infrastructure or upgrade the infrastructure currently in place, let We Buy Used Tape do the work for you. Since 1965, We Buy Used Tape has been assisting IT professionals and their companies efficiently update their data back up systems. Used and surplus tape and disk storage can be repurposed; helping businesses increase initial return on investment while staying socially responsible. Contact one of our IT experts today for a hassle-free quote on your IT assets. Let us take care of your infrastructure update and security from start to finish.

 

we buy used tape logo