Are You Still Using Backup Tapes?

There was a time not too long ago when the most common method of backing up your data was to insert a stack of floppy disks one at a time. Most of the time you would make 2 copies just to be sure you could restore files in case the first set of disks became corrupted or damaged. Aren't you glad those days are over?

Backup tape drives have been all the rage for data backup and recovery for the last several years due to the low cost per MB of data. Backup tapes, like floppy disks have now reached their end of life. The biggest advantage of using backup tape, the cost per megabyte, has been superseded by the speed and low cost of internal and external hard drives.



If you have ever tried to restore or waited for someone else to restore files or even a whole computer from backup tape you know it can take hours to run. Heaven forbid if your tapes are 5 years old and you are unable to restore the file(s) you or someone in your office has accidentally deleted and are in desperate need of. If you are still using backup tapes for your data recovery solution you should seriously consider switching to a hard drive backup before you find yourself in this situation.

External (or internal for that matter) hard drives provide a quick backup and restoration of your important data and can be easily swapped out with another drive to take offsite just like with tapes. These days you can get 500 GB or more for under $100. Restoring a file from a hard drive backup is as easy as copying from one drive to another, without having to use difficult software or swapping of tapes. Do yourself a favor and replace your backup tape library with a hard drive.

If you need assistance in removing this bane from your life or need help with data recovery, contact us at QeH2.