Main Content
Online Data Backup vs Tape Backup
0845 058 9000
Many businesses invest in onsite tape installations in order to perform data backup. Despite developments in tape technology and improved processes for moving tapes between sites, the advantages of online data backup are abundant yet often overlooked.
"The failure rate of tape drives is 100% -- all drives eventually fail."
Source: Price Waterhouse Cooper.
|
Tape Backup |
Online Data Backup |
| Level of Capital Expenditure |
High. Especially for large data volumes or complex backup requirements. |
None. It’s free to signup.
Please note: There will be an ongoing monthly operating fee, depending on how much data you want to backup. |
| Total cost of ownership |
Moderate. Together with hardware maintenance costs, there are often unseen human resource costs. |
Low. Per GB monthly fees reduce as storage volumes grow. |
| Maintenance/Management |
High. Engineers are required to design, manage and maintain backup processes as well as recover data. |
Low. Management of backup processes can be pushed to the user level. |
| Scalability |
Low. Limited flexibility when storage volumes increase or backup strategies change. |
High. We manage the growth of the infrastructure enabling your data volumes to grow without your concern. |
| Data Security |
Low. Tapes can be lost, stolen or damaged in even the most well managed backup procedures. |
High. Two copies of your Data are stored in an encrypted format in multiple highly secure data centres. |
| Automation |
Moderate. Even automated tape backup installations require manual intervention to remotely store copies. |
High. The entire backup process is managed by the client software and storage network. |
| Reliability |
Low. Tapes are often weakly built and can suffer from reliability issues. |
High. Data is stored on multiple disks at multiple sites. All are constantly monitored and engineers are on call 24/7. |
| Protection |
Low. Data is generally stored in an unencrypted format making theft a significant risk. |
High. Data is encrypted when in transit and in storage, eliminating the risk of it being compromised. |
| Ease of Data Restoration |
Low. Time intensive processes are required in order for engineers to restore large data sets. |
High. Individual or multiple files can be restored quickly and easily by the user. |
| Future Proof |
No. As storage technology evolves your investment can quickly become obsolete. |
Yes. We continually invest in performance hardware to meet customers' storage requirements. |
| Required length of Backup window |
Long. Large data volumes and longer working hours are continually shortening tape backup windows. |
Short. Backups can take place whilst users are working and incremental backups shorten the backup cycle. |
Want to find out more?
For more information about our Online Data Backup products, please contact us by phone on 0845 058 9000 or 01706 902000. Alternatively, please complete the enquiry form.