Tape Management

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What Are the Five Pillars of Tape Management?

Magnetic tape is perhaps one of today’s most viable data recording mediums. Due to globalization and technology, many large, international companies find that they need to keep a lot of data backups. Just think, for example, of a large company like an online store that could potentially process hundreds of orders in a single day.

A single transaction in itself would need several types of data recorded and stored – the customer’s order, payment information, shipping information, and perhaps any other types of information. Multiply that with thousands of customers and you will need someplace to store and backup all this data that’s both cost-effective and reliable, like magnetic tape. It’s no secret that magnetic tape is quite cheap – some estimate that it costs around 10 cents per 1 gigabyte and this cost could go down in the future. However, how can it be more reliable? The answer is in the tape management software that is used to keep track of the library. For those who have a lot of tapes in their tape library, tape management software can be very useful and at the same time, it can be crucial to the company. One reason why such software is very much necessary is that these adhere to the Five Pillars of Tape Management. These so-called pillars are the basic ways to meet the different challenges of tape management. The five pillars are:

1)    Asset Management – Data tapes today can be considered an asset of the company, rather than a disposable commodity. This is very much evident today, considering that many companies will often rent or lease things like computers or servers, while maintaining ownership of tapes. Asset management basically refers to how the tapes are individually organized, so the company know exactly what is in each tape so they are able to pull the needed tape at any time.

2)    Chain of Custody – Companies and corporations today have to adhere to a strict set of laws and regulations, including those that govern data management. Chain of custody simply means that the organization can account for who has had contact with the tapes and when. That way, any irregularities can be checked and accounted for.

3)    Library Management – Aside from knowing what are in the tapes, it’s also necessary to know where they are, especially in the case where one organization has thousands of tapes.

4)    Disaster Recovery – In the even of a disaster, the company must be able to quickly identify which tapes are necessary to get systems back in place.

5)    Quality Control – An effective tape management software should also be able to alert the owners to the status of the libraries’ health. It should be able to give the owners a diagnosis, as well as possible solutions to any problem.

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Compliance Issues and Tape Management

Compliance issues are very tricky in the world we live in today. Various laws exist today that are meant to protect many people, and companies need to know them all in order to ensure they are not breaking any major laws. It was, perhaps, the accounting scandals of previous years that have forced regulators to become stricter when it comes to record keeping, especially with sensitive things like accounting. For example, take the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which prescribed stringent ways in which to keep accounting records and prevent tampering. Looking at the accounting scandals that rocked the financial world (like Enron and World com) it’s easy to see why these laws are necessary; however, that doesn’t mean it’s easy for companies to comply.

That’s perhaps why technology is being used to aid these companies to ensure their compliance with these complicated laws. One way companies can keep up with these laws is by using tape management software. It is the very nature of these types of software that can help them ensure they are following the laws to the letter. Just look at what experts call the “Five Pillars of Tape Management”:

1)    Asset Management

2)    Chain of Custody

3)    Library Management

4)    Disaster Recovery

5)    Quality Control

When tape management software providers can ensure their clients that these five pillars will always be followed, they can immediately preserve the integrity of their data. Asset management and chain of custody, in particular, are the most important pillars when it comes to compliance as these can assure regulators that the data has not been tampered with or should there be an irregularities, they can immediately trace where these came from.

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What Are the Five Pillars of Tape Management?

Tape back-up systems are now more important than ever, especially when it comes to large amounts of data. Many companies today process terabytes of data each day, and sometimes this amount of data can be mind-boggling. That’s why, aside from a reliable tape system, a company will also need good tape management software. While managing two, three or even a dozen tapes is simple, when the tape numbers reach into the thousands, then a tape management software is not only handy, but will be necessary for legal and compliance reasons.

A good tape management system should be able to adhere to the five pillars of tape management. These pillars are necessary to ensure that the tapes are properly stored, can be accessed easily, and can be traced so that the data they carry is irreproachable. The Five Pillars are as follows:

1)    Asset Management – A good system should be able to tell the user what data is stored in the tapes.

2)    Chain of Custody – The system should be able to verify who has had contact with the data tapes.

3)    Library Management – The system needs to know where it goes, whether the system itself or the librarian assigns it.

4)    Disaster Recovery – The system needs to know the exact steps on how to recover data in the case of the most (if not all) disastrous events, from accidental deletions to complete confiscations.

5)    Quality Control – The system should be able to give a good assessment of itself, the standard of the work being done, and more important, find ways to improve the process.

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Why You Need Backup Software

In the age we live in today, everything is stored electronically. Very few people, for example, go to the photo store to have pictures printed or even buy music on CDs. Even business have gone the paperless route, keeping electronic records for customers, sales, orders etc. We rely so much on these bits of data – have you ever though of what would happen if you lost it all? Losing data doesn’t just happen if your hard drive or laptop. Hard drives fail all the time – are you prepared if that happens?

That’s why you’ll need some form of backup, preferable, automatic backup software. When you have such a system in place, you can sleep at night knowing your data is safe and sound. The first reason you need backup software is so you can access your data in the even of a loss or failure in your hard drive. You can make sure that your memories, like a child’s first birthday or a memorable trip, will never be lost. More important, if you run a business and you store customer data, there are bigger reasons to get automatic backup software. Your customers depend on you to keep their data safe. If it gets lost or stolen, you are breaching that trust. That not only spells loss of customers, but you may destroy your reputation and cost you millions in future business. Having backup software is important to anyone who stores files and data which are irreplaceable. It’s a great way to ensure you are always protected and you can always retrieve your data when you need it.

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What is a Tape Management System?

Data is perhaps one of the most important assets of many organizations. Large corporations, governments, and even some small businesses take the necessary precautions in protecting, storing, and backing up their precious data. Data can encompass a wide variety of assets. This can include, private employee information, client financial information, and even trade secrets and patents. Today, there are many methods of storing and keeping data safe. For example, hard disk drive capacities have soared in the last the last few years and many organizations keep their data on drives and servers. Another option is going online, and the increase in Internet speeds has allowed people to store large amounts of data offsite. However, one of the safest methods of storing data is still magnetic tape. Despite being over half a century old, magnetic tapes offer clients many advantages. Not only does it have a lower cost per bit, but also it can store huge amounts of data. Physical tapes are also easier to move and transport than large servers, which is especially advantageous for organizations that prefer having physical data storage options.

Of course, the downside is that the organization must keep their tapes in order, so they know where to find the data they need, when they need them. Using tape management software is one such method of keeping track of all these tapes. Tape management software allows companies to systematize and organize their tapes. That way, they can keep track of not just how many tapes they have, but where they have been, where they need to go, and how to access them when they are needed. This type of software is a must for any organization that keeps their data on magnetic tape.