The process of protecting your company's data encompasses every stage of the data life cycle--creation, storage, backup and, eventually, erasure. You have to decide what data retention times, restore times and backup windows are acceptable for your operations.
Where you set these targets for protecting your organization's data depends on your line of business. Many retail companies, for instance, experience peak times during the day, so they typically prefer evening backups. Business managers should work with IT to determine an organization's target backup windows, restore times and data retention policies to make sure the company gets the most out of its storage architecture.
And while mixing tape and disk is the most efficient way to handle data backup and restoration, the two technologies are not exactly plug and play. The missing piece of the puzzle for integrating disk and tape is integrated disk-and-tape management and backup software. Today, tape software has to be adapted to disk and vice versa, which makes for some disjointed and inefficient tools. The next frontier is true storage management, with software that works for both mediums.
Steven J. Schuchart Jr. covers storage and servers for Network Computing. Previously he worked as a network architect for a general retail firm, a PC and electronics technician, a computer retail store manager, and a freelance disc jockey. Write to him at [email protected].
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When it comes to desktop and laptop backup for remote users, disk-based technology is the clear winner because of its speed and ease of use. Tape devices for these systems can be terribly slow, which can confuse and frustrate end users.
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