| Out of all of the questions I hear from our | | | | 6. Is the storage company quality endorsed? |
| customers, there is one very important factor that is | | | | Do they have a QA Policy? A simple yes answer will |
| in most cases overlooked or disregarded as boring | | | | not suffice - make sure you ask to see it. If they |
| and unimportant, and that is Off Site Physical Media | | | | are ISO9000 endorsed, is it by a registered |
| and Tape Storage. By this I refer to where and how | | | | accreditation body? Does their QA Policy reflect your |
| your physical backup and archive tapes are stored. | | | | own organisation's QA policy and requirements |
| Firstly, do you currently store your backup and | | | | sufficiently? Do they conduct audits regularly? |
| archive data off site? - If the answer is no, then | | | | 7. Do they have sufficient insurance? |
| stop reading this article immediately, grab your tapes, | | | | What insurance do they have in place? Are they |
| and get them to an off site data storage provider | | | | covered by Valuable Records Re-creation insurance? |
| NOW. | | | | If so, what level would you be covered for and in |
| If the answer is yes, and your tapes are already off | | | | the event of a disaster, what would be required in |
| site then congratulations, you have taken the first | | | | order to make this claim? |
| step in ensuring the long term preservation of your | | | | Also, storing your physical tape offsite is part of your |
| backup and archive data. You may pass GO and | | | | organisation's business continuity plan, but what is the |
| collect $200. However, before you breathe that | | | | storage providers business continuity plan? Do they |
| comforting and smug sigh of relief, read the following | | | | have one? Always an interesting question to ask. |
| important questions and considerations for selecting a | | | | 8. How easily and quickly can you access your data? |
| physical tape storage supplier: | | | | This will depend on your actual requirements and the |
| 1. Have you personally seen and inspected the off | | | | service you are purchasing - whether it is just long |
| site storage facility? | | | | term ad hoc archival storage or continuous back up |
| As obvious as this may sound, personal inspection of | | | | and rotation data storage services. Make sure you |
| the premises is often the first thing that is | | | | clarify charges up front for urgent retrievals, |
| overlooked. In short, DO NOT ASSUME that the | | | | weekend and public holiday retrievals, additional |
| provider is doing the right thing. I have personally | | | | delivery sites, outside metro areas etc. These are all |
| visited three local storage providers' facilities and they | | | | things that can suddenly blow out budgets if not |
| are definitely not all the same. | | | | agreed and made transparent from the beginning. |
| 2. Are you confident that your data is being looked | | | | What rotation cycles are required? How is your data |
| after correctly? | | | | inventoried and accounted for? Is it bar-coded, |
| A key factor in choosing a physical tape storage | | | | labelled or simply left in the delivery boxes? What |
| supplier is to find a company that you can not only | | | | kind of access/retrieval system or database do they |
| trust, but who can actually meet your particular data | | | | use for logging of transactions and movement of |
| storage requirements. All storage companies are not | | | | your tapes? |
| the same, and most organisations have different | | | | 9. How is the media transported? |
| tape storage needs. Are they professional? Does the | | | | Similar to environmental storage conditions, magnetic |
| company have a good track record? Have you | | | | and optical media must be carefully shipped and |
| spoken to other customers and been given | | | | transported to/from storage facilities. If your storage |
| references? | | | | company is providing this pick up/drop off service, |
| 3. Does the storage company maintain the correct | | | | ask to see their for their media shipping policy. Make |
| storage environment with regard to temperature, | | | | sure that your valuable data will not be subject to |
| humidity and air filtration? Is it a proper media and | | | | temperature extremes, open transport vehicles |
| data vault? | | | | where the data would be subject to dust and |
| Are the storage facilities climatically controlled and | | | | moisture along the journey, or the impact of rough |
| regulated? Magnetic and optical media are highly | | | | loading and in transit vibration. |
| sensitive and susceptible to damage. The higher the | | | | Why it is important to store physical data off site at |
| density the more vulnerable they may be due to | | | | a scrutinised facility - |
| increased linear and track density, substrate thickness | | | | 1. Business Continuity & Disaster Planning - Off |
| and the positioning of data and tracks closer to | | | | site data storage is essential to ensure the survival of |
| edges. Long term data storage conditions should be | | | | your company in the event of a disaster or crisis - be |
| temperature controlled at 15°C to 25°C | | | | it from fire, earthquake, terrorism or an upset |
| (59°F to 90°F) with a relative humidity of | | | | employee determined to wreak havoc. A prime |
| between 30 & 40% (as specified by Imation | | | | example is following 9/11 where companies such as |
| Tape Care Guidelines). Is there a filtration system | | | | Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan & Chase, who were |
| installed to eliminate contamination by dust particles, | | | | able to resume operations in alternative locations |
| corrosive gases or chemicals? Is there the possibility | | | | within days of the tragic events. |
| of the data being subject to magnetic fields, radiation | | | | 2. In-house storage facilities are generally inadequate - |
| or static charge build up? Is the data subject to | | | | can be difficult to maintain the correct storage |
| excessive ultra violet light - ideally the facility should | | | | conditions, require substantial human and physical |
| not have any windows which allow direct light in? | | | | resources and are generally not cost effective. |
| Another point to note is that tapes should be stored | | | | 3. Off Site Storage at an employees home, in a car |
| on metal shelves, not wooden shelves. | | | | boot or briefcase is insufficient and quite honestly, |
| 4. What security prevention and detection measures | | | | laughable. Putting aside that individuals can be |
| are in place at the facility? | | | | unreliable, the storage conditions are not appropriate |
| There are several issues here you should ask. What | | | | and there would be no accountability, auditing or |
| type of security system is in place and is it used for | | | | tracking of the data, your data could be subject to a |
| both prevention and detection? Does the facility have | | | | multitude of other uncontrollable circumstances such |
| 24/7 onsite security personnel or is it externally | | | | as fires, floods, stolen briefcases, car accidents etc. |
| monitored? How is access to vaults monitored? Do all | | | | 4. Corporate Governance Issues - With the |
| staff have access or just specified personnel? Is this | | | | emergence of legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley in |
| via key/card/PIN access? | | | | the USA and CLERP9 in Australia, senior executives |
| Finally, for areas subject to earthquake activity, | | | | could become increasingly exposed to litigation if |
| make sure you ask about the building itself. Is it | | | | sufficient data protection and retention requirements |
| structurally sound and stable? What is its earthquake | | | | are not met. |
| rating? A multi-story facility could be up to ten times | | | | In summary, the safe and secure long term storage |
| more likely to collapse or sustain serious damage. | | | | of archival data and current backup data involves a |
| 5. What fire protection systems are in place - for | | | | lot more than just getting the data off your |
| example smoke detectors, heat sensors and sprinkler | | | | premises and into a storage facility or your car boot. |
| systems? | | | | You need to personally visit and critique the supplier |
| Ascertaining whether adequate fire protection | | | | and ensure that your data is going to be looked after |
| systems are in place is definitely worthy of | | | | correctly. After all, you wouldn't leave your children at |
| investigation and scrutiny. I once visited a facility that | | | | a Day Care Centre or Nursery without examining the |
| had installed a "wet" type sprinkler system INSIDE | | | | premises and meeting the caregivers first, so why |
| the tape vault. Great if you think that your data may | | | | would you place your organisation's "offspring" into a |
| require a bath, but not so great if you need to | | | | third party environment without thoroughly |
| actually access this data in the future!! I have also | | | | researching it first. |
| seen a "tape vault" which was actually just a | | | | If your organisation has vast volumes of data to |
| converted office with a fire extinguisher as the fire | | | | store, you are looking at a long term relationship so |
| protection system. Make sure you know what you | | | | will want to ensure that you are 100% satisfied and |
| are paying for. Are there smoke detectors installed? | | | | confident with the physical data storage supplier you |
| Do they have a VESDA (Very Early Smoke | | | | choose. Moving large volumes of data from one |
| Detection Alarm) in place? Are "dry" type sprinkler | | | | supplier to another can be an expensive and costly |
| systems used where required? What is the fire | | | | exercise - one which very often can be avoided if |
| evacuation plan? Is the vault fireproof if the fire | | | | you do your homework and choose your supplier |
| originated outside? Are the tapes stored alongside | | | | carefully in the first place. |
| paper records and archives? | | | | |