| Backup is the process of making copies of existing | | | | Hence it offers a low cost per gigabyte of storage. |
| files and folders, so that the additional copies may be | | | | Because of being cost effective, tape drive is very |
| made available for use, in case of a data loss disaster | | | | popular with the firms running on a budget. |
| due to human or natural causes. With the exceptional | | | | 2) Proven Media |
| increase in the rate at which the data is being | | | | Tape drive has proven its efficiency and utility over |
| generated all over the world, markets are insatiably | | | | the years. Businesses prefer top stay with this media |
| hungry for better, cost effective and reliable storage | | | | owing to its good track record, performance and |
| media | | | | history. |
| Over the years, tape drive has proven to be the | | | | 3) Flexible |
| most reliable storage media of choice, for big and | | | | While using a tape drive for backup, the number of |
| small businesses. Despite the incessant predictions | | | | tapes can be increased according to the volume of |
| about the death of the tape drives in the years to | | | | the data and as per the requirements of the user. |
| come, they are still popular. Tape automation is an | | | | 4) Variety |
| approximately $ 2.03 billion business. In the year 2002, | | | | Tape drives come in a wide range of format and |
| about 153,000 tape automation units were sold all | | | | offer multiple options to the user, so far as the |
| over the world. In the coming years, the market for | | | | choice of backup media is concerned. |
| tape drives is expected to grow by 11 percent. | | | | 5) High Storage Capacity |
| Considering the given statistics, tape drives are here | | | | Tape drive has a very high storage capacity to |
| to stay and will continue to play a major role in | | | | accommodate large volumes of data generated by |
| backing up the voluminous corporate data over the | | | | corporate houses. |
| years. | | | | 6) Long Shelf Life |
| Expectations from Good Storage Media | | | | A magnetic tape has a shelf life of approximately |
| For a backup media to be widely popular and | | | | thirty years. Though it is not very high as compared |
| acceptable, is required to fulfill certain expectations | | | | to the more contemporary devices like flash drives, |
| on the part of the end users. A good backup media | | | | but, still it is enough to fulfill the requirements of |
| aught to be reasonably reliable, always accessible, | | | | most of the big and small businesses. |
| user friendly and fast. Any authentic backup media | | | | 7) Portable |
| should have a relatively long life span and should be | | | | Magnetic tapes are handy and portable. They can be |
| hardy. It should offer a high speed, so far as the | | | | easily shipped and transported to off site locations |
| writing and storage of data is concerned. A popular | | | | for storage and archival purposes. |
| media should be easily available in the market, at a | | | | 8) Recyclable |
| reasonable price, so as to fit in the budget of all type | | | | Tape media can easily be degaussed and recycled for |
| of customers. It should be easily accessible at the | | | | further use. The companies can cut their backup |
| hour of need for disaster recovery purposes. It | | | | costs by approximately thirty percent, by using the |
| should be easy to use and must not demand any | | | | recycled tape media. |
| special knowledge and expertise on the part of the | | | | 9) Easy to Setup |
| user. A backup media of choice must be compatible | | | | It does not require high level of expertise to install a |
| with the existing hardware and should not be in the | | | | tape driven backup facility. Once installed, it is very |
| risk of becoming obsolete in the near future. A | | | | easy to use and can be automated to facilitate the |
| dependable backup media should be handy and | | | | saving of time and efforts on the part of the user. |
| portable, so that it may be transported and stored at | | | | 10) Tape libraries |
| any off site location. Tape drives have so far qualified | | | | A tape library is an automatic device consisting of |
| most of the above mentioned requirements | | | | one or more tape drives and a large number of tape |
| expected from a friendly backup media. | | | | slots. It uses a robotic arm to swap tapes, as per |
| Advantages of Using a Tape Drive | | | | the directions of the main computer. This ultimately |
| 1) Low Cost | | | | leads to saving of time and effort and makes data |
| In a tape drive the data is stored magnetically in | | | | backup an easy job. |
| sequential sectors along the entire length of the tape. | | | | |