As the IT industry grapples with mounting e-waste, how can your company do all it can to reduce its environmental footprint?
From the accidental to the malicious, man-made and natural, the threats to enterprise information are many. And while companies have produced more and more data during the past several years, the information they hold has becoming increasingly important to both short- and long-term operations.
Is it time to move from your proven and reliable tape storage strategy to a digital backup system? The answer may surprise you.
When you’re considering archiving media, which formats are most likely to go the distance in terms of both time and value? The answers may surprise you.
For very different reasons, federal healthcare and financial statutes require strict archiving and e-discovery procedures. How can you optimize your email archives with legal and compliance considerations in mind?
Understanding the pros and cons of these two highly effective backup approaches can score a strategic success for your business—and could save money, too.
Your data backup plan may be compliant today, but is it ready to address possible changes in federal or state laws in the coming year?
As the need for backup space taxes your enterprise, it might be time to complement your tape strategy with a hybrid approach including a cloud-service partner.
Cloud-based storage is growing increasingly popular. But should it really replace your time-tested tape backup? Here’s what you need to know before you take that leap.
When you keep copies of noncritical data in storage, you may end up searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack—only to find the wrong needle. Here’s how to get it right.
Securing SQL database servers—which often house a company’s most critical information—requires an extra amount of care. Can an offsite tape backup service reinforce your database protection plan? Here’s how to decide.
Sure, it’s a newer technology. But you may not realize how a disk-only backup can potentially limit the long-lasting benefits of your backup plan.
How is a cloud-based backup system likely to respond after a business interruption? And at what cost? Here’s what to consider before making a cloud solution part of your overall backup strategy.
As the old song says, “a house is not a home.” Nor is any old offsite tape storage facility going to pass muster as a secure offsite media vault. Here’s what it takes to earn the distinction.
Consider these factors as you decide whether to use a provider’s hosted archiving solution to replace your in-house system.
Disaster strikes when you least expect it. That’s why any IT plan worth its salt must ensure that data is secured while it’s being recovered—not just during backups.
The flood of laptops and netbooks into the enterprise is something of a cruel joke for an IT staff charged with remote data storage chores. Here’s how to maintain access without compromising security or data integrity.
With proper standards in place, you can provide for most any environmental peril while also accounting for aging or damaged tapes.
What circumstances are most likely to throw a monkey wrench into backup recovery plans—and how can you economically work around these obstacles?
For some companies, getting rid of redundant data is a winning play. But is this technology the right fit for your organization?
Your company can reduce its carbon footprint while making the most of its manpower, physical space and technology resources. Here’s how to make your data storage more efficient—and more cost-effective.
Who doesn’t like a good quiz? The best thing about this one is that you don’t have to get all the answers right to ace it. Just take what you learn and use it to raise the bar on your own data backup and recovery practices.
As you make the leap from a homegrown data backup plan to something more substantial, here’s what to ask your potential provider.
Recovering your data after a business interruption comes at a cost, and it’s hard to anticipate the financial impact of such an uncertainty. But here’s how to budget for a data emergency.
You want to send your data offsite for extra protection. But what perils do your records face, and how can a trusted partner guard against them?
It was definitely wise for your office to implement an offsite backup plan. But did you just move your problems to a different address? Consider the benefits of an offsite tape vaulting program.
There’s no shortage of federal and state data privacy regulations to which your firm’s most critical operational data must adhere. Here’s how to manage that chore and still take care of business—every day.
Who’s swapping your backup tapes at your offsite or colocation facilities? If it’s one or more of your IT staffers, you may want to reconsider the potential impact on your resources—and your information’s overall integrity.
You may have a great offsite backup tape management system in place. But adding a single step to the process can boost efficiency without pulling your staffers away from core business tasks.
Do you question the security surrounding your backup tapes and other media when you’re sending them offsite? Well, you have options. When you opt for secure transport services, you’ll be able to say so long to worry as vital information leaves headquarters for backup and storage.
When you’re looking for a data backup partner, go beyond basic archiving. Seek out a company that will look out for you and provide a quick data recovery in the event of a business interruption.
Are demands on your business’s IT services increasing even as your budget gets tighter? Here are five reasons to consider a resource-saving partnership.
Have you incorporated a data center or colocation into your backup strategy in order to keep a firmer grip on your data? Here’s what still may be missing from your plan.
So you’re going to vault your backup tapes offsite? You can do it one of two ways: easy or hard. Guess which one we’re recommending.
At last, your vague data backup and recovery strategy is turning into a concrete plan. Now it’s time to recruit your best and brightest colleagues and to make it happen. They’ll help you construct and maintain a living, breathing backup tape storage operation.
It’s true that other storage media may seem more cutting-edge. But what are your criteria for choosing a backup format? Going with tape is still an inexpensive, reliable way to protect and preserve your company’s data, while also ensuring that your business will recover if disaster strikes.
Does your detailed data backup and recovery plan include your back office and branch operations? If not, find out which technologies work best for multiple locations.
Social media has set off a data explosion for financial firms. What’s more, rapidly developing industry regulations will have you needing to preserve much of what you thought could be deleted at the end of the day. So how will you cope?
Your tapes deserve the best protection possible. To make that happen, get to know these best practices for keeping data safe and secure, whether it’s housed onsite or with a trusted partner.
Cloud-based data backup and recovery systems are an interesting option for organizations handling specific data types and situations. Here’s how you might want to include cloud technologies as part of a complete data backup and recovery plan.
Backing up all of your company’s information and storing it on inexpensive tapes in perpetuity might seem like a foolproof approach to backup and recovery. But have you considered the time and resource benefits of a truly strategic retention plan?
If an auditor comes to call, will your offsite data be able to make the appointment? A smart backup plan keeps you in sync with ever-changing regulatory requirements—and gets you and your vital data to that meeting on time.
Choosing a tape storage partner? Before signing anything, consider its climate—both the facility’s literal climate and the company’s climate of customer service and data access. Otherwise, your organization—and its most sensitive data—may be left out in the cold.
How vulnerable is your backup media? No media management plan is foolproof, but creating a set of best practices can mitigate your risk.
When you’re looking for the best ways to protect your company’s information, why go solo when you can develop a smart partnership with a trusted tape backup provider?
Applications that give your business the ability to catalog, track and retrieve tape-backup data should be low maintenance, easy to use and flexible. Here’s a short list of features to consider.
When regulators, litigators and auditors come calling, you don’t want to waste time playing guessing games with offsite data.
Both public companies and firms in regulated industries must satisfy federal and/or state compliance regulations regarding proper data management. How can you ensure that your information storage and retrieval systems measure up?
Setting up a one-office enterprise is pretty much a no-brainer. But with businesses of all sizes evolving rapidly into considerably more dispersed and complex operations, true enterprise data backup and recovery becomes a more challenging prospect.
What does it take to build a fail-safe backup system? Start by setting up a comprehensive master plan that covers how to prepare, store and quickly access your crucial information—and then provide for regular testing and updates.
Companies backup systems so they can carry on in the aftermath of calamity. But what happens when the devastation is so fierce that it hits the backups too? Don’t panic. You may still be able to get your enterprise up and running again.
Are your supposed archiving best practices actually costing your company time and money? Read on to discover the 10 worst things to do (or not do) with your enterprise data backups—and how to mend your errors.
You’re not listening to music on eight-tracks or cassette, nor watching movies on VHS. So why are you still archiving to tape? Because it’s still wise to include this flexible, cost-efficient technology in your company’s data backup plan.
Encrypting your company’s backup tapes provides a serious front line of defense against prying eyes. Here’s the why and how of building a data backup and recovery plan.
A bulletproof backup strategy isn’t rocket science—although it may seem that way. When you break it down into these five essential parts, developing your plan suddenly seems more doable.
How confident are you that your company can restore backup data to fulfill legal or audit requests, or restore business operations after a disaster? The right partner can help you get data back online quickly and efficiently.
Few companies are immune to paralyzing technology glitches. The bottom line—and this is a true bottom-line issue—is that downtime costs money, and depending on the kind of business you operate, it’s sometimes really big money.
When is the best time for your and your team to prepare a post-disaster to-do list? Hint: It’s not during the hurricane.