SMBs select tape for its cost-effectiveness, longevity and ease of use
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 4, 2013--The results of an Iron Mountain® Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) survey of IT professionals at
small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) show almost all use or plan to
use magnetic tape cartridges as part of their strategy to backup data.
As SMBs face growing data management challenges, tape remains a
foundational tool for these organizations due to its cost effectiveness,
longevity and ease of use.
Titled “Perception Versus Reality: The Role of Tape Backup in SMB,” the survey
asked more than 400 North American IT professionals in March 2013 to
assess the role tape backup. With 91 percent of the survey respondents
coming from organizations with fewer than 250 employees, the results
offer a unique glimpse into the IT landscape of today’s small and
mid-size business. The survey was conducted by Spiceworks,
the network for more than 2.5 million IT professionals.
Key findings from the survey point to a continued bright future for tape
backup in the SMB market:
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One solution doesn’t fit all – Ninety-four percent of survey
respondents using or planning to use tape are using it as part of a
hybrid solution. The majority of those (67 percent) are using tape
backup in conjunction with shared storage, while 44 percent are using
it in conjunction with direct-attached storage or external hard
drives. A quarter of respondents are currently using or plan to use
cloud-based or online backup services.
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Tape is a valuable asset – When asked why IT professionals use
or plan to use tape as a backup and recovery solution, 43 percent of
respondents cited the cost-effectiveness of the solution, 24 percent
noted the longevity of the technology and 20 percent commended tape’s
superior storage capabilities.
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Tape is a multi-purpose solution – IT professionals using tape
backup feel it is either “very effective” or “extremely effective” at
addressing organizational challenges in data retention policies (61
percent), data archiving (60 percent), data recovery (58 percent) and
disaster recovery (54 percent).
Additionally, the survey confirms that as the complexity of tape backup
and hybrid systems increases, the role of third-party storage vendors
becomes increasingly important. Third-party vendors can help
organizations manage their overall backup and recovery strategy by
providing optimal storage facilities, expertise and sophisticated
managed services. Over one-third of respondents who use tape are either
currently using or planning to use a third-party vendor to store and
secure their tape backups. The majority of these respondents (70
percent) state that security is the top concern. This is followed by
ease of retrieving backups (54 percent). Cost comes in as the third most
important criteria (51 percent).
“Tape backup continues to be a cornerstone of any organization’s data
management practices – regardless of industry, geography or size,” said
Jay Livens
, director of product and solution marketing, Iron Mountain.
“These survey results further illustrate that tape is invaluable to many
SMB IT professionals and reinforces that tape can be effectively
combined with several other storage solutions to meet every
organization’s unique data backup and recovery needs.”
To successfully leverage tape in your organization, Iron Mountain
recommends adhering to the following guidelines:
-
Determine priorities – Do you need a cost-effective solution?
Do you need to frequently access records? Do you need a scalable
solution? By prioritizing your organization’s needs, you’ll better be
able to determine the appropriate solution, or combination of
solutions.
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You can have it all – IT professionals should feel empowered to
combine several storage solutions to solve their organization’s
challenges, and should be prepared to adjust their storage strategy
over time.
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Keep an open mind – Tape technology is constantly evolving. For
instance, Linear Tape File System (LTFS) offers a wide range of
advanced features, including proactive diagnostic capabilities, data
integrity checking, native hardware encryption and more.
-
Turn to experts for help – Don’t try to do it all yourself.
Third-party vendors can serve as a valuable resource for data storage
and management – particularly if security is a priority for your
organization.
To download the full study, visit http://www.ironmountain.com/roleoftape.
For more information on Iron Mountain’s data backup and recovery
solutions, please visit http://www.ironmountain.com/Services/Data-Backup-and-Recovery.aspx.
About Iron Mountain Incorporated
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a leading provider of storage
and information management services. The company’s real estate network
of over 64 million square feet across more than 1,000 facilities in 35
countries allows it to serve customers around the world. And its
solutions for records
management, data
backup and recovery, document
management, and secure
shredding help organizations to lower storage costs, comply with
regulations, recover from disaster, and better use their information .
Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of
information assets, including business documents, backup tapes,
electronic files and medical data. Visit www.ironmountain.com for
more information.
Source: Iron Mountain Incorporated
For Media:
Iron Mountain
Laura
Sudnik, 617-256-3826
laura.sudnik@ironmountain.com
or
Weber
Shandwick
Katie Carbone, 617-520-7135
kcarbone@webershandwick.com