Tape is no longer the only game in town for backing up business data. For example, using Web based backup, also known as electronic vaulting, is becoming increasingly popular. Disk to disk backup is also being increasingly used for primary backup. However, the use of tapes is not dead since the majority of SMEs still use tape as primary backup targets.
Successfully backing up a given data set to tape within an appropriate time frame (the “backup window”) is only part of the process. The effectiveness of any backup process is measured by the effectiveness of the restore. Bad tapes mean bad restores. Backup media must be stored in a safe and secure place to ensure that one of the company's most important assets, its data, can be fully recovered and restored.
