What is Offsite Tape Storage?

Offsite Tape Storage: When you have a tape backup system for your business, it is important that these tapes are stored away from the main site.  That way if there is a fire, flood or even a theft, you have a safe copy of everything that isn’t on the premises. This is the basics of what offsite tape storage is and how it can help your business.

Magnetic Tapes are used widely in business because of their capacity for mass storage. A magnetic tape memory device is one of the oldest scondary memory devices and  also one of the cheapest. RAM, CD-ROM, and removable hard drives were set to take over, however, tape is still used in many organisations because of its reliability and its low cost. Magnetic tape is often used to provide back-up data in case of hardware failure. This means that businesses are needing to store these tapes safely in the right kind of environment to keep them stable, as they are generally the only failsafe an organisation may have. Quick access to these tapes is also really improtant, for obvious reasons. 

Offsite tape storage basics

There are different variations depending on the needs of your business, but the basics of offsite tape storage is that you work with a company who you either post the tapes to on a regular basis or even who collect them from you.  That way, if something happens to the main business site and the server is damaged or destroyed, you can simply request the latest backup tape from the storage and restore all of your systems.

How prices are decided

There are a number of factors that go into getting a quote for offsite tape storage.  Firstly, there’s the costs involved with collecting the tapes from your business. If you want a frequent collection, obviously this is going to cost more than an infrequent one – and this depends on how often you backup the server.

The type of tape is also a factor.  If you have an open reel or open tape storage on a rack, that will cost one figure.  If you have tapes that remain in the steel grey cases then this is typically less expensive, especially if you ship them to the storage company.

Service level agreements

The final factor to decide is the service level agreements or SLAs.  These define what time frame you will receive your tape if there is a disaster.  This is key to getting the business up and running and therefore might be worth considering paying more for a very quick service as downtime can cost the company money.

For more information about our offsite tape storage options and its benefits, get in touch with our team today.