Having a solid data backup and recovery plan is crucial for any business. Backing up important data provides protection in case of system failures, data corruption, cyber attacks, or other disasters. There are 4 main types of backup media that offer different advantages and disadvantages for data storage and recovery.
Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape has been used for data storage and backup since the early days of computing in the 1950s. Tape drives write data onto reels of magnetic tape in linear tracks similar to how music is stored on cassette tapes. Some key advantages of magnetic tape as a backup medium include:
- High capacity – Modern tape cartridges are able to store terabytes of data.
- Portability – Tape cartridges are compact and easily transported offsite for archiving.
- Low cost – The cost per gigabyte to store data on magnetic tape is very low.
- Long shelf life – Tape can have a shelf life of 30 years or more if stored properly.
However, there are also some downsides to consider with magnetic tape:
- Slow data access – To retrieve data from tape requires sequential access, which is slower than random access on hard disks.
- Possibility of deterioration – Tape can degrade over time, especially if stored in less than ideal environmental conditions.
- Drive compatibility – Older tape drives may not be compatible with newer tape formats.
Overall, magnetic tape works well for archival and offline backups. Tape is less practical for everyday backup needs where quick and frequent data access is required.
External Hard Drives
External hard disk drives (HDDs) connect to a computer, usually via USB or eSATA connection. They provide random access storage and relatively fast data transfer speeds. Key benefits of using external HDDs for backup include:
- High capacity – External HDDs are available in capacities up to 10TB or higher.
- Cost effectiveness – Cost per gigabyte is affordable for most small businesses.
- Portability – External drives are highly portable and can be taken offsite.
- Speed – Data transfer speeds are faster than tape.
Potential limitations of external HDD backups include:
- Durability – More fragile than other media, subject to damage or failure if dropped.
- Single point of failure – Data is only as safe as a single backup copy.
- Susceptibility to viruses – External drives connected to a computer can get infected.
For many businesses, external HDDs offer a fast, portable backup solution for recovering individual files or folders. But they may not provide adequate protection for complete system recovery.
Solid State Drives
Solid state drives (SSDs) store data on flash memory chips rather than magnetic platters found in traditional hard drives. SSDs have become a popular backup medium due to benefits like:
- Faster transfer speeds – SSDs allow faster backups and data recovery vs HDDs.
- Compact size – External SSD backups occupy minimal physical space.
- Ruggedness – With no moving parts, SSDs are less prone to damage from vibration or drops.
- Reliability – Estimated annual failure rate around 2% which is lower than HDDs.
Limitations of SSD backup devices include:
- Higher cost – SSDs cost more per gigabyte than HDD options.
- Limited capacities – Affordable external SSDs may max out at 2TB to 4TB.
- Wear over time – SSDs can wear out after a large number of erase/write cycles.
SSDs are a fast and rugged choice, great for individual backups. But the smaller capacities and higher costs make them less ideal for full system image backups.
Cloud Backup
Cloud backup services have gained adoption by providing flexible offsite data storage over the internet. Top cloud backup benefits include:
- Offsite access – Backup data can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Scalability – Cloud storage can scale to accommodate data growth.
- Automated backup – Software makes scheduled backups to the cloud simple.
- Redundancy – Data can be mirrored across multiple geographic sites.
Potential downsides to consider with cloud backup services are:
- Internet dependent – Backup and restore depends on available internet bandwidth.
- Security risks – Storing data with third-party services creates potential for unauthorized access.
- Restore time – Large restores to local systems can take time and impact network performance.
- Cost – Can get expensive for backing up multiple terabytes of data.
Cloud services excel at automated backups and providing redundancy. But bandwidth limitations make them less than ideal for large initial seeding of backups or full system restores.
Comparison of Backup Media
To summarize the key attributes of these major backup media options:
| Backup Medium | Capacity | Speed | Portability | Reliability | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Tape | High | Slow | High | Medium | Very Low |
| External HDD | Medium | Fast | High | Medium | Low |
| External SSD | Low | Very Fast | High | High | Medium |
| Cloud Backup | High | Slow to Medium | Low | High | Medium to High |
Choosing the Right Backup Media
There is no single backup medium that excels in every category. Organizations need to evaluate their specific backup and restore requirements when choosing solutions. Here are some common guidelines for selecting the optimal media for different backup needs:
- Daily backups – External HDDs provide the best combination of speed, portability and affordability for daily backups.
- File archiving – Tape is ideal for long-term archival of large amounts of rarely accessed data.
- Offsite storage – For offsite storage to guard against site disasters, tape or cloud backup are recommended.
- Quick system restores – For rapid recovery after crashes, external SSDs allow fast restores.
- Managing multiple backups – Cloud backup provides automation and centralized management capabilities.
To protect against both routine failures and worst-case scenarios, a hybrid backup strategy using multiple media types is ideal. This layered approach provides faster recovery for recent data on disks, archival backups to tape, and offshore redundancy through cloud-based backup.
Software Solutions for Optimizing Backups
The right backup software is also crucial to make the process easier to manage across different media. Key capabilities to look for include:
- Backup automation – Sets up scheduled backups to run automatically without user intervention.
- Media management – Automatically tracks and catalogs tapes, drives, and other media involved in backups.
- Backup monitoring – Alerts administrators to any backup failures or errors.
- Compression – Reduces the storage footprint of backup data for efficiency.
- Deduplication – Eliminates duplicate data from backups to save space.
- Encryption – Password protects backup sets for enhanced security.
- Infrastructure integration – Ties into virtualization platforms like VMware to simplify protection of virtual environments.
Investing in advanced backup software improves the reliability and expandability of a multi-layered data protection strategy utilizing various media across on-prem and cloud resources.
The Role of Proper Media Rotation
Besides using the right media for each backup type, proper media rotation is also key. This involves regularly introducing new media on a staggered schedule. Some guidelines for effective media rotation include:
- Daily backups – Use a different external HDD or tape cartridge each day, rotating through a full week’s set.
- Weekly backups – Swap the external HDD or tape weekly, maintaining 4-5 weekly backup sets.
- Monthly backups – Introduce a new HDD or tape each month and store past monthly sets offsite.
- Yearly archival – Archive an annual full backup to new media and vault the prior year’s media.
Regular media rotation ensures backups remain distributed across multiple points in time rather than consolidating onto a single set of media that could fail.
Implementing Secure Offsite Storage
An often overlooked aspect of backup plans is secure offsite storage of media. Keeping all backups onsite exposes data to risks like fires, floods, and theft. Best practices for offsite storage include:
- Use durable, fireproof media like tape for offsite sets.
- Store media in a temperature & humidity-controlled environment.
- Encrypt backups and restrict access to keys.
- Catalog all media using barcode labels, IDs, and check in/out tracking.
- Transport media securely using tamper-evident packaging.
- Consider a bonded offsite security vault for physical media storage.
Following proper offsite media security controls prevents backup sets from being compromised by environmental hazards or tampering.
Testing Backups for Protection Assurance
The final critical step of any backup plan is periodic testing to verify recoverability. Testing helps confirm:
- Backups are running properly and completely.
- Backed up data is intact without errors.
- Restores work and recover data successfully.
- Recovery procedures are documented for IT staff.
Always test backups under realistic conditions instead of just running verification checks. For example, restore files to a separate test environment or alternate computer. This catches potential problems like hardware compatibility issues. Develop a clear schedule and procedures for test restores from all media types used.
Conclusion
Protecting business data requires utilizing multiple backup media wisely. Tape provides inexpensive long-term archiving while external hard drives are fast for daily onsite backups. Offsite redundancy from cloud backup combined with fast system restore capabilities of SSDs complete a solid data protection strategy. Just remember to consistently rotate backup media, follow security protocols for offsite media, test restores regularly, and ensure compatibility with evolving IT infrastructure. With the right blend of backup technologies and sound procedures, organizations can feel confident their data is protected from disruption.