Streamlined Tape Infrastructure at Lower Cost

Challenges

For decades, tape was the de facto medium for storing backup data and for transporting data offsite for disaster protection because of low cost. Conventional disk-based backup systems are still too expensive to replace the existing tape infrastructure. In fact, the general application for these disk systems is to act as a fast cache or staging before copying backup data to tape.

In addition, some regulations mandate the use of removable media for long-term archival, still requiring tape.

However, tape continues to be unreliable, cumbersome and highly manual. Ideally, the more tape use can be centralized and consolidated to one location, the more likely that operational recovery and archiving will be done correctly by concentrating expertise and IT resources.

Solution

• Data Domain Deduplication Storage systems

With Data Domain's highly efficient, high performance deduplication technology, Global Compression™, Data Domain nearline storage systems deliver months of data retention capacity at <$0.35/GB; lower than tape. This allows enterprises to use Data Domain systems for day-to-day backup, recovery and other nearline applications.

Data Domain's WAN vaulting or replication further reduces the need for tape infrastructure. For example, remote offices that vault backup data to a central data center no longer need tape infrastructure onsite, effectively facilitating tape consolidation.

Tape use is now limited to creating long-term archives or DR copies, especially when removable media is required. As a result, Data Domain lowers tape-related infrastructure costs:

• Since the existing tape infrastructure is only used for offsite archiving or tape vaulting, any upgrades to the tape infrastructure can be deferred. Local backups are sent to Data Domain systems then consolidated and copied to tape in the background.
• Only a subset of backups may need to be copied to tape. For example, a service level agreement may dictate that only monthly full backups are duplicated to tape and retained for an extended period, further reducing tape drive and removable media costs.