A computer backup system that uses tape can be reliable, but requires a high level of ongoing maintenance to guarantee reliability. We recommend moving away from tape to a more secure and protected medium.

If you choose not to use some offsite backup services and continue using tape make sure your tapes are safe and working with the following procedures:

• Clean your tape drives once a month
• Replace tape media regularly
• Rotate your backup tapes off-site every night via a bonded vaulting provider, while keeping them close enough that they are easily accessible
• Test and restore once a month
• Keep at least a 20 backup rotation
• Have easy access to your backup software if you have to re-install it
• Make sure your data is fully encrypted before being written to tape

The main risk of using tape systems is that they can malfunction, but appear to be working. All indications are that backups were successful . . . until you try to restore. That is when the truth is known. If you want to continue to use tapes as your primary backup, consider using offsite backup services as a secondary backup solution just in case your primary backup system fails. Remember, redundancy is the key to data protection!