Legacy Tape Management

Legacy Tape Management 

Tape Ark are the experts in legacy tape management. If you are struggling to manage aging tape infrastructure and perform legacy restores of data that you have to maintain for compliance reasons, then Tape Ark can help you manage your data until it is expired.

Despite advancements in digital storage technologies, many enterprises still rely on tape storage for data created in the past but maintaining these systems can be expensive and complex.

Key components of the Tape Ark legacy tape management service include:

Inventory and cataloguing

1. Inventory Management: Establishing a comprehensive inventory of all existing tape libraries, drives, and cartridges within the organization.
2. Cataloguing and Comprehensive Media Auditing: Creating detailed catalogues that document the contents of each tape, including metadata such as creation date, contents summary, retention policies, and legal holds.

Retention policies and compliance

1. Defining and enforcing retention policies that dictate how long tapes should be retained based on regulatory requirements, business needs, and data sensitivity.
2. Ensuring compliance with industry standards (eg. GDPR, HIPAA) and internal data governance policies during tape handling and disposal processes.

Data restoration and retrieval

1. Developing procedures and tools for efficiently restoring and retrieving data from legacy tapes when required.
2. Implementing testing protocols to ensure the integrity and readability of data stored on tapes over time.

Migration strategies

1. Planning and executing migration strategies to transition data from legacy tape formats to more modern storage solutions, such as cloud storage or disk-based systems.
2. Conducting feasibility assessments and risk analyses to determine the most cost-effective and secure migration approach.

Security and access controls

1. Implementing robust security measures to protect tape-based data from unauthorized access, data breaches, and physical theft.
2. Establishing access controls and encryption protocols to safeguard sensitive information stored on tapes throughout their lifecycle.

Disposal and decommissioning

1. Developing procedures for the safe and environmentally responsible disposal of outdated tapes at the end of their lifecycle.
2. Adhering to regulatory requirements and best practices for data sanitization to prevent data leakage or exposure during disposal.

Benefits of effective legacy tape management

• Cost efficiency: Maximizing the value of existing tape investments through optimized storage utilization and controlled operational costs.
• Data preservation: Ensuring long-term preservation and accessibility of critical business data stored on legacy tapes.
• Compliance and risk mitigation: Reducing legal and regulatory risks associated with data retention, privacy, and security breaches.
• Operational continuity: Maintaining operational continuity by minimizing risks associated with data loss or corruption through systematic tape management practices.

Challenges and considerations

• Technology obsolescence: Managing risks associated with obsolete tape formats and hardware that may limit data accessibility and recovery options.
• Resource allocation: Allocating sufficient resources, including skilled personnel and budgetary allocations, to support ongoing tape management activities.
• Integration with modern systems: Ensuring compatibility and seamless integration between legacy tape systems and newer storage infrastructures.

Available with  Nexus SaaS Portal & Migrate: Restore