Cloud storage solutions are scalable and cost-effective as opposed to traditional physical storage of data tapes. Offsite tape storage costs are significantly reduced when migrating your tapes to cloud storage. The bottom line, tape storage is improved with cloud-based migration.

Consider all the costs of paying for offsite tape storage vaults

Since the 1960s, offsite tape vaults were the only viable option for businesses all over the world to retain their historical data, whether it be for compliance, research, or preservation purposes. While this traditional tape storage option served the purpose of providing a sense of protection, it required an air-conditioned room, with a fire suppression system and swipe card access to store ageing and decaying data tapes.

Today, storing historical data in physical offsite storage vaults has a material impact on the growth and performance of any business.

The public cloud is ubiquitous with scaling options, the capacity to pay for what you need, easy access to cutting tools and applications. Cloud storage has also allowed for the rapid innovative growth and improved bottom-line performance of many well-known brands from Netflix and GE to Kellogg’s and Dow Jones. As businesses undergo digital transformation programs to operate in today’s hyper-connected world, more and more decision-makers are lifting their legacy data from offsite tape storage facilities and shifting it to the cloud. So, what’s driving their decision? Cost.

“According to recent Gartner surveys, more than a third of organizations see cloud investments as a top three investing priority.”
Gartner April 2019

Offsite Tape Storage Costs vs. Cloud Tape Storage Costs

On a cost per gigabyte basis, there is no cheaper alternative to online replicated storage than the public cloud platforms (PCP). Cloud data is tiered based on your data management requirements, while offsite tape vaults price data equally.

From CAPEX to OPEX

Once needed, capital-related expenses (CapEx) are now replaced by operating expenses (OpEx). No longer is expensive hardware required, and ongoing investments into equipment to maintain legacy tape drives to read data.

The pay-as-you-go model.

We all expect Netflix-style service at home, why not for work? As an OpEx, the pay-as-you-go pricing model cuts the costs linked to overpaying for unused capacity. As you build capability within your team, you can scale up or scale down — if any software isn’t delivering to your expectations, cancel it. You’re in control now.

The idea of cost should be broader than just the bottom line.

Bloated human capital costs of staff with legacy knowledge to access the data are counterproductive. Today’s modern IT functions are investing in tooling up their team using just-in-time training to make the learning process effective and adoption faster.

Access to cutting edge technological tools offering flexibility, allowing for scale, processing power and on-demand application of AI and Big Data tools without having to move your data. Now the public cloud will enable you to create a data repository, where data is mobile and available 24/7.

Workflows can be managed efficiently with data centralised in the cloud.

“As part of GE’s digital transformation, GE migrated more than 9,000 workflows, including 300 disparate ERP systems to AWS and achieved a 52% cost saving in total cost of ownership.”
AWS February 2019

Cloud is now becoming the preferred platform; organisations are cutting ties with offsite tape vaults and migrating their legacy data to the cloud.

Tape Ark can migrate any tape type or data format to your preferred cloud partner using our proprietary en masse, scalable system. It is fast, secure, and safe. Enabling you quick access and control of all your data when you need it – wherever you are.

Contact Us About Our Tape to Cloud Services Today

Don’t mess around with costly offsite tape storage options. To find out how you could save from migrating your data to the cloud, contact the team at Tape Ark today.