Tape Rotation Schedules That Do Not Work
As you probably know by now, data backups and tape rotation schedules are an integral part of protecting the records and data of a company and ensuring business continuity. However not all rotation schedules and backup plans were created equal, putting many companies at risk of serious disruption and lost data. One mistake in a weaker backup system can result in hours of lost time, a small fortune in recovery fees, and even the possibility of exposing your clients to identity theft and fraud. This is why it is so important to be aware of the schedules that do and do not work before you decide which option you feel is best for your business.
First of all, the worst tape rotation schedule that any business could adopt is none at all. Remembering to regularly back up your data and store your recovery disks in a safe location is paramount to ensuring that your business can react and adapt to any serious information threats. These threats include damaged servers, viruses, and corrupted files that could set you back days or weeks if you are not careful.
The next worst schedule that your business could employ is the classic Round Robin system. This rotation schedule uses several backup disks which are rotated through daily to ensure that there is a backup of the last few days. However, this schedule does not offer long term backups without using a large number of tapes. It also rarely employs off location storage, putting all of the backup data at risk. Round Robin is a start to developing a good backup rotation schedule, but it is not enough on its own.