I'm curious about the best options for long-term backup retention. For those managing backups, how common is it to use cloud storage compared to tape? I currently back up 600TB to tape each month, but it seems that cloud storage costs could be a concern, especially considering data deduplication with our backup appliances. What's your experience with these storage methods?
6 Answers
We've recently transitioned to both methods, but management seems wary of any more tape purchases. It's a balancing act trying to keep costs down while ensuring data security—definitely lots of moving parts involved.
Make sure to calculate the total size of critical servers when planning a restore from cloud storage. Remember those egress fees too; they can really add up and are often where cloud providers profit the most.
We still rely on tape mainly for consistency and reliability. I don't trust cloud alone for archival purposes; it can get expensive and isn't as instantaneous if you need to access stored data urgently. Plus, we have a nice setup with our tape library for nightly backups and long-term archives.
Tapes just make sense for long-term storage—they're mostly a one-time cost! But remember to consider compatibility if you're talking long-term (like when switching from DDS to LTO). Also, factor in how fast you need to restore data and the potential costs of doing so from the cloud.
Yeah, it's just me handling all this, haha!
Backing up 600TB is no small feat! You'd need a massive internet connection to move that data to the cloud, which could end up being pricier than tape itself. Plus, if you ever need to retrieve that data, can you imagine how long that might take?
We follow a 3-2-1 strategy, keeping backups at another site for daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, with monthly stored on Azure Blob for long-term retention instead of tape.
I've seen people recover from ransomware attacks successfully using tape backups. If your cloud storage can be accessed via your network, it’s not really offsite. Just something to keep in mind when planning for disaster recovery.
That's a solid point! We're going with a vendor that offers immutable backups for our blob storage.
Yeah, figuring all that out would be easier with more resources than I currently have!