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A uniformed courier places Lightbridge's backup tapes with their company's data into what looks like an armored truck twice a week. The unmarked, climate-controlled vehicle whisks Lightbridge's (www.lightbridge.com) mission-critical information to a secure location behind razor wire, where it will be stored for at least seven years by the company's disaster recovery partner, Iron Mountain (www.ironmountain.com). Even as the truck rolls out of the driveway, I.T. Operations Director Greg Saltzman fires up the tracking software to watch the tapes move to its destination. The whole setup gives Saltzman a sense of adventure.
These days, many companies are seeking to safeguard data and increase security, says Colleen Chosta, an Iron Mountain senior marketing manager, because they fear the destruction of corporate data by disgruntled employees, terrorism, or natural disaster. What is less clear is whether backing up onto tapes or using bandwidth to create digital backups is the smarter choice.
The New Deal
Most players in the hosting sector have found security to be a costly business, and I.T. managers now have a better sense of the value inherent in quality disaster recovery solutions. Consequently, buying a cheap backup solution is increasingly viewed as a poor value over the long term. Economic and psychological changes are fueling a shift in the industry, causing companies to pay more attention to disaster recovery. More competitors are emerging in the space, due to new networking technologies and better return on investment on innovative services.
Regardless of how businesses choose to safeguard their data, the trend to accept a cheap disaster recovery solution in exchange for marginal service is decreasing, as the risks associated with losing data become more evident.
Although the option to spend $100 per month for disaster recovery is still available, most customers end up spending several thousand dollars each month for better guarantees, in case a negative scenario unfolds.
Older Options
Customers like Lightbridge are not entirely sold on the concept of backing up online and believe a conservative approach to innovation is a staple of good security policy.
"Tape is cheap," says Saltzman. "And it works better for some applications."
For applications that don't require instant restoration, the less expensive tape option makes more sense. Archived tapes can be used to restore files within 48 hours, and the cost is far less than maintaining live, continual backups.
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