Lin:
Backup tapes serve one of two purposes in most organizations - data loss
recovery or data retention. I believe they best serve data loss
recovery purposes, and therefore need not be kept for very long. After
all, the next backup run will have the most current data and that is
what you need to recover your systems. Thus, we rotate the use of our
tapes over the course of a year. The longest we keep a tape is three
quarters (about 9 months) before it is reused. Most of our tapes are
rotated weekly or monthly.
If, however, the tapes are used for data retention, then remember that
magnetic tape has a limited life expectancy (less than 10 years) and
managing the retention of a full tape's contents can be very complex.
It is also wise to follow the requirements of ISO 18923:2000 Imaging
materials -- Polyester-base magnetic tape -- Storage practices and ISO
18933:2006 Imaging materials -- Magnetic tape -- Care and handling
practices for extended usage when using tape for data retention
purposes.
Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
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