Alternatives to Tape Backup

You may ask, isn't tape an anachronism in the age of optical disks, removable hard drives and a plethora of whiz-bang, random-access storage media? In many ways it is, but because of the nature of backup it doesn't really matter that tape is slow and sequential-access. Remember, tape is cheap. Businesses use tape because they find it to be a cost-effective backup solution.

However, if you have any problems with tape backup, you'll probably be interested to know that there are several alternatives to tape.

Backup to NAS devices

NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices are attached directly to your network and can act as a backup store. Obviously, it's very convenient to backup files to NAS, as there are no disks or tapes to insert and remove. There are many NAS devices specially designed for small businesses. NAS is an excellent choice for network backup.

Backup to REV drive

In April 2004, Iomega released the REV drive -- a new storage device that has greater capacity than tape and is 5 to 8 times faster. Key features are:

* Backup to REV drive is much faster than tape backup.
* REV drive units are more durable than tape.
* While tape requires regular cleaning, no cleaning is required for REV drive units.
* Backup to REV drive may in fact prove more cost-effective for your business than tape, depending on your backup scheme and other factors.

Otherwise, REV backup is very similar to tape backup in principle.

Final notes

Several reliable backup software solutions exist. Choosing one is simply a case of deciding which is most suitable for your business. As always, invest in quality backup software. Rather than purchasing specialist REV backup software and NAS backup software, your choice in software should allow backup to numerous devices. You will then be able to change your backup hardware in the future without buying new software.

Linus Chang is a backup expert and the lead developer of BackupAssist -- backup software that is simple and affordable, and perfect for small and medium businesses. Protect your Windows servers, including SQL Server and Exchange Server, to tape, REV drive, hard drive, NAS and more, at a fraction of the cost of other backup programs. It transforms NTBackup into a script-free and simple-to-use tool.

All In One Printers ? Home Office Workhorses

All in one printers, also known as multifunction printers (MFPs),... Read More

Cisco CCNA Certification: Why You NEED Hands-On Practice !

CCNA and CCNP candidates hear it all the time: "you... Read More

Digital Camera Prints - Getting the Most for Your Money

Digital cameras have really taken off in popularity in recent... Read More

How To Choose The Best Student Laptop?

How To Choose the Best Student Laptop?Merchants are singing those... Read More

A Review of HP Laser Toners

Hewlett-Packard is, along with Brother and Samsung, one of the... Read More

How to Choose a New Hard Drive for Your Computer

If you are running out of space on your computer... Read More

Motherboard Basics

A recent Tech Tip covered the basics of selecting a... Read More

Wireless Notebooks: What You Need To Know About Going Wireless!

It's not exactly breaking news that our world is becoming... Read More

Buying / Selecting Computer Components

This is the step takes the most time and consideration.... Read More

Selecting an Ink Jet printer?With Low Operating Cost

Printer technology has made tremendous advances in the past five... Read More

USB Key Drives - Useful Tool

There are many different names for these drives, just so... Read More

Personal Asset Preventive Maintenance Software

Personal asset preventive maintenance software exists to help people manage... Read More

Ink Cartridge Recycling 101

Let's take a moment to think about the topic of... Read More

Cheap Ink Cartridge

A cheap ink cartridge is sometimes the only way that... Read More

Ink Cartridges & Printing - Poor Print Quality Solutions

Why are there faint areas or gaps in my print... Read More

Adding Serial Ports to a Computer with Only USB Ports

So you bought a new computer but you don't have... Read More

Rear Projection TV Facts - Understanding the Pros & Cons of Rear Projection in the Home Theater

Rear Projection Television - An Affordable OptionA great deal of... Read More

Where Can I Find The Best Case Mods Online and Save Money?

Are you captivated by the stunning Case Mods you've seen... Read More

3 Easy Step To Locate A Real Bargain On Laptop Batteries

Looking for a real bargain on laptop batteries? How do... Read More

How To Choose a Computer Mouse

Computer MiceEvery computer user can hopefully identify their mouse and... Read More

DVD Media

DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can... Read More

Upgrading, Adding or Removing a Video Card, Sound Card, or Other AGP/PCI Card

For Video cards - Most PC video cards these days... Read More

A Review of Samsung Laser Toners

Samsung laser toner is just as popular as its Hewlett-Packard... Read More

Learn How To Diagnose Power Supply Problems

The Power Supply convert's your regular household current into low... Read More

Whats In An LCD Display?

Who needs an LCD display? Well, if you're like me,... Read More