MOVING AWAY FROM TAPE STRATEGIES FOR ADVANCING TO A MORE MODERN BACKUP SOLUTION
A MINDSIGHT WHITE PAPER
TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary
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Preface and Introduction
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A Survey of Data Backup Solutions
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• Type Backup
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• Disk Backup
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• Cloud Backup
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• The Future of Backup
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Our Recommendation: Disk And Cloud Hybrid Backup Solution
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• The Full Cloud Solution: A Smart Choice For Startups
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• A Hypothetical Example
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Roadblocks to Adoption
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Partners, Solutions, and Possibilities
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Final Thoughts
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Mindsight Consulting Services
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About Mindsight
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The data backup industry has seen significant changes in the last twenty years. The advent of cloud and refinement of disk backup solutions have created enormous opportunities for cost savings and reductions in management overhead. Yet, many companies are still relying on the same tape backups they were using in the mid-90s. At the same time, the inclination to turn to cloud as the newest and most advanced solution is not always advisable in the case of data backup. Cloud backup strategies are not perfect, and hastily adopting the cloud could create more problems than it solves. Moving Away from Tape: Strategies for Advancing to a More Modern Backup Solution explores the different leading backup platforms and the evolution from tape to cloud. It compares each against each other, and explores how and why different backup solutions have been successful over the years. Finally, this white paper advocates for a hybrid backup strategy. A hybrid cloud and disk strategy will both take advantage of the benefits found in modern technology and overcome the issues found in each standalone solution.
PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION We have come a long way since the rise of computers and information technology. Every ten or fifteen years since the mid-20th century, there has been a release of a new technology, strategy, or platform that revolutionizes the field and inspires developers to go further. Most recently, this revolutionary role has been filled by the cloud. For over a decade now, the cloud has quickly been gaining in popularity and changing the relationship between businesses and their technology. It has—without exception—impacted every corner of the technology industry. Software as a service, platform as a service, infrastructure as a service, IT as a service—the list goes on. Yet, there is a tendency to assume, in technology and many consumer markets, that “newer is always better.” If you are using older equipment, older technology, or an older design model, you are, by default, depending on inferior technology in your business. In most instances, this might be correct, but every rule is proven by its exceptions. This brings us to data backup.
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The data backup market has typically been dominated by electromagnetic tape. Businesses of all sizes are recording copies of their data on physical tape and transporting the rolls elsewhere for safe keeping. It’s a strategy that has proven effective for some time, but today, there are other easier, more reliable alternatives. This white paper, Moving Away from Tape: Strategies for Advancing to a More Modern Backup Solution, seeks to articulate the evolution of backup solutions from tape to cloud. We break down the value, shortcomings, and challenges of each of the leading data backup solutions as they respond to the challenges of their predecessors. From there, this white paper advocates for a hybrid disk and cloud backup strategy as a general best practice for companies to protect their data while preparing for the future.
A SURVEY OF DATA BACKUP SOLUTIONS Over the past twenty years, each new backup solution has tried to improve upon the shortcomings of the previous generation of backup options. Today, there are three popular choices for backup and recovery: tape, disk, and cloud. Data Loss Stats: • The leading cause of incidents and outages is hardware1 • 96% of all business workstations are not being backed up1 • The average cost of downtime per hour is between $25,000 to $50,0001
TAPE BACKUP In the 1990s, businesses began to depend on technology in order to remain competitive in the marketplace. This rising importance of tech prompted widespread adoption of electromagnetic tape data backup solutions. Suddenly, businesses were able to protect themselves in the event of equipment failure, natural disaster, or other calamities. Their systems, given enough time, could be restored to their former condition with tremendous accuracy.
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http://invenioit.com/continuity/know-statistics-on-data-loss-backup/
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Today, the importance of data backup is no different, but tape-based solutions are both a blessing and a curse.
Data Loss Stats: • Nearly 50% of tape backups fail to restore correctly2 • More than 50% of professionals back up their data to a misconfigured tape backup system2 • 34% of companies do not test their backups2
CHEAP, PORTABLE, AND SCALABLE It is no wonder that tape backup has been such a successful solution for so long. It provides a lot of benefits for companies and was especially attractive in the 90s and early 2000s compared to its alternatives. First and foremost, tape is portable. IT directors can record their backups and physically remove them from the premises. Compared to even modern disk backup, that is still a huge advantage. Your backups will be safe no matter what happens to your on-premise data center. Tape was and still is a fairly inexpensive solution. Back in the 90s, the only alternative was 100MB zip drives. Considering the enormous rise in the amount of data created and stored in the average business, 100MB zip drives were inconvenient then and completely unworkable now. Tape is still scalable. Regardless of environment size, tape can be a viable solution while keeping costs at a manageable level. In all manner of technology, scalability is a major concern, and any solution that can overcome that challenge earns a place in the conversation.
A MANAGEMENT NIGHTMARE The benefits of tape themselves end up creating the largest challenges with the solution. Yes, tape is portable. It can be carried offsite and safely stored, but that is only because it creates a physical artifact that must be preserved. Any solution that keeps everything in the digital realm is going to have a clear advantage here.
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http://www.sourcit.net/services/cloud-backup-recovery/compared-to-tape-backup/
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IT directors and administrators responsible for managing the tape backup solution are tasked with the challenge of tracking, storing, and if necessary, accessing physical objects in an offsite location. Any metadata used to help identify and categorize these backups is going to be disconnected from the actual rolls of tape. The data is either going to be written on paper and attached to the artifact or stored in an Excel file elsewhere. This can make it extremely difficult to keep everything organized and ready should the company need to make use of those tapes. Furthermore, accessing and implementing tape backups is a far slower process than more modern alternatives. For one, the IT team needs to drive (or hire a service to drive) offsite to recover the backups and bring them back to the office before they can even begin restoring the system. Tape backups are also extremely difficult to test, which means that the IT team likely has not had adequate practice in the restoration process. At best, this will serve to slow down the recovery process even further. In the backup industry, there is a concept called the Recovery Time Objective (RTO). It differs for each company, but it signifies the maximum amount of time the business can go after losing data before the system must be restored from backups. After that RTO mark, the business has lost or stands to lose an unacceptable amount of money and/or productivity. With tape, the issue is simple. Your RTO window cannot be as small as it can be with disk or cloud backup solutions due to the time it will take to physically get the tape and bring it back onsite. Aside from the location of the tape, the tape itself can face issues. Of those companies who test their tape backups, 77% of those tested found that their backup failed to recover some data.2 For many companies, that is an unacceptable margin of error. Tape has a tendency to be reliable in the short term, but faces issues in the long term. In the event of litigation or invoicing, a snapshot of the environment from years ago could be essential evidence. Unfortunately, tape falls short in this regard.
DISK BACKUP A long-standing alternative to tape backup has been disk backup. Essentially, disk backup involves a RAID storage array with built-in processes for disk failure. This array is either the primary storage array itself or, more likely, an independent piece of equipment purchased for this explicit purpose. It is housed in the on-premise data center.
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Disk solutions have been developed and refined over the years in response to the shortcomings of tape. As you’ll see below, disk backups solve many of the issues of speed and logistics that storing tape has. Data Loss Stats: • Annual hard drive failure rates are only 1.84%3 • 44% of data loss occurs from hardware or system malfunctions4 • 14% of data loss occurs from software corruption4 • 7% of data loss occurs from computer viruses4
NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE Disk backup has been around for almost as long as tape, but it has found less appeal over the years in the marketplace. Part of this is because companies were comparing their tape solution from twenty years ago to disk backups from that time. Since the 90s, the cost per GB on disk has plummeted, data density is huge, and the overall cost has become far cheaper than it used to be. Truly, disk backup has overcome its original shortcomings. Disk also has the advantage of being entirely digital. The backups are both written and accessed over the network rather than through a physical artifact stored somewhere else. Given how cheap and fast network bandwidth is today, your backups can remain at your fingertips for a reasonable price, thereby enabling a much smaller RTO window. Finally, disk saves money on management overhead. If the IT department is already providing maintenance and monitoring for their storage infrastructure, they are already doing all that is necessary to support their backup strategy. There are no extra systems to keep track of and no need to devote time to driving backups to and from the storage site.
ONE FATAL FLAW Despite disk’s clear advantages over tape, disk does have one fatal flaw. It is stored in a data center onsite. If there is a server failure in the data center, this may not be an issue. The backups can still be accessed normally, but if the disaster strikes the office or data center as a whole, your backups are sure to be affected as well. The whole point of creating backups is to ensure the protection and survival of your data. If the backups are just as vulnerable as the rest of your environment, your data is at extreme risk. Even a backup from a year ago is better than no backup at all. 3 4
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-stats-q1-2016/ https://www.cloudwards.net/world-backup-day-2015/
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Outside of that singular issue, disk backup depends on network bandwidth for performance. If the network bandwidth is not very fast, the backup will not be either. If a recovery is needed, implementing a disk backup can be slow without the right network to support it. It also deserves to be mentioned that disk-based backup often requires the purchase of designated hardware. Granted, that storage array does not need to be as sophisticated or as large as the primary array, but capital expenditure (CapEx) investments can be a hard sell for tight IT budgets.
CLOUD BACKUP When cloud started to gain popularity as a computing platform, it was found to be a valuable alternative to many of our existing IT models. In terms of backup, it provided a logical solution to both the issues inherent in tape and disk backup. In a cloud backup solution, the company usually enters an agreement with a cloud services provider or takes advantage of a product offering from companies like EVault, which leverage the cloud within their solutions. The backups are stored in an offsite repository owned by the cloud provider and accessed remotely through the network whenever a recovery is needed. CLOUD BACKUP STATS: • Global revenue for cloud backup services grew by 225% in 20145 • 51% of companies still use hardware-based backup solutions6 • 23% of companies are “considering” cloud backup options6
IT’S IN THE CLOUD The largest benefit of cloud-based backup is that it is in the cloud. It combines the largest strength of disk—accessing the data through the network—while at the same time overcoming disk’s largest shortcoming—storing the data offsite. It is by far the most convenient option available. The hardware is supported by someone else, and all the company needs to do is retrieve the backups when they are needed. Cloud backups can be tested and validated quickly without the management and complexity of tape. Good vendors will even have built-in redundancy for any backups stored in their environment, and your data can be accessed at any time from the comfort of your own office.
5 6
https://www.cloudwards.net/world-backup-day-2015/ http://www.businesscloudnews.com/2016/03/31/cloud-based-data -backup-solutions-increasing-in-popularity-survey/
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Compared to disk, there is another key benefit. As mentioned earlier, disk requires an IT department to purchase designated storage equipment to house the backups. When doing so, the company cannot simply purchase for the capacity they need today. They must overprovision to ensure the hardware will account for growth and remain a viable solution over the lifespan of the equipment. Cloud allows you the ability to procure only the resources you need right now and increase your spend as you go along. With cloud, not a single byte of capacity goes to waste.
...IT’S IN THE CLOUD The largest downside to cloud backup is also that it is in the cloud. With the convenience of the cloud comes cost. In a direct comparison to other solutions, cloud is the most expensive. IT directors also have concerns over security. Any time a company places the responsibility of their IT environment in the hands of someone else, there is bound to be some anxiety. Quality cloud providers will encrypt your data as it stored and while it travels to and from the cloud environment. The problem is that not all of them provide this service. If you are exploring cloud solutions in any capacity, be sure to research your provider. There are stark differences between them. Like disk, network bandwidth can slow down recovery speeds, but your WAN also plays a role in cloud backup. For single file recoveries, cloud backup is almost always a fast and reliable option, but for whole system recoveries, network factors can make this a very slow process. The problem with this dynamic is that when the company needs a full system recovery is precisely when speed matters the most.
THE FUTURE OF BACKUP When looking forward to the foreseeable future of backup, we shouldn’t expect things to change much in the next few years. Aside from another computing revolution like cloud, we can only expect IT environments to continue to grow. Data generation will grow. Companies will continue to adopt a hybrid cloud approach to their environments, and dependence upon our IT systems will increase.
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When looking forward to the foreseeable future of backup, we shouldn’t expect things to change much in the next few years. Aside from another computing revolution like cloud, we can only expect IT environments to continue to grow. Data generation will grow. Companies will continue to adopt a hybrid cloud approach to their environments, and dependence upon our IT systems will increase.
OUR RECOMMENDATION: DISK AND CLOUD HYBRID BACKUP SOLUTION Adding a disk backup strategy to an already existing tape solution does little to account for the downsides of tape. Yes, data will now be accessible over the network, but the tapes themselves will then become secondary and largely useless while a disk backup is still in operation. Furthermore, adding a cloud backup strategy for an existing tape solution does not eliminate the management overheard found in tape. Neither of these combinations effectively compensate for the others’ weakness while complimenting their strengths. For that reason, a disk and cloud hybrid strategy is the best option for most IT environments at this time. In this strategy, disk will serve as the primary location for short term backup and recovery while the cloud functions as the ever-growing archive. This approach solves a few issues. First, when purchasing your disk backup storage array, the company does not need to overprovision to account for future growth. They only need to purchase enough storage to be able to store data the company will want to access quickly. For example, if a department needs to recover a file from the last 30 days, that file can be stored on disk backup and accessed on the spot almost instantly. Conversely, backups from seven years ago can remain in the cloud archive where they won’t consume the precious onsite storage capacity. In the end, the company is ultimately buying a much smaller appliance than a solo disk strategy would require without compromising the integrity of their backups. On the cloud side of the solution, a full backup can be uploaded to the cloud daily and stored there indefinitely. Along the way, the company is only paying for the infrastructure they need at the time to achieve their desired retention goals. The hybrid cloud and disk strategy satisfies the end user through its short term recovery as well as the company with long term capabilities. It accomplishes this while also leveraging the convenience of cloud and disk solutions and avoiding the management overhead of tape.
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THE FULL CLOUD SOLUTION: A SMART CHOICE FOR STARTUPS As we mentioned in our introduction, rules are proven by their exceptions, and like any other, our own recommendation of a hybrid disk-cloud strategy has a notable exception. A full cloud strategy can still be a viable strategy for certain companies. If the company is a startup, they may not have the funds to purchase the infrastructure necessary for a functional data center. Plus, their environment is likely very small compared to established companies and enterprises. The lack of infrastructure resources and the small footprint of data needed to be backed up make cloud more attractive. Additionally, if the company is already leveraging a number of other cloud applications and cloud solutions, building upon that strategy is less of an issue. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule, companies that fit these characteristics are more likely to find a full cloud strategy to be the best option.
A HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE It can be difficult to visualize the circumstances in which this hybrid solution will make a significant difference over tape. To highlight its value, consider these hypothetical scenarios:
Scenario 1: Litigation A local Chicago-based manufacturing company has experienced tremendous growth in the past few years. Their environment has almost tripled in size due to several key acquisitions of competitors. Along the way, the company has gotten involved in a few legal situations, and backups from over five years ago are required for evidence. To make matters worse, the IT department has also experienced significant turnover and is now under the leadership of a newly-hired IT director. This situation is a nightmare for companies using a tape backup solution. The department leadership is unfamiliar with the archive of tape backups, and a precise backup from a specific point in time is required for court. With tape, the new IT director will have to scour the archive, familiarize him or herself with the filing system, and attempt to locate the correct tape.
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Alternatively, the hybrid system would be far easier to access. Backups would have timestamps on them, and if the right backup is not located on the on-prem storage array, it could be found in the cloud. With a few clicks, the IT director could initiate the download and prepare for court.
Scenario 2: Holiday Party Photographs Scenario 2 begins innocently enough. The CEO of a medium-sized company accidently deleted some company holiday party photos stored on the network drive. The IT department is kindly asked to recover the file from the nearest backup, but a simple request shines a light on a serious management error in the IT department. The company had been using a mechanical tape library and conducting a complex tape rotation system. Even by following best practices, the tape rotation system is dizzyingly complex and follows the Grandfather-Father-Son strategy of backups. By creating this chain of backups, the company would in theory have complete backups for the entire environment, but a simple oversight caused the backup team to confuse tapes. This created a hole in the archive for a short period in the history of the company. Our hybrid strategy along with both individual cloud and disk platforms solve the problems of human error. As digital solutions, cloud, disk, and a hybrid solution will automatically record and store all backups in the archive, thereby eliminating the chance that someone could make a filing error.
ROADBLOCKS TO ADOPTION There is no magic wand in IT that overcomes the one roadblock to any modernization initiative: cost. Switching from tape to anything else requires some initial investment, and our hybrid strategy in particular does involve the purchase of a new appliance. Oftentimes, IT directors will pitch disk to their executives, because it makes their lives easier, but businesses tend to see this as just another expense. They see a tape solution that works, and they wonder why it must be fixed. What these parties do not realize is that there are inherent aspects of a standalone tape strategy that are, in no uncertain terms, broken. According to Computerworld.com, there comes a point in environments where the direct cost savings of disk overtake the cost savings of tape. Loop in the added assurance of data stored offsite in the cloud, and the hybrid cloud-disk strategy can be demonstrated to be more cost effective than tape.
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PARTNERS, SOLUTIONS, AND POSSIBILITIES From large enterprise organizations to niche players, there is no shortage of backup options available to you. Ultimately, factors in your environment and your company goals will dictate which solution makes the most sense for your environment. However, we find that the solutions provided by the developers below provide the most value to the widest range of companies.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are the public cloud solutions offered by Amazon and Microsoft respectively. Each company supports an enormous cloud environment, and customers rent out the infrastructure to support their applications. These two cloud environments are among the most reliable and most respected cloud options on the market. Engaging in an agreement with these cloud providers is not always a cut and dry affair. There are a number of specifications that must be set in the agreement to get the most value. Mindsight assists our clients in navigating these agreements and ensuring their public cloud option benefits the client as much as possible. We find this is the most common method for companies to begin to utilize and become comfortable with the public cloud. Learn more about the public cloud
Barracuda Barracuda is a single-vendor solution offering the kind of hybrid disk and cloud strategy we cover in the paper. It allows companies to back up their data to either the same location it already resides on (cloud or on-prem) while also allowing them to back up that same data to another secure cloud or private location. Like most digital solutions, Barracuda is entirely automated, so it only requires an initial configuration to safeguard your backups for years to come. Barracuda is made for today’s hybrid on-prem and cloud environments and offers a simple solution for data backup.
Learn more about Barracuda
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Cohesity Cohesity offers a designated backup appliance for disk storage as an alternative to provisioning a new storage array from a big name manufacturer like NetApp, Pure Storage, or Nimble. Cohesity is built on slower commodity hardware, but companies do not always require top speeds to restore backups effectively, and it will still perform far faster than tape. It includes all the modern data deduplication and compression features found in other storage devices and provides a cost-conscious appliance for our hybrid disk and cloud strategy. Furthermore, the Cohesity solution includes backup software that is compatible with virtualized and non-virtualized environments.
Learn more about Cohesity
EVault EVault is a cloud-hosted backup and disaster recovery solution that embodies our hybrid disk and cloud strategy. By purchasing the EVault appliance, data is stored onsite and ready to be accessed at a moment’s notice. At the same time, copies of these backups are also stored in the cloud in case a disaster strikes and disables the on-premise solution. As an added bonus, the EVault management software helps keep the backup and archiving process clear and organized.
Learn more about EVault
FINAL THOUGHTS As technologists, our gut reaction is to promote and advocate for the latest and greatest technology on the market, but not every new technology platform is the best in every situation. A case by case assessment must be made for each new advancement in technology. For backup, this is even more pertinent. A mistake in your backup strategy could mean the difference between weathering a storm and facing a disaster.
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The cloud is a powerful solution in many technology areas, but data backup often requires a more well-rounded approach. Through a combined solution of disk and cloud backup, companies of all sizes can create reliable backups, store them safely offsite, access these backups with speed and convenience, and avoid the management nightmare that normally comes with tape backup. A hybrid solution highlights each backup option’s strengths while compensating for their weakness. It provides a real, cost-effective solution for businesses in the 21st century. The road from tape to the future of backup is clear, and it is not one single miracle solution. It is a combination of what has worked in the past to make a strategy more effective than the sum of its parts.
MINDSIGHT CONSULTING SERVICES Mindsight offers technology consulting for companies of all sizes throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Our experienced consultants work directly with your team to analyze your environment, determine goals and business unit needs, and identify opportunities for improvement. We are committed to transparent, open communication and pride ourselves on the long-lasting relationships we establish with our clients. Mindsight offers technology consulting for companies of all sizes throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Our experienced consultants work directly with your team to analyze your environment, determine goals and business unit needs, and identify opportunities for improvement. We are committed to transparent, open communication and pride ourselves on the long-lasting relationships we establish with our clients. As a part of Mindsight’s consultative services, we offer comprehensive analyses of data center technology through our Data Center Infrastructure Reports. One of our senior consultants is sent to your office to analyze a particular area of your data center. Whether a backup solution, storage, or even a troublesome application, Mindsight will provide the insight you need to achieve your business goals.
Contact Mindsight today
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ABOUT MINDSIGHT Mindsight is a technology consulting firm that provides thoughtfully-crafted and thoroughly-vetted perspectives to its Chicago area clients’ toughest technology challenges. Mindsight’s recommendations come from its experienced and talented team, and are based on a solid understanding of its clients' unique business and technology challenges. Mindsight believes in being transparent and candid, which means more productive interactions and less pretense. The company provides the best thinking to achieve the best result. When you need a different point of view, you can count on Mindsight.
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