Tape and disk continue to thrive together

The Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Program and its technology provider companies, HP, IBM Corporation and Quantum Corp, have released survey results showing that 66 percent of storage environments utilize a tiered storage infrastructure of disk and tape to address their storage requirements for performance, data retention compliance, disaster recovery and total cost of ownership.

The survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2008, focused on the views of more than 200 network administrators and mid-level technology specialists at mid- to large-sized companies throughout the United States.

According to the survey, managers currently operating disk-only systems are increasingly realizing the value of tape as more than 60 percent stated their intent to add tape back into the storage hierarchy, and of those respondents, 78 percent plan to add tape storage solutions within the next 12 months. Nearly 40 percent of managers operating tape-only environments are forecasting increased usage of tape, up from 22 percent last year.

"The survey suggests that storage managers in disk-only environments are seeking a cost-effective and reliable solution to provide an additional layer of backup and data protection to their current system - and they are increasingly turning to tape as an answer to that dilemma," said David Geddes, senior vice president and partner at Fleishman-Hillard Research, who oversaw the study.

•Date:23rd April 2009• Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
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