What are the guidelines around reusing backup tapes? How many times can I reuse a tape?
First let us share with you a real true-life story. About a year ago, Digital Fortress reps visited a local (San Antonio, TX) customer on a sales call and their office manager proudly proclaimed that they didn’t need our off-site backup services for their local offices because they had a tape backup system installed. Of course when we physically glanced at the tape backup unit, the inserted tape’s label clearly said “MONDAY” but the actual date of our visit was “Wednesday”. We asked who was responsible for changing out their tapes? The office manager replied “Our receptionist is supposed to change it every evening before leaving, but she was on vacation this week.” We suggested he change the tape while we were there, and asked him to allow us to inspect his backup log. The log revealed that they had not had a good backup in over 9 months. It seems they were reusing the same set of 5 tapes week after week after week. The tape’s magnetic oxide coating had been worn completely clear. Just
