The latest generation of tapes

LTO 9

LTO 9 - header

You have probably often heard reports of ransomware attacks. Are you aware that a cyber-attack of this type brings operational processes to a standstill for an average of 21 days? That’s why it’s essential to have a good disaster recovery and backup strategy. The latest generation of LTO tapes is an important addition to this strategy. We would like to tell you more about the properties of LTO 9 cartridges, including their transfer speed, capacity and cost.

LTO 9 - onderbreking

CHARACTERISTICS OF LTO 9

The ninth generation of Linear Tape Open (LTO) tapes was launched in September 2021 by the consortium comprising Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum. LTO technology is technology for data storage on magnetic tape. It provides an air gapped backup – i.e. independent of the internet - on which you can store your data offline for up to 30 years. But what makes this new generation so interesting? It includes the following characteristics:

  • AES-256-bit data encryption to safeguard privacy and reduce the risk of corrupt data without compromising on speed.
  • The WORM concept (write-once-read-many) which ensures that your data cannot be deleted or overwritten and therefore minimises the risk of losing data.
  • Support for Linear Tape File System (LTFS), an open standard for software which makes your data on tape easily accessible and traceable, comparable with the directory and file structure in your day-to-day ‘environment’.

These characteristics give you the assurance that your data is stored securely but is also still easy to access.

CAPACITY AND SPEED OF LTO 9

Compared to the previous generation (LTO 8) the latest generation gives you 50% more storage capacity: from 18 TB native to 45 TB of compressed data. This is no less than 1400% more compared to LTO 5. You can see from the roadmap below that the aim is to double capacity with every new generation.

LTO 9 - overzicht tapes

Bron: LTO

Progress has also been made in terms of speed. LTO 9 can transfer data at a speed of up to 1,000 MB per second for compressed data (native: 400 MB per second) which is 25% faster than was possible with LTO 8. The latest generation thus provides the capacity and speed for even more efficient data storage.

COST-EFFECTIVE STORAGE MEDIUM

The amount of data which is growing exponentially every day needs somewhere to be stored. Some 80% of the data is actually ‘cold’ data which is seldom if ever accessed. The most cost-effective way of storing such data is on tape. Certainly, when compared to a hard disk or the public cloud, tape is the cheapest backup medium and has the lowest cost of ownership (TCO).

LTO 9: A PROVEN MEDIUM FOR YOUR BACKUPS

Tape has a long history and is permanently being optimised (high-end). The latest generation of LTO proves this point. Tape retains its value, certainly nowadays when cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly advanced. There is a place for LTO Ultrium 9 as a storage medium in a reliable disaster recovery and backup strategy due to its capacity, speed and other characteristics.

WHY OFF-SITE TAPE STORAGE?

Why should you choose offsite tape backup for storing your data? A good question! Here are eight reasons why tape storage is the ideal solution ahead of other storage options.

1. Economical in terms of cost

Off-site tape storage is an economical way of managing data securely. It costs less than other options for storing your data. Research by the Clipper Group demonstrated that storage on tape is 15 times cheaper than storage on disk.

2. Sustainable and green solution

Cost is not the only advantage. Off-site tape storage is also better for the environment. Research by the Clipper Group revealed that this storage method consumes 238 times less energy than storage on disk. It helps you to limit your energy costs and offers you a green and environmentally aware solution for your data storage.

3. Management is simple

The use and management of our off-site tape storage is extremely easy. Our skilful experts have developed our own TapeTracer app which enables you to track and trace your tapes. Because we built the app in-house, you know that no-one else has access to it. Every tape can be traced in only a few minutes. And if you need a tape urgently, we can deliver it to you very quickly.

The app also provides real-time reports. We update them after every audit so that you always know which tapes (and data) we are managing in our tape library using tapedrives. It also shows you the entire history of all your tapes and the actions performed on them from the time we first stored a tape in the LTO 9 drive.

4. It provides a complete solution in one go

Backupned’s services offer you a single, high-quality solution from storage to transport to disaster recovery.

5. The safest solution

Your data is stored safely and offline. Hackers are a major threat in our digital world. They are improving all the time and there are more and more of them. Because we store your data offline, hackers have no opportunity to get to your sensitive data.

6. Good, secure and simple transport

The tapes containing your data are simple to exchange. Our tape transport is secure and reliable. We always screen our employees extensively before they come to work for us. This gives you the confidence that the transport will always be executed appropriately. Still want to keep an eye on things? No problem. We facilitate this by means of our TapeTracer app. It has been entirely built in-house and we maintain it ourselves too.

7. The longest storage time

An LTO 9 tape lasts for more than 30 years. This makes it an ideal solution for long-term data storage.

8. You can scale up with ease

Is your company suddenly growing, and therefore your data is expanding rapidly? We can solve this for you. Our storage grows with your data. And you don’t need to pay extra for transport or the infrastructure.

Interested to know what tape backup ​could mean for your organisation? Contact us with no further obligation; we look forwards to discussing the options with you

Our services in air gapped backup

For dataprotection

LTO 9 - online offsite

ONLINE DATA TRANSMISSION OFFSITE VAULTING

The convenience of online data transport, combined with the safety, security and reliability of tape storage.

LTO 9 - Offline offsite data vault

OFFLINE TAPE TRANSPORT OFFSITE STORAGE

Safe and secure tape storage, available 24 hours a day, inaccessible to anyone else.