Different types of data

Cloud storage versus tape storage

Storing data in the cloud is easy to scale up, data can be retrieved quickly and the cloud can always be accessed from anywhere.

But storage in the cloud is relatively expensive and the amount of data companies produce is still increasing exponentially. Furthermore, for reasons of cost and practicality, data in a cloud is not particularly suitable for large-scale recovery. Storage on tape still provides a guaranteed solution.

When deciding between storing data in the cloud or on tape, we make a distinction between four different types of data:

Business-critical data
Data which is vital for the continuity of the organisation. Storage in the cloud is therefore ideal for daily use. However, because the data is of business-critical importance, it must be protected optimally and, in some cases, in every respect. As soon as an organisation is affected by ransomware, there is a need for backups which can be used as a basis for a good recovery. That can only be done if business-critical data is frequently written to tape which is then stored offline and offsite in a secure location.
Redundant, obsolete, or trivial data (ROT data)
Data which is no longer important to the organisation and for which there is no statutory retention period can be deleted in a controlled manner. Where there is doubt, storage on tape is a cost-efficient alternative.
Dark data
If the value of data is unknown, it is called dark data. That is true for an average of 50% of available data in organisations. It could be useless, of historical interest or even business-critical data. Until this analysis has been carried out, storage on tape is recommended in addition to storage in the cloud.
Archived data
Data may have to be retained under specific legislation (legal, financial). This generally involves large quantities of static data which has to be kept for a long period. It is only occasionally consulted and is not usually under any time pressure. Here, too, tapes are the ideal storage medium, mainly from the point of view of cost, but also in connection with reducing CO2.

Offline, offsite data vault - BackupNed (4)

Location of Cloud storage

It has become essential to know where a cloud provider stores its data and which local legislation it is subject to. This not only relates to the data centre and the data stored there, but also to the cloud provider’s head office. After all, data centres frequently make use of several locations to spread their clients’ data as efficiently as possible all over the world.

Although SME business owners often choose cloud solutions on the basis of security considerations, more than half of them do not know exactly where their privacy-sensitive information is stored in the cloud. The fact that 76% of IT decision-makers view security as their biggest worry when using cloud-based IT services is not entirely unwarranted.

Although data centres do their best to ensure that break-ins are prevented, a data leak can never be excluded. More than a quarter of companies have occasionally experienced a data leak which their cloud provider has seldom if ever been able to prevent. Often organisations wonder whether the data they have deleted has actually gone. Water-tight guarantees cannot usually be given because it is unclear where the data precisely is.