A recent survey of 400 Irish organisations reveals that despite concerns about its reliability, organisations continue to use traditional methods, such as tape to back-up their sensitive data. The IT Force survey, conducted in conjunction with keepITsafe, found that of the data back-up methods available, tape remains the most widespread with 65% of respondents indicating this as the preferred method in their organisation.

67% of respondents mentioned that where tapes are used, they are “generally kept onsite at all times”.

Elsewhere, 15% used disk-based methods, while only 7% have switched to online data backup services. Despite the continued reliance on traditional methods such as tapes, 39 % of respondents admitted to a significant data loss incident. Worryingly, where tapes are employed only 28% “believe them to be encrypted”, meanwhile, 28% of respondents wait for two years before replacing a back-up tape. In addition, 35% did not know how often tapes should be replaced.

Despite the acceptance of the need to back-up data (100% of respondents confirmed they back up, though they would really, wouldn’t they), the data management arrangements within organisations differ widely. For instance, 60% of organisations have data leaving their office in some format on a regular basis while 67% of respondents mentioned that where tapes are used, they are “generally kept onsite at all times”.

“The most significant finding was that while backing up is an accepted principle amongst Irish organisations, traditional methods such as tapes remain popular despite the fact that all too often they simply don’t work”, said Joe Molloy, managed services director with IT Force.  Molloy believes Irish organisations need to embrace new technologies such as online backup services that are “without question more effective in terms of reliability and costs”.

Of those who experienced a data loss incident and had to conduct a restore, one in five admitted to never getting all the lost data retrieved while one in three claimed it took more than a day to get all or some of the data back.