Ten Tape Backup Strategy

The ten tape backup system consist of ten backup tapes labeled and rotated as follows:

    4 daily tapes labeled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

    4 End-of-Week Tapes labeled Friday Wk1, Friday Wk2, Friday Wk3, Friday Wk4

    2 End-of-the-Month Tapes labeled EOM1 and EOM2

On Monday thru Thursday - use the daily tapes appropriately labeled.  Be sure to write the date of the last backup on a label placed on the outside of the tape case.

On Friday - insert the appropriate Friday tape (week1, 2, 3 or 4).  Be sure to keep these Friday tapes off-site.  In the event that you have a catastrophe (business should burn down, for example) - you don't need to compound the problem by loosing your valuable data as well.  Remember - fire-proof safes are adequate for protecting your important paperwork, but are NOT adequate for protecting data tapes.

At the end of each month, rotate the end-of month tapes - use EOM1 at the end of the first month, EOM2 at the end of the second month, EOM1 at the end of the third month, etc.

In addition, businesses will often purchase a tape to be used at the end of each fiscal year - and file this tape to be kept with other permanent records.

Using this ten-tape system... and insuring that you take tapes off-site at least once per week, you will never have to worry about loosing your important data again.

NOTE 1:  Don't assume that your backups are working...   configure your backup software to compare files at the end of each backup, always check your tape backup report, and occasionally try to do a file restore just to make sure that the system is actually working properly. 

NOTE 2:  Files and programs that are open and/or in use may not be backed up to tape!  Be sure to close all files and programs before your scheduled tape backup begins.

Telephone

+1 419-436-1185 (Fostoria, OH)

          +1 419-425-4344 (Findlay, OH)

+1 419-447-0409 (Tiffin, OH)