Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• How to estimate the lifespan of backup tape media

  Brien Posey offers advice on how to estimate the useful lifespan of backup tape media based on how it is used, in this Expert Answer. Continue Reading

• Why backup monitoring software is growing in popularity

  Brien Posey discusses why backup monitoring software is growing in popularity and how it can help IT admins ensure effective backups. Continue Reading

• Backup targets: Tape libraries and VTLs

  Tape drives, tape libraries and virtual tape libraries are among the popular backup target options available today. Continue Reading

• Choosing the right data snapshot approach

  Independent backup expert Brien Posey compares the various methods for creating a data snapshot in this Expert Answer. Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of the integrated data backup appliance

  Data center backup solutions are complicated; hence, the integrated data backup appliance. George Crump examines whether it is the right approach. Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of backup tape encryption

  Independent backup expert Brien Posey outlines what's good and what's bad about backup tape encryption in this tip.Continue Reading

• Data encryption solutions for your backup environment

  Greg Schulz discusses the different data encryption solutions available today. Find out the popular ways to encrypt your backups and common concerns with data encryption.Continue Reading

• Data archiving techniques: Choosing the best archive media

  Read this tip about data archiving techniques and to discover what's the best archive media for your organization: tape, disk, optical or the cloud.Continue Reading

• Choosing the best Oracle backup strategy for your environment

  Find out which Oracle backup strategy is right for you in this FAQ: user-managed backups, RMAN or import/export backups.Continue Reading

• Deduplication best practices and choosing the best dedupe technology

  In our guide on deduplication best practices, learn how to choose the best dedupe technology, the differences between inline deduplication and post-processing, and more.Continue Reading

• As the WORM turns: The pros and cons of WORM disk vs. tape

  Learn about how WORM disk is still an important option for data retention, and about the pros and cons of using WORM disk vs. tape.Continue Reading

• Buying your first backup tape library: What you need to know

  In this tip, find out what you need to know when buying your first tape library, including when to consider a library, the cost of libraries and which format best fits your needs.Continue Reading

• Best practices for reusing data backup tapes

  W. Curtis Preston answers common questions about reusing backup tapes in this Q&A.Continue Reading

• Virtual tape libraries vs. disk-to-disk backup in small business storage environments

  SMBs have several disk backup options to choose from. Which is more popular, VTLs or disk-to-disk backup?Continue Reading

• Choosing a data archiving strategy: Disk archiving vs. tape archiving

  Data archiving is vital for most companies, but which is best for you, archiving to disk, tape or both?Continue Reading

• LTO tape technology continues to evolve with LTO 5

  W. Curtis Preston, TechTarget executive editor and independent backup expert, outlines how LTO tape differs from other tape media, discusses the various generations of LTO tape, and the pros and cons of LTO in this Q&A.Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of tape media storage for backup and recovery in SMB environments

  Learn about the pros and cons of tape media storage, and if tape storage is the right fit for your SMB environment.Continue Reading

• Archiving storage vs. data backup storage: The dos and don'ts of using backups and data archives

  Learn the differences between data backup software and data archiving tools and the dos and don'ts associated with each in this FAQ with Curtis Preston.Continue Reading

• Fail-in-place systems: Avoiding hard disk drive failures

  Fail-in-place storage systems, such Atrato's V1000 and Xiotech's Emprise 5000 or ISE, can virtually eliminate hard disk drive replacement service calls.Continue Reading

• Using Symantec Backup Exec Advanced Open File Option

  Symantec Backup Exec has been around for more than a decade. Learn about using its Advanced Open File Option to back up open files.Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of file-level vs. block-level data deduplication technology

  Some data deduplication approaches operate at the file level, while others examine data at a block level. This tip explores advantages and disadvantages of each method.Continue Reading

• Tips and tools for making the most of event log files

  Nearly every part of your system reports events can be logged. This tip discusses which events you should log and best practices for making sense out of that information once it is logged.Continue Reading

• What is server-free backup, and how does it work?

  Server-free backup is an umbrella term for two different kinds of backup. The general distinction is that it is backup that is going to be done outside of the server that is being backed up -- hence the name. Some of the methods for doing ...Continue Reading

• What is the difference between a traditional file-level backup and a virtual machine backup?

  Most traditional client/server architecture remains the same in the server virtualization environment where the client has an agent installed. However, this can become cumbersome. We still have to manage agents...Continue Reading

• Backup software product specifications

  Backup and replication software are powerful tools used to protect data against loss due to hardware failure, natural disasters, and other problems. Features like encryption, key management, compression, data de-duplication, WAN support and content ...Continue Reading