90% of SMEs Using Tapes Never Ran Test Backup

• 73% of SMEs using old-fashioned tape backups
• 90% of businesses never perform test backups
• 26% of SMEs aren’t backing up all their data as their tape is at capacity
• Businesses could save £2,500 a year by moving to cloud backup Businesses using traditional tape backups rather than cloud-based alternatives could unknowingly have a major gap in their DR plans, according to latest research.

IT service provider Icomm Technologies Limited spoke to SMEs about their backup solutions – finding that 73% use old-fashioned tapes to backup data. Tapes, which are increasingly being replaced by cloud-based storage, are more prone to failure and are more subject to human error than newer systems.

The research also showed that 90% of SMEs using tapes never ran a test backup, while 26% were over-capacity meaning not all their data is being protected.

Icomm’s Ian Callens, said: "The words DR usually conjure up images of fire, theft and terrorism but a simple server failure is much more likely and can be just as disruptive. Some research even shows that as many as 93% of businesses that suffer a major data loss will go bankrupt within a year.

"Our new findings suggest that many businesses would not only lose data but also face delays of several days to restore their backups if they had an IT failure."

The Icomm data also shows that SMEs that use tape backup could be wasting as much as 61 hours a year on managing their backup systems.

Ian Callens continues: "Our estimates suggest that businesses could save £2,500 a year over a three year period by switching to a cloud-based backup system and cutting down on wasted admin time."

One business that has recently switched from tape to cloud-based backup is the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) – the UK’s only membership organisation for individuals working in payroll.

Torsten Roesler, IT co-ordinator at the Institute, explains: "Each night, the previous night’s tape would be taken out of the drive, and I would take it home with me. We’d have a daily backup tape at my house, along with weekly backups. So at any one time, I would have two tapes at home."

Now, both CIPP’s sensitive working data and its server images are backed up to two separate remote locations in different parts of the country. Should the worst happen, the CIPP could be up and running again in a matter of hours.

Torsten Roesler continues: "We can now log in from anywhere and be fully operational. It is reassuring to know that our data is being protected and stored on UK soil at two separate locations for additional peace of mind."

Icomm research was based on interviews with 121 SMEs.

Backups and restores times can vary based on file type and size being restored, bottlenecks caused by hardware, condition of the drive and media, finding the correct tape, etc. Therefore all figures are averages.

Of the SMEs surveyed 26% of SME’s are not performing a full backup. This figure was deduced by looking at the customers running close to tape capacity.

27% of Icomm customers have converted to cloud backup. Based on the company’s average customer base these customers are saving on average £2,500 over a 3 year period when compared to a tape solutions.