How does a tape drive work? Why consider a tape drive in terms of benefits and costs?
The primary purpose for a tape drive is to store and backup hard-to-replace information. By using a tape drive with removable media (data cartridges), time-intensive and mission-critical files can be physically stored away from the computer. Should the computer become unusable, critical data files can reliably be retrieved with a minimum of effort. Simply said, backups made on tape can be used to recover data that might otherwise have been lost due to natural catastrophe, mechanical failure, or even accidental or intentional human error.There are many different strategies for protecting data, but tape represents the most logical and cost-effective insurance, by far, in which an organization can invest. Tape benefits include removability, lowest cost per megabyte compared to disc and optical media, and the highest capacities. The fact that tape is removable also provides a benefit that is critical to disaster planning and recovery. An effective disaster recovery plan includes regularly
