Even though tape has great longevity for data storage, a lot can happen to make the data on them inaccessible. Our engineering team has seen it all.
Corruption: operational error, expired tapes, mishandling of the tape, or accidental overwrites caused by inserting or partially formatting the wrong tape.
Physical Damage: broken tapes, dirty drives, and damage caused by fire, flood, or other natural disasters.
Ransomware or Malware: (back-up) tapes erased or infected by the malware or ransomware.
Software Upgrades: inability for data on tape to be read by new applications or servers.
Some examples of successful recoveries include:
- Quick-erased or partially overwritten data from LTO (Ultrium) tape media
- Overwritten tapes (including DLT)
- Snapped or burnt tapes
- Tapes damaged by chemicals and smoke
- Software problems or backup failures
- Tapes immersed in flood water and mud
- Intentional or accidental physical damage