Data Restoration
In today's business environment of inexpensive storage options, the amount of data being retained is growing at a near exponential rate. Financial, regulatory and legal requirements dictate that companies retain data and have it readily available for production upon request.
Most companies believe they have such a capability but learn at a very inconvenient (and potentially expensive) time that this is not the case.
eMag Solutions specializes in non-native tape restoration of files from storage media regardless of the format in which it is stored. eMag’s non-native restoration systems obviates many of the traditional hurdles associated with backup tapes, namely:
(1) The need for copies of the original software used to create the backup,
(2) The need for particular drives and hardware,
(3) Vast storage capacity needed for the volume of data that would need to be restored,
(4) The need to know and re-create the exact environment in which the data was created,
(5) Skills required for IT personnel to effectively restore and extract archived data from tape,
(6) and the expedited timeframe that information needs to be identified and processed within to meet relevant timetables.
eMag Solutions' non-native restoration allows for the rapid, cost-effective identification, restoration, and de-duplication/filtering of relevant data from backup tapes by recognizing the dates when they were created and can restore them without needing to know their sequence or any additional system information. Since the data is being restored outside of its original environment, the need to use any set passwords is also negated.
eMag Solutions offers non-native data restoration as a cost-effective solution that removes the need for companies to hire information recovery experts to access legacy information residing on backup tapes.
Additionally, eMag supports restoration for over 2,000 physical and logical formats of tape media, floppy media, and optical platters; far more than anyone else in the world!
Comparison of Key Performance Criteria Between
Non-Native Restoration and Native Restoration
| Compared Criteria | Non-Native Restoration | Native Restoration |
|---|---|---|
| Restoration of All Data | Non-native restoration guarantees that 100% of all data has been restored. The logical instruction is the reading of all files on a tape by tape basis. | Native restoration of tapes does not provide 100% guarantee that all data has been restored. Native environments often rely on a "next tape" prompt, when next sequential tape may or may not be present. |
| Preservation of Metadata | Restoration to disk of the complete contents from the backup. There is no risk of altering metadata of the underlying data, because there is no application reading the logically restored files as may happen in a native environment. | Native restoration of tapes run the risk of altering metadata of the residing data |
| Speed | Full speed tape restoration of all data without a need for correct or complete tape sequence from original backup set. | Slower, more deliberate process that requires following key parameters and sequences of data in re-creating original backup environment. Risk of I/O errors stalling the process. |
| Logical Errors (Logical errors occur when a tape that was successfully recorded contains errors that prevent data from being read) | Non-native restoration process allows the next tape to be read in a save set and continue processing, ensuring that the maximum available data off the relevant back up is captured and restored | Using native restoration, logical errors can stop the sequential process, preventing further processing and restoration |
| Specialized Skill/Knowledge | No need to know or re-create the exact environment in which the data was created. No special skills required to restore and extract archived data from tape. | Must know and re-create the exact environment and system settings in which the data was created. Specialized skills required for IT personnel to effectively restore and extract archived data from tape. |
| Storage Capacity | No requirements of large storage capacity | Needs significant storage capacity for sequential restoration of data |
| Backup Software | No need for copies of the original software and any associated service pack (both for the OS and the backup solution) used to create the backup | Requires original software and the exact service pack for both the operating environment and backup program used to create the backups |
| Security/Policy Info in Original Backup Environment | Non-native restoration bypasses security and policy info | Requires access to security and policy information (passwords) to access data |
| Scalability | The non-native software is scalable within eMag, and therefore we can react quickly to schedule changes in the project. | With each additional system to set up will come an additional cost and support requirement for the vendor going this route. |
Click Here for an informational datasheet on Data Restoration(printable PDF)