What's the most cost effective way to retain my older tape archives if I need to retire my current tape hardware?

The Most Cost-Effective Way to Retain Older Tape Archives When Retiring Legacy Hardware

If you're facing the challenge of retiring aging tape hardware while still needing access to archived data, you're not alone. Many organizations struggle with the costly burden of maintaining legacy backup infrastructure just to satisfy regulatory and compliance requirements. Fortunately, there's a more economical solution: subscription-based managed services.

The Legacy Data Challenge

When backup technology evolves to meet changing business demands, it creates "legacy data" – information stored on older systems that still needs to be accessible. The traditional approach of maintaining outdated servers, tape libraries, and drives comes with significant drawbacks:

• Unpredictable costs from aging hardware maintenance contracts

• Data center expenses for space, power, and cooling

• IT resource drain managing "sunset" and "end of life" systems

• Compliance risk if restoration capabilities aren't guaranteed

The Cost-Effective Alternative: Managed Service Solutions

Rather than maintaining your own legacy infrastructure, a subscription-based managed service model offers a more predictable and economical approach. Here's how it works:

Key Benefits

1. Eliminate Infrastructure Costs You can completely decommission legacy tape libraries, drives, and servers, immediately reducing data center footprint and associated expenses. No more maintenance contracts for obsolete equipment.

2. Predictable Pricing Model Subscription-based services transform unpredictable legacy data costs into a transparent, budgetable expense. You pay for what you need, when you need it.

3. On-Demand Access Instead of keeping hardware running 24/7 "just in case," you gain fast and accurate access to archived data only when restoration is required – whether for compliance audits, legal eDiscovery, or business needs.

4. Guaranteed Restoration Capability Professional managed services maintain comprehensive knowledge bases (catalogs and indexes) and guarantee restoration capability across any platform, eliminating the risk of data becoming inaccessible.

5. Expert Management Dedicated project management and documented reporting ensure your legal, IT, and compliance requirements are met without burdening your internal teams.

When This Solution Makes Sense

This approach is particularly valuable during:

• Technology transitions – Changing backup formats or migrating to cloud/disk-based solutions

• Data center consolidation – Closing facilities or reducing footprint

• Corporate changes – Mergers and acquisitions requiring legacy data access

• Legal requirements – Implementing proactive eDiscovery response processes

The Bottom Line

For organizations with older tape archives, the most cost-effective retention strategy is transitioning from owned legacy infrastructure to a subscription-based managed service. This approach eliminates the fixed costs of maintaining obsolete hardware while ensuring reliable, on-demand access to archived data. By converting legacy data management into a repeatable business process with predictable costs, you free up both budget and IT resources to focus on strategic initiatives rather than maintaining aging technology.

The key is finding a provider with proven expertise in legacy data management, global processing capabilities, and proprietary tools designed specifically for this challenge. With the right partner, retiring your tape hardware doesn't mean losing access to your archives – it means gaining a more efficient, cost-effective way to manage them.

Learn more about data migration services that can eliminate your hardware maintenance costs and provide restoration assurance for your older tape archives at https://magstor.com/pages/data-migration