Can you afford not to invest in LTFS?

Today, technology is continuing to evolve in response to this increasing need for data management solutions and increasing numbers of IT professionals are turning to these new innovations. One example of this is LTFS (Linear Tape File System). Launched in 2010 by IBM, LTFS was developed specifically to address tape archive requirements and the ever expanding need for innovative solutions.

LTFS is an open format file system specification that allows Linear Tape-Open storage technology to be indexed, enabling users to organise and search for the data stored on tapes as they in a similar way to if it was stored on another device, such as a disk. Separating LTO-5 or LTO-6 tapes into two partitions, LTFS improves access time for data stored on tape. The system makes tape easy to use for IT professionals as specific information can be accessed through a directory structure using standard tools, such as Windows Explorer. In turn this drastically reduces the amount of time wasted searching for information stored on tape. Consequently this method offers organisations the accessibility and ease of use they are accustomed to with other solutions, combined with the reliability and cost of tape.

In a move away from the traditional view of tape as a form of data backup, LTFS now plays a role in the archiving of information. Businesses are increasingly looking to tape for what is referred to as ‘deep archive’ and organisations from a broad range of industries, including financial services, healthcare and government, are now benefitting from the economic value of this system. It can be a concern for many organisations that archived data will not be readable in the future without the use of specialised software or equipment – however LTFS increases the likelihood that stored data will be legible because it is an open standard format.

Many Data Protection experts, such as Lee Holsgrove, Strategic Data Protection Development Manager at Wincanton Records Management (WRM), concur with the idea that LTFS systems can have huge benefits for users. He comments: “In the current economic climate, organisations in every sector are turning to new innovations to save money on their data management. Quick and easy access to data is of high priority for IT Managers and Directors and these requirements will continue to grow as the sheer amount of data continues to expand. As a result, the technology in this field is developing alongside the evolving needs of the end user. LTFS is one solution which can result in many benefits to organisations, not only from an ‘ease of use’ perspective but also from an economic viewpoint. The system already offers users the options of valuable rich content and unstructured content archiving and further innovations and developments in LTFS technology will continue to put this system at the forefront of data management.”

Offering numerous advantages to organisations across a broad spectrum of industries, new technologies, such as LTFS, are changing the way data is managed, archived and processed. Tape technology is evolving to provide users with both operational and cost benefits and LTFS is part of this transformation.