Tape Backup
Tape backup is a data storage technology that uses magnetic tape cartridges to archive and protect digital information. It involves writing data sequentially to tape drives, offering a cost-effective solution for long-term retention, disaster recovery, and regulatory compliance. Despite slower access speeds compared to disk-based systems, it remains widely used for its durability, high capacity, and offline security benefits.
Developers should learn about tape backup when working in environments requiring secure, long-term data archiving, such as financial services, healthcare, or government sectors, where compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA is critical. It's particularly useful for creating air-gapped backups to protect against ransomware attacks, as tapes can be physically stored offline, and for managing large datasets (e.g., in big data or media industries) where cost per terabyte is a key factor.