I suggest you have someone do a sample restore/electronic inventory; get
a feel of the indexing schemes and classify per the retention schedules
from that, and purge/retain accordingly, etc.  Then create a long-term
(> 2 years) tape retention classification & authorization process.  We
did that at a Fortune 100 energy company where I used to work.

Here is what Larry M. or Bruce W. will probably recommend (get past the
RIM professional monikers and the acronyms behind the name and all the
high-falutin corporate-speak verbiage, and they are just regular old
cretins).   Purchase large quantities of amber-hued beverages; go out
into the countryside or desert; invite all your rowdy friends and Miss
Hurst Shifter, CRM, and all her friends; cook a pig in the ground; start
a large bonfire and throw all the tapes into it; and have a pre-football
season party. 

Or if you do not want to do all the organization of such an event,
there is a Burning Man thing starts the end of next week in the desert
north of Reno.  Just go up there and join in the festivities, and throw
your tapes on the burning man fire.  DISCLAIMER:  My employer, ARMA, and
the ICRM are not responsible for the contents of nor the behavior of
participants at the Burning Man event. 

Of course, I am sophisticated and professional, and would never do
anything so coarse.

Best regards, Steve
Steven D. Whitaker, CRM
Records Systems Manager; City of Reno

>>> [log in to unmask] 08/23 2:28 PM >>>
Our IT group has asked that RIM provide some recommendations on best
practices for determining the contents of unidentified backup tapes. 
We
are talking about a VERY large number of tapes (over 50,000 employees,
400 locations).  

 

Has anyone tackled this monster, and can you offer advice?  We have
spoken to a few vendors but we would like to know what others have
done.


 

If you consider this issue confidential, please feel free to email me
directly.   

 

Thanks

 

 

 

William C. Mona, PhD

Records & Information Management

Georgia-Pacific Corp.

 


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