I'd like to add some additional thoughts to Larry's earlier comments.


In general, we take a very strict stance on backup tapes. Backup tape (and it is critical to define backup versus archive tapes) is solely used for disaster recovery purposes. In the ordinary course of business, backups are not used regularly and are not accessed except under extraordinary circumstances. We periodically get requests from users who have deleted an email or somehow caused themselves some sort of grief by deleting data. They want the data restored from a backup. Our position is that the first line of defense is the trash process for that system. In many cases, you may "delete" something today, but the actual deletion / emptying of the trash takes place several days later. If the person can't get the data restored from the trash, they generally want to turn to a backup. Our policy is that no restoration from backup can take place without explicit permission of the Law Department. That permission is generally only granted when there is danger
 of spoliation. Our position thus limits the use of backups to extraordinary circumstances.


Our backups also cycle on a very routine basis. In general, that seldom exceeds 30 days, although certain systems have backup cycles that are carried out over a longer period of time, but the backups are rotated and overwritten. This is the important aspect of defining backup and archive tapes. A backup tape is rotated and overwritten on a regular basis, generally around 30 days. An archive tape (even when created in the same manner as a backup) is retained for a defined period of time on a retention schedule.


We do not schedule backup tapes. The process is described in our data mapping documents and written procedures exist for backups of each system and file server. We feel that since the backups are not created or managed as records (as such), they should not be documented on a retention schedule since they are not the record copy of the information.


Backups, in general, are considered to be full or incremental. A full backup (generally performed at the beginning of a rotational cycle) creates an image of the system that can be restored to a new system and will recreate the operating environment and data as of the date of the backup. An incremental backup builds on the full backup and contains only the data changed since the prior backup. These are restored sequentially until the system reflects its condition as of the completion of the last backup cycle prior to the interruption.



Patrick Cunningham, CRM, CIP, FAI

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