>> I believe the issue of using backup tapes for retention remains a significant one today.<<

Using backup tapes for retention reminds me of the safety conscious gentleman who tied himself off while he was working on the roof.  Seemed the prudent thing to do at the time.

But what seems prudent at the moment isn't always the best solution.  Is it prudent to retain backup tapes for retention purposes?  Here are a couple of things to consider:
 - Do you retain all backups for 7 years or only certain ones (read: selective destruction). 
 - How do construct an argument of inaccessibility when as a business you are retaining the backups for records purposes (anyone remember the Sears and Starbucks decisions regarding disorganized records)?
 - Are you intending on retaining all records for 7 years or only those on the backups?
 - If you are a global company, how are you going to comply with Safe Harbor or EU Data Protection or other privacy requirements.

I have always believed that backups are strictly for disaster recovery purposes. Absent a specific legal hold, backups should be retained for a very short time, generally less than 30 days.

And the man who was on the roof?  He tied himself off to the trailer hitch of his wife's car.  Shortly after he got started, she came out and asked him if he needed anything from the store.  He cheerfully declined, saying he was going to stay home and work on the roof.  

Funny thing about his wife, she decided to drag him along anyway.

Bill 

Bill Roach, CRM
Manager, Corporate Records
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MoneyGram International
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The opinions I express on this forum are my own and not a reflection of my employer or anyone else.
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