SONY

Issues with recycled tapes

Recycled tape refers to tape that, after first being purchased as new by the original owner and used for an unspecified amount of time, is then resold to another user.  It is important to realize that recycled tapes , in most cases,  are tapes that  are removed from circulation because  they have been deemed to have nearly reached the end of it's useable life by the original owner/purchaser. If you consider why you are backing up your digital assets to begin with, i.e. to save your company from catastrophic loss, you will quickly realize that a thorough risk analysis is in order before moving forward with recycled tape. The question you want to ask yourself is, 'What impact would it have on my business if I was unable to retrieve the most valuable assets my business owns?' The most important part of a reliable backup system  are  the media/tapes on which you store your valuable digital assets. Areas that impact the reliability of the tape are brand integrity/quality, care & handling of the tape and  most important, but often forgotten, the maintenance of the hardware/drives it was used with while it was in it's prime.

Currently, there are a few recycling issues:

• Age of tape. The tape could have already been used for six to seven years before they are recycled.
• Temper seal reprint may be seen as an attempt to pass off recycled products as new products.
• U-cards can be unclear and faded in printing.
• Cartridge and leader tape may suffer scratches .
• The tape surface and edge condition may suffer wear and tear by the time they are recycled .

For details, download our evaluation findings from White Paper: Considered Recycled Tapes.