Factors to Consider when selecting magnetic tape backup software

There are so many factors to consider when selecting magnetic tape backup software. Below are some of the questions that you need to ask yourself when selecting software.

• Does this software provide support for the drive I have? 
• Can the software manage my tape inventory for me? 
• What type of compression does the software provide to reduce my tape usage? 
• Can the software create bootable CDs or disks to allow me to completely reinstall as system in case of an emergency? 
• How easy is it for me to manage the backups? 
• Can a nontechnical person use this software to complete backups? 

Good backup software will perform the following functions

Multiple platform support

Good software will be able to support other platform ranging from window based platform to non windows operating system. Many software are designed to support window based clients hence going for one that only support windows OS would be limiting when upgrading to a non window based server i.e. Unix, Sun, or AS/400 server computers among others.

Backup and recovery options

You may need a package with a recovery option as this will aid your work and save time while backing up your data, all this depend with your organizational requirements.