Initial Situation: Existing Data Tapes Nearing End of Life
Daido Metal used data tapes in a local environment for archiving because they needed to archive data over a long period (5 years or more). The company managed the tape mechanisms and related hardware in-house, using a hardware solution from IBM and Veeam software for backup and archiving management.
The existing data tape archiving solution was reaching the end of its life, and the company was looking for a better, cheaper, and more modern data storage solution. We offered them a solution based on AWS technologies, which ultimately proved to be much less expensive in terms of both operational and initial costs (which were zero).
3 Problems that Transitioning to AWS Was Supposed to Solve
| Problems | Our Solutions |
|---|---|
| End of Life for Tapes and the Need to Modernize | Implementation of AWS Tape Gateway |
| Special Dedicated Hardware Demanding on Maintenance | Minimal Hardware, Much Less Demanding on Maintenance |
| Fixed Tape Size and Payment for Unused Capacity | Pays Only for Data That Is Actually Archived |
Solution: How We Did It
Implementation Process
- Technology Selection: Initially, we chose technologies that we introduced to DM.
- Approval and Proof of Concept: We agreed on the technologies together and conducted a Proof of Concept.
- Setup in Local Environment: We set up an AWS account for the company and implemented a Tape Gateway in their local environment, which we connected to their AWS account where we created virtual tapes.
- Data Loading: Once set up, we loaded the tapes into Veeam.
- Backup Testing: DM then created test backup plans on AWS tapes.
Implementation Time
- Technology Selection and Test Environment Setup: 2 weeks.
- Backup Testing and Functional Verification, Including Backup Recovery Testing: About six months.
AWS Tools Used
We implemented a solution using AWS Tape Gateway, which allows data tapes created in AWS to be loaded into the on-premises environment. This way, DM can work with them as before, because Veeam (which the company already had, thus avoiding further investment) can read these virtual AWS tapes just like local ones.
With our help, they operationalized the Tape Gateway on their side, a virtual machine built on Linux (no license fee required). Upon launch, the Tape Gateway connects to the DM AWS account, enabling it to load virtual data tapes in AWS. All communication between the local Tape Gateway and AWS occurs through an encrypted connection using HTTPS protocol.
Benefits of Our Solution
- Cost Reduction for Data Archiving: 24,000 CZK per year.
- Increased Resilience to Hardware Failures: Less hardware means fewer things can break.
- Elimination of On-Premise Tape Mechanism Management: The company no longer had to deal with the security and storage of archived tapes.
- Pay-as-You-Go: With AWS, they now only pay for the actual data stored, not for tape capacity.
- Previously, if they bought a 1 TB tape and used only half, they still paid for the full capacity. Now in AWS, if they use only 500 GB, they only pay for the used capacity.
"I would like to thank Hardys Digital for helping us set up our archiving processes and moving all archival data to the AWS cloud. By moving all our archives to the cloud, we no longer have to think about replacing tapes in the mechanism several times a year and about long-term and secure storage of archival tapes. We also saved considerable costs on acquiring new tape mechanisms and data tapes.
We appreciate the personal approach and the opportunity to deploy a pilot project for long-term testing of archiving to the cloud. From this, we were able to retrospectively calculate the real costs of transferring and storing archived data."
—Roman Pospíšil, IT LEADER, Daido Metal Czech
Cost Comparison: Tape Mechanism Acquisition vs. AWS Service Costs
| Cost Item | Tape Mechanism (Over 7 Years) | AWS Service (Over 7 Years) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Cost | 160,000 CZK (Tape mechanism lifespan of 7 years) | 6,000 CZK (Configuration and deployment) |
| Annual Cost | 10,000 CZK (Set of tapes per year) | 0 CZK (Operation of the pilot project for half a year) |
| Total Annual Cost | 33,000 CZK | 9,000 CZK |
| Cumulative Cost over 7 Years | 230,000 CZK | 62,000 CZK |
AWS Savings vs. On-Premise Solution
Annual Savings: 24,000 CZK
Result: Reduced Initial and Operational Costs for Data Storage
Compared to the original solution, initial costs for technology acquisition dropped—nothing is paid upfront for AWS, and there's no need to purchase specialized hardware (tape mechanisms and data tapes). There's also no need to physically change tapes every approximately four months or regularly check the readability of data on tapes and store them in a separate area. The only new element is a virtual machine installed on an existing on-premise server.
From the moment the new solution was implemented, the company only pays for the data it actually archives. Storage prices vary by class, but for long-term data storage, the cost is approximately $1.8 per 1 TB of data per month ( depending on the selected AWS region).
Now, Daido Metal does not need to plan tape purchases in advance—in the AWS environment, they can create virtual data tapes in various numbers and capacities, and have them loaded within 10 minutes. Previously, they had to budget for and plan tape purchases and sizes. If they did not use them, they were buying unnecessarily.
We thank Daido Metal Czech for their trust and cooperation.