E-Discovery and Litigation Data
Framework
Backup tapes store point-in-time copies of systems for disaster recovery rather than for retrieval of individual records. Restoring them requires reconstructing the environment, which is slow and expensive relative to searching active systems.
Rotation schedules typically overwrite tapes on a cycle.
Alternative Names:
Backup Media, Disaster Recovery Tape
Why it Matters?
Tapes remain the standard example of inaccessible data, though the analysis has shifted as many organizations moved to cloud backup that is searchable without restoration. The preservation question is separate from the production question: a party may decline to restore tapes as inaccessible while still being obligated to suspend rotation so they are not overwritten. Missing that distinction is a common route to a spoliation finding.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Must backup tapes be preserved even if not produced?
Are tapes still the standard inaccessible source?
