Mainframe Backups: Are You Relying on Expensive Disks?

Most mainframe systems are backed up to virtual tape—but those virtual tape libraries (VTLs) depend on disks (and sometimes even a physical tape) as the backend. They have a hardware front-end that manages the transformation from sequential files to a format that can be stored on the disk. According to Total Data Migration, about 80% of all data is “cold storage" data—it’s written once, then stored for months, or years, without being accessed. So, if it’s stored for so long without ever being accessed, why is it sitting on a spinning disk where it’s using costly power and cooling when it could go somewhere less expensive?

Moving storage off VTLs to cloud storage – either on-prem or off-prem – saves organizations around 50% of costs. With Rocket^® Cloud Connector, you can move files synchronously (in real-time), or asynchronously for datasets that are already in existence. Tracking the cloud files can be managed by the existing tape management system or by using the system catalog.

Leveraging^® Rocket Cloud Connector adds critical disaster recovery (DR) capabilities for organizations as cloud storage can then be replicated to another site for disaster recovery, or the DR site can simply connect to the cloud and recall the required data. Whether a business has a dedicated site or is subscribed to a DR provider, both will be able to access data and better adhere to their own standard disaster recovery processes. Rocket Software’s solutions are capable of handling both on-premise and off-premise cloud needs while supporting protocols that are S3-compatible and include FTP, Hitachi Content Platform (HCP), Amazon Simple Storage Services (S3), and IBM^® Softlayer (IBM^® Cloud Object Storage).

Rocket Cloud Connector also adds crucial storage options like encryption using the IBM Integrated Cryptographic Service Facility (ICSF). That cloud data can also be compressed using zEnterprise Data Compression (zEDC) and with Rocket Cloud Connector using the IBM zSystems Integrated Information Processor (zIIP), organizations are able to free up general computing capacity in their processors.

Interested in reducing the storage costs associated with backup systems? Learn how Rocket Software and Rocket Cloud Connector can help.