Almost every data center relies on an offsite tape rotation service for disaster recovery. Over time a great deal of used tapes build up and need to be disposed of. There is a market for these used tapes but is recycling really the right approach for a companies data? In my opinion, no. This data is too important just to trust that it was properly erased. The only sensible solution is to have a hard drive shredding service turn your tapes into little bits that can't be recovered. But don't take my word on it; here is what Tech Target has to say on the subject.

President Obama visited Metropolitan Archives in Landover, Maryland yesterday to announce a plans to help provide loans to small businesses. Metropolitan Archives provides records storage, document scanning and shredding to Washington, DC area businesses. And with a secure facility in place I hope it made life a little easier on the secret service.

Many people worry about the security of their documents if they send them off to India for document imaging. And there is reason to be concerned. In an undercover operation, British officials have purchased hundreds of medical records from two Indian men. The records were sent to India for processing.

When you pick a document scanning service make sure they follow HIPAA guidelines and maintain a chain of custody for every record. If the records are going oversees then it makes it impossible to visit their operation and verify the security they claim.

Cloud computing has been all the talk in the technology world. More and more applications are moving to the cloud and taking their data with them. But is cloud computing really enterprise ready? I would agree with Jon Brodkin that it isn't. Look no further than the recent outage and loss of data on sidekicks.

Enterprise data is much too important to be entirely trusted on a cloud network. The problem is not only with reliability but with security.

The cloud looks like it is coming but for now make sure you have always have access to your data. And don't forget to have a tape rotation plan to an off-site facility.