“Overall, ViTL has made our IBM i backups more reliable and convenient. No more tape I/O errors. No more using multiple tapes when saving and restoring one large library. Gone are the days of driving to our offsite tape vault. The convenience of running backups and restores remotely is immeasurable.” – System Administrator, Transportation Management Co.
For many IBM i organizations, that experience sounds familiar. Physical tape continues to provide a reliable backup medium, but managing tape infrastructure often introduces operational complexity, administrative overhead, and recovery delays that consume valuable IT resources. As backup requirements grow and recovery expectations increase, many organizations are looking for ways to reduce tape management while improving recovery readiness. For a growing number of IBM i teams, virtual tape is proving to be a practical path forward.
The Hidden Cost of Managing Physical Tape
Tape remains a reliable storage medium, but managing it requires ongoing effort.
IT teams often spend time handling media rotations, tracking cartridge inventories, transporting tapes offsite, troubleshooting tape hardware, and verifying successful backups. These activities may be routine, but they add complexity to an already busy operational environment.
Physical tape also introduces dependencies that can slow recovery efforts. Before a restore can begin, the required media must be located, retrieved, loaded, and verified. In many situations, this process adds valuable time when systems and users are waiting for data to be restored.
While tape may still serve a role in some organizations, many IBM i teams are looking for ways to reduce these administrative burdens without sacrificing the backup workflows they depend on.
What Is Virtual Tape?
Virtual tape technology emulates traditional tape libraries and tape drives while storing backup data on disk-based storage systems.
From the IBM i perspective, backup operations continue to work much like they always have. Existing backup procedures, commands, and applications can continue to operate using familiar tape-based processes.
Behind the scenes, however, backup data is written to high-performance disk storage rather than physical tape cartridges.
This approach allows organizations to preserve operational familiarity while gaining the advantages of modern storage technology.
Less Tape Management
One of the most immediate benefits of virtual tape is the reduction in day-to-day tape administration.
With virtual tape, organizations can eliminate many of the tasks associated with physical media management, including:
- Handling and rotating tape cartridges
- Managing offsite tape transportation
- Tracking tape inventories
- Replacing worn or damaged media
- Maintaining tape library hardware
- Addressing tape-related backup failures
Reducing these manual processes allows IT staff to spend less time managing backup infrastructure and more time focusing on strategic projects and operational priorities.
“Our backup speeds have been cut in half, even with the offsite replication.” – Financial Services Company
Faster Recovery When It Matters Most
While backup performance is important, recovery performance is often where virtual tape delivers its greatest value.
Recovering data from disk-based virtual tape storage is faster and more efficient than locating and restoring data from physical tape media. Backup images remain immediately accessible without the need to retrieve cartridges or load media into tape drives.
This can significantly reduce recovery times for:
- Individual files and objects
- Libraries and application data
- Entire systems
- Disaster recovery operations
When a restore request arrives, having backup data readily available can help reduce downtime and accelerate the recovery process.
Modernization Without Reinvention
One reason virtual tape has become an attractive option for IBM i environments is that it allows organizations to modernize backup infrastructure without requiring a complete redesign of existing processes.
Administrators can continue using familiar backup procedures while benefiting from improved operational efficiency, faster access to backup data, and simplified management.
Rather than forcing teams to choose between maintaining legacy workflows and adopting modern technology, virtual tape bridges the gap between the two.
Evaluating Virtual Tape for IBM i
Organizations considering virtual tape should evaluate several factors, including:
- Backup and recovery objectives
- Current tape management requirements
- Recovery time expectations
- Disaster recovery strategies
- Future data growth
For many IBM i environments, virtual tape provides a practical way to simplify backup operations while improving overall recovery readiness.
The result is a backup environment that is easier to manage, more responsive during recovery events, and better aligned with modern IT requirements.
JOIN US FOR A LIVE DEMONSTRATION
If you’re interested in seeing how virtual tape works in an IBM i environment, join us for our upcoming webinar:
“Virtual Tape for IBM i: Less Tape Management, Faster Recovery“
Featuring LaserVault ViTL – A Simpler Approach to IBM i Backup and Recovery
During this live session, we’ll discuss the operational advantages of virtual tape and provide a detailed demonstration of LaserVault ViTL, showing how organizations can simplify backup administration, reduce tape-related challenges, and accelerate recovery operations.
Date: June 23
Time: 1pm CT/2pm ET
Format: Virtual, demo + Q&A
Whether you’re actively evaluating alternatives to physical tape or simply exploring ways to modernize IBM i backup and recovery, this webinar will provide practical insights you can apply to your environment. Designed for IT directors and managers, IBM i administrators, and infrastructure teams responsible for backup, recovery, and business continuity, this session also helps VARs and MSPs better understand how to solve backup and recovery challenges faced by IBM i customers today.
If you are looking at ways to strengthen IBM i resilience and seamlessly streamline daily operations and want to learn more visit LaserVault or email ax@laservault.com.
About LaserVault
For over 35 years, LaserVault (Electronic Storage Corporation) has been building reliable software solutions for IBM Power Systems. Our team combines deep technical experience with responsive support to help businesses and resellers get exactly what they need—fast.
We also partner with IBM, Cohesity, Rubrik, ExaGrid, Pure Storage and other technical experts to deliver trusted, modern solutions.
Visit laservault.com or email info@laservault.com to request a quote, schedule a demo, or ask about our reseller program.
LaserVault / Electronic Storage Corporation
ax@laservault.com
918-640-2630
