Firevault vs Quantum Tape
Tape gives you a real air gap when the cartridge is out of the library. Firevault keeps the same physical disconnection but removes the rotation, the offsite retrieval delay and the manual chain of custody.
Both Are Offline. One Is Operationally Lighter.
The architectural choice is not air gap or no air gap. It is how that air gap is operated, audited and restored from.
Quantum LTO Tape
LTO tape provides a genuine physical air gap when the cartridge is ejected from the library and stored offsite. WORM cartridges add write-once assurance. The trade-offs are operational handling, manual chain of custody and recovery speed.
- Real air gap when ejected
- WORM cartridges available
- Manual handling and rotation
Firevault Offline Secure Storage
Firevault holds the gold copy on dedicated hardware in carefully selected colocation bunkers, physically disconnected at OSI Layer 1. Connection windows are scheduled and identity-verified, with every event recorded on a tamper-evident audit trail.
- Layer 1 physical disconnect
- Identity-verified access windows
- Tamper-evident audit trail
Where the Choice Actually Bites
Recovery speed, chain of custody, operational overhead and audit evidence. The places customers feel the difference in a real incident.
Recovery Speed
Tape recovery depends on retrieval from offsite storage, cartridge load, sequential read and any required re-tensioning. Firevault recovery uses a scheduled identity-verified connection window directly to a high-speed link, with no physical media transport in the critical path.
- No offsite retrieval delay
- No sequential read penalty
- Predictable restore time
Chain of Custody
Tape custody depends on the people who pick, transport and file cartridges. Firevault custody is documented end to end inside the bunker, with out of band switching controlled from a separate management plane that does not share the data path.
- No manual cartridge handling
- Out of band switching
- Documented bunker custody
Operational Overhead
Tape requires library maintenance, drive cleaning, slot allocation, rotation schedules and periodic media refresh. Firevault is delivered as a flat monthly subscription. The physical infrastructure, refresh and verification are handled by Firevault.
- No library to maintain
- No rotation to schedule
- Refresh handled by Firevault
Audit and Evidence
Tape audit typically relies on backup application logs and physical movement records. Firevault produces a tamper-evident event log of every connection, disconnection and identity check, suitable for regulators, insurers and board reporting.
- Per-event tamper-evident log
- Identity captured at access
- Insurance and board ready
Want to see how this compares against cold cloud and other architectures.
Firevault vs Quantum Tape, Common Questions
Straight answers on how Offline Secure Storage® behaves in practice.
Keep the air gap, drop the rotation
Talk to Firevault about replacing or complementing a tape rotation with a Layer 1 offline copy.
Takes about 2 minutes. No account needed.