What do we tend to think about when we consider securing our system? Network controls; encryption of data during transmission; user login protection; database file authorities; security system value configuration; etc. Two of the biggest threats that can be overlooked are printed output and tape backups.

Tape backups in particular are a big security threat because very often the tape volumes are transferred offsite and one tape could quite easily hold a backup of your entire system. What if it fell into the wrong hands? What if it’s contents were restored?

Encryption of tape backups is simple to set up whether it be a hardware solution (encryption is performed by the tape library) or a software solution (encryption is performed by the IBM i itself).

Backup Recovery and Media Services is the integrated backup software provided by IBM for IBM i. It controls your backups; rotation of media and recovery options and it also has the ability to encrypt your backups. Lost or stolen tape media is no longer an issue.