Having upgraded both hardware and software a number of times over a relatively short period and having the added complication of unspecified tapes inherited as a result of an acquisition, this financial client was faced with a number of challenges ahead of a compliance audit by an external regulator.
They needed to understand exactly what data they had on tape, what format this data was in and if it could be restored should the need arise. eMag quickly catalogued and identified all data that originated from the bank itself and ran a proof of concept programme to ensure that all formats present could effectively be restored. An integrity audit showed that the tapes had been kept in near perfect conditions and that restores were unlikely to be a problem in the future.
However, the data from two unidentified batches of tapes inherited at the time of merger were not immediately recognised by MM/PC. This meant either that the tapes were in some way damaged or that the format in which they had been recorded was one that was not represented amongst the 1200 supported formats.
Sample tapes were analysed in the eMag laboratory and were shown to be in excellent condition, suggesting that it was an unrecognised format rather than damage to the tape that was the issue. However, this analysis also showed that the data formats in each of the batches were different from each other, suggesting that very different systems had been used in the creation of each.
The first batch of tapes then underwent analysis by the software development team who found that the tapes were produced using a very early version of Openmail, part of the HP Openview suite.
Within 48 hours a new handler was developed, tested and used to catalogue the tapes. This handler was then added to the MM/PC formats library.
The second batch proved more challenging until it was discovered that the Openmail data had first been backed up using leading Windows based software, then this data was again backed up, this time using a Unix based system. Once the thread was unravelled, a new handler was created within 48 hours and added to the library.
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