RFG believes IT executives should, if they have not done so already, examine archiving policies, principles, and processes to determine the benefits of a true, active archiving strategy combined with disk-based recovery. Archiving solutions have matured substantially in recent years. Archival solution vendors now offer robust products for a variety of key applications and environments.

Imagine an 18-wheeler moving truck. The trailer is 50 feet long. The owner/operator of the truck requires you, the driver, to always carry a significant quantity of spare parts to meet any on-the-road contingency. The first 10 feet of the trailer are chock full of batteries, extra gas cans, spare parts, tires, and even a full set of tools with which to address any breakdown.

Some 20 percent of the trailer's load-carrying capacity is given up to hauling around these heavy, if seldom used, parts! Efficient? No. Costly? Yes. By definition, 20 percent of the revenue generation capability of this hypothetical trailer is frittered away. And, of course, it requires more fuel to transport all of this dead weight all of the time. Wear and tear on the tractor increases too.