CASE STUDY

Secure Recovery of Critical Banking Data from Damaged LTO 7 Tape

How a financial institution successfully recovered audit and transactional data Stellar Data Recovery for Tape while maintaining compliance and data security

Introduction:

A mid-sized banking institution responsible for managing large volumes of transactional, customer, and audit data stored on LTO 7 tapes backups to meet long-term retention and regulatory requirements.

Business Challenge:

During an internal audit and data verification exercise, the bank discovered that several LTO 7 tapes had become inaccessible due to tape degradation and read errors. These tapes contained critical financial and audit records required for compliance reporting.

As a regulated financial organization, the bank could not risk exposing sensitive data to third-party recovery service providers. With audit deadlines approaching, delays could have resulted in regulatory penalties, operational disruption, and reputational risk. The IT team needed a secure, reliable, and in-house tape data recovery solution.

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Statement from the customer:

Stellar Data Recovery for Tape enabled us to recover sensitive financial and audit data internally while maintaining strict compliance requirements. The solution helped us save time, reduce costs, and avoid operational risks during a critical audit phase”

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Solution:

After evaluating available options, the bank deployed Stellar Data Recovery for Tape within its secure IT environment. The software was integrated with the existing tape drive infrastructure, allowing the IT team to perform recovery operations internally.

Using Stellar Data Recovery for Tape, the team was able to scan damaged LTO 7 tapes, identify recoverable data, and selectively restore critical files without overwriting original data. The entire process was completed offline, ensuring full control over sensitive information.

Results:

The bank successfully recovered critical transactional and audit data from damaged LTO 7 tapes within the required audit timelines.

Key outcomes included:

Approximately 65% reduction in recovery time compared to external recovery services
Estimated cost savings of $5K-$10K by avoiding third-party recovery labs
Zero data exposure, ensuring full compliance with internal security and regulatory standards
Seamless completion of audit activities without penalties or delays

Conclusion:

Stellar Data Recovery for Tape proved to be a reliable and secure solution for recovering mission-critical banking data from damaged LTO tapes. By enabling in-house recovery, the bank maintained data sovereignty, met regulatory obligations, and ensured business continuity.

Confidentiality & Security Disclaimer:

As this case involves banking and other confidentiality-driven industries, client identities and sensitive details are intentionally withheld to comply with data security and privacy regulations.

Statement from the customer:

"Stellar Data Recovery for Tape enabled us to recover sensitive financial and audit data internally while maintaining strict compliance requirements. The solution helped us save time, reduce costs, and avoid operational risks during a critical audit phase"

Banking & Financial Services,*Confidential

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