The LTO Show

Rick Vanover — Vice President of Product Strategy at Veeam, the biggest independent name in backup, and the man the internet calls the “Batman of Backup.” Rick joins the LTO Show to talk about Veeam's unique perspective on the tape ecosystem and how they're shaping the future of tap e as the leading ISV in tape backup software

We welcome Chris Bukowski, Senior Manager of Product Management at Spectra Logic, where he's been leading the development and go-to-market strategy for the OSW-2400 SAS Switch. A new take on storage fabrics in a tape environment.

Join The LTO Show at NAB Show 2026. We sit down (and stand up) with YoYotta, Archiware, and Spectralogic with a focus on S3 enabled tape solutions

On this episode, we interview the CEO of Geyser Data, Nelson Nahum. They're using tape storage technology to deliver all the benefits of cloud storage with none of the nasty fees. Just a straight cost per TB per month. On top of that, they offer a compelling business case that goes beyond just archiving to the cloud. Check out this interesting interview with Geyser Data.

We're diving deep into a fascinating case study: what does it actually cost to pull 10 petabytes of data out of AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure and land it in a tape-backed object store that you own and operate? Cloud vendors love to tell us that cold storage is dirt cheap, but Carl's analysis reveals a very different story when you factor in the hidden costs—retrieval fees, egress charges, and that monthly rent you're paying forever.

In this conversation, we break down the total cost of ownership over 5, 10, and 20-year horizons. We compare the major cloud cold storage tiers against a realistic on-premises tape library with disk cache, proper refresh cycles, and operational costs included. We also tackle the practical questions: When does repatriation actually make sense? What's the break-even point? How do you handle rehydration? And what about that egress fee—the half-million-dollar bill just to get your own data back?

Welcome to The LTO Show—the premier podcast for leaders in the tape and storage industries.

For Nathan Thompson, the focus wasn’t on growth at all costs, it was about building  a legacy. Give every employee, even entry-level workers, stock options. "It's probably the only time in their life they'll own something like that," Nathan says. Treat customers like decade-long partners, not one-time transactions. Stay private. Stay focused. And build something that lasts.

The result? Spectralogic—a company that's remained 100% privately owned for over four decades, where employees share in the success they help create, and where customer relationships span generations.

Our CEO Series includes interviews with leaders in the LTO Storage segment. Our first series features Nathan Thompson, the Founder and CEO of Spectra Logic.

In the late 1990s, Nathan Thompson faced a crossroads: his company was building both tape automation hardware AND backup software—competing with everyone in the market. The easy move? Sell the hardware and keep the high margin software business that employed much of his team.

Instead, Nathan did the opposite. He sold the software division to Sterling Software and bet everything on tape libraries.

Our CEO Series includes interviews with leaders in the LTO Storage segment. Our first series features Nathan Thompson, the Founder and CEO of Spectra Logic.

When Nathan Thompson was 13, he bought a non-working pinball machine from a paper route customer and taught himself electronics by reverse-engineering every relay, switch, and stepper motor inside. That kid who couldn't afford a schematic became the founder of Spectra Logic—one of the world's leading data storage companies featuring LTO Technology.

From fixing arcade games in his bedroom to building memory boards in a Boulder basement, Nathan's journey proves that sometimes the best entrepreneurs start by simply refusing to accept that something can't be fixed.

Enjoy Part I of our CEO Series with Nathan Thompson of Spectra Logic.

The premier podcast for leaders in the tape and storage industries.

Today, we're exploring how tape storage is becoming the unsung hero in the age of artificial intelligence, and today we welcome Tom Coughlin, CEO of Coughlin Associates, a leading storage consulting and market research firm. Tom is one of the foremost experts on storage technology trends, and he's been tracking the intersection of AI and storage infrastructure closely.

The LTO Show—the premier podcast for leaders in the tape and storage industries.

Today we welcome Tom Coughlin, CEO of Coughlin Associates, a leading analyst firm that's been tracking storage technology trends for years. Tom recently completed a comprehensive survey of the media and entertainment sector, and the results reveal some fascinating insights about how production facilities—from corporate video producers to Hollywood studios—are managing their storage challenges.