This whole episode is a Mr. Backup rant, where he talks about things that people should really stop doing with their backup systems, starting with backing up directly to tape. There is a place for tape, but it is NOT at the front end of the backup system. Curtis and Prasanna passionately discuss and explain several relics of the ways we used to do things, and why they no longer make sense. Another one is repeated full backups - synthetic or otherwise. Many of them can be addressed by just changing how you use your backup product, but a few of them may cause you to think about making a change. (Hint: if your backup product has been around for more than 20 years, it probably can't get away from some of the relics of the past.)