Rumours of the death of the low-cost Digital Data Storage (DDS) tape format appear to have been exaggerated. The name may have changed but DAT 72 is, in effect, the fifth incarnation of DDS, based on the same 4mm helical scan technology and able to read and write older DDS-3/4 cartridges.

However, with new 170-metre tape cartridges the HP StorageWorks DAT 72 can store 36GB of data on each tape, over half as much again as DDS-4, rising to 72GB with compression applied - hence the new name.

As well as being a lot cheaper than more exotic alternatives, such as Sony's AIT and Tandberg VS160 products, DDS drives have always won favour because of their small size. It's good, therefore, to find that doesn't change with the StorageWorks DAT 72, which can be had as either a half-height, 3.5-inch, internal device or as a standalone external solution.

Either way, tapes are loaded VCR-style at the front while round at the back there's a Wide Ultra-3 SCSI interface to connect to the host server. Suitable SCSI cables and a terminator are included, but not a host bus adapter, which has to be bought separately.

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A cleaning cartridge and a single data cartridge are also to be found in the box but it won't break the bank to buy more. In fact we found branded cartridges for sale at a number of online stores for under £15 + VAT each. That's roughly equivalent to 40p per gigabyte even without taking compression into account.

Another bonus is the bundled backup software (TapeWare XE from Yosemite Technologies) included with all versions of the HP drive for use on a single server running Windows, Linux or Novell NetWare. This provides excellent backup and restore facilities together with support for the HP One Button Disaster Recovery (OBDR). And that allows crashed servers to boot from the tape drive and start recovering lost data without having to re-build the operating system or re-install backup software first.

It all sounds pretty good and in practice we found the new HP drive easy to both install and use. The capacity is a good match for most small business servers, too, allowing single tape backups to be taken in most instances, making the whole business a lot less hassle. The only real disappointment was the slow transfer rate of just 3MB/sec, which meant it took several hours to completely fill a tape. On the plus side most backups are run overnight, when performance isn't a major issue. That said, the reverse is usually true for most recovery jobs.

Performance aside, it's hard not to like the little StorageWorks DAT 72, which is bound to find favour with small business buyers. Watch out, though, if you have a lot of data to protect, as there are plenty of alternatives offering the same capacity, if not more, with the added benefit of much faster transfer rates.

This is DDS-5 by another name. The ability to read and write older DDS-3/4 tapes will appeal to existing users, as will the enhanced 36GB (uncompressed) capacity of DAT 72. Performance is disappointing but there's one-button disaster recovery and good bundled software, making for a capable and affordable small business backup solution.