The majority of corporations are faced with issues about storage. While storage is not difficult, it must be easy to archive and be available when needed.
In the past, tapes and cassettes have often been used to store data. These tapes are often stored in a secure permanent offsite location.
Tape media on average lasts about 30 years and is more durable than disk but tapes take up a lot of space. Now there is a new option for storing data, writes Samantha Sai for storage-biz.news.
Pioneer has announced that it has succeeded in developing a 16-layer read-only optical disc with mega storage capacity of about 400 GB or about 25 GB per layer.
This is a major improvement from the past because multi-layered optical discs have not always been able to relay signals clearly from each layer.
Pioneer has solved the problem of cross talk from adjacent layers using the disc production technology found in the DVD field.
Pioneer predicts that the future of storage in much denser forms will continue to evolve as the science of optics is better studied.
Ultra Density Optical (UDO) discs are third generation optical disc designed for very high-density storage of video data.
Currently available Ultra Density Optical discs have an estimated shelf life of 50 years.
They have been introduced into the market and found to be reliable and durable for short-term use. Currently the UDO is used by banks, health care facilities, and financial corporations.
Pioneer said in a recent statement released from Japan that the growing storage needs of many corporations is expected to drive the demand for higher capacity discs.
The company also mentions that buying just one high capacity optical disc is equal to buying numerous other commercially available discs. This way, resources can be conserved and put to better use.
The experts meanwhile are not impressed. David Hill, an analyst at Mesabi Group argues that such technology may be more "suitable for storing video and archiving at the consumer level".
Likewise, Greg Schulz, an analyst with Storage IO, mentions that for years there has been talk about holographic storage.
However, he adds: "If you are holding your breath for that, you had better get a scuba tank."
So far the optical disc storages have not proven their worth in a commercial market and there are many kinks that have to be sorted out.
However, most experts do agree that Blu-ray at both ends of the market, and in specialized verticals such as video, is improving data storage and preservation.
Despite the great advances in hardware capabilities, the dinosaurs of data storage – the disk and tape – that were long ago proclaimed dead, continue to be pertinent because they are constantly being improved, cost a lot less and are durable.
For the future, most experts predict that data storage will be achieved by a hybrid of RAM based or some kind of flash based solid state memory, perhaps even a touch of holographic technology.
