“Declines in the sales of tape media are decreasing and the death of tape has been postponed - indefinitely,” writes Chris Mellor of The Register.

According to recent numbers published by the Santa Clara Consulting Group, in the third quarter of 2013, cartridge sales hit $141.73 million. LTO accounted for a whopping 95 percent of revenue.

When looking at the LTO media type breakdown per version, they are as follows:

- LTO-4 - 38 percent of all units sold
- LTO-5 - 37 percent of all units sold
- LTO-3 - 13 percent of all units sold
- LTO-6 - 8 percent of all units sold
- LTO-1 and LTO-2 - 3 percent of all units sold

The brand breakdown (in terms of popularity) has HP with 31 percent of the market share, followed by Fuji and then IBM.

Trailing behind LTO tape cartridges, the second most popular technology is DDS/DAT at $4.9 million. DLS, DLT-V, AIT, and QIC sales were on the low end of the spectrum.

The following chart shows that magnetic data media sales did drop from 2008, but in Q3 of 2013 sales have leveled off. Mellor suggests that the number may rise gradually due to the use of archival tape used in the cloud and alongside disk. This spells good news for magnetic data media in the coming years.

Want to learn more? We can answer all of your questions and help you save both time and money. Please either call our offices or drop us an e-mail.

We are currently purchasing new and used, all brands and formats. Yes, we buy used tape. Our data destruction processes exceed all standards for data destruction for DOD, GLBA, SOX, HIPAA, FACTA, ETC. Not only will you recoup some of your initial data storage costs, selling your data media for reuse is also the most environmentally conscious solution to ending the life of your tape media.

Don’t shred the tape, shred the data!

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The Economist recently detailed how tape (a 60-year-old technology) offers a solution to a modern problem. The problem being -- storing large amounts of data for less money and with ultimate efficiency. LTO Tape to the rescue!

According to the article, tape is currently the oldest computer storage medium that is still in use. The very first use of tape was on the UNIVAC computer in 1951. While tape saw a decrease in popularity by 14 percent in 2012, statistics show that its currently on the rise.

The reason? Alberto Pace of CERN (a customer of ours) suggests there are four main reasons:

1. Due to the latest advancements in tape, data can be retrieved quickly -- even faster than some hard disks.

2. Tape is reliable. Tape can be stored for 30 years and more and still be utilized. And if it snaps, it is possible to splice it back together. Offline storage also keeps tape from being corrupted or hacked.

3. No power needed to preserve data. Tape can be stored off-line, whereas disk relies on power for anything to occur. If the power goes off and a disk ceases to operate, data isn’t available. Plus, as mentioned above, disk can be compromised by hackers.

4. Tape is cheaper - plain and simple. You get more bang for your buck with tape, not to mention it lasts longer than disk.

While tape offers multiple benefits, it must be mentioned that it isn’t the end-all for the majority or organizations. “It forms a crucial part of storage hierarchy,” says Evangelos Eleftheriou of IBM.

There is “hot data” that must be made available for immediate access. This data can be stored within flash memory. “Lukewarm data” is data that is accessed frequently, but not instantly. Disk is commonly used in this case. And finally, there is “cold data” or data that is rarely accessed. This is where tape comes into play.

Finding the perfect balance within you data storage environment is the key to your success. A growing number of individuals and organizations are waking up to the true benefit of tape for long-term storage.

Regardless of what you may have thought: Tape is alive and well going into 2014!

Big Data Supply, Inc. "Buying and Supplying the Data Center" ...We purchase excess new and used data tape media cartridges, tape drives, libraries, hardware.

Contact us via e-mail or phone, and we’ll help you invest in the very best technologies available.

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LTO tape media was created to offer media professionals an expansive, cost-effective, and stable storage solution for their ever-growing data collection.

With data needs growing exponentially, organizations are quickly finding out that disk-only storage is very expensive -- not to mention it isn’t the most secure method for long-term storage. Data Storage experts, including StorageDNA, have discovered that the cost of LTO is 3-4 times less expensive than disk drive storage and 20 times less than SAN.

LTO-5 and LTO-6 drives with LTFS are manufactured by HP, IBM, and Quantum and tape developed by Fuji, Imation, and Maxell.

The following are the true benefits of LTO and LTFS for long-term archiving:

1. LTO is the most reliable medium on the market. Tape can last for 30 years and more if stored in a stable environment. This assures organizations large and small that their data will be accessible at any moment.

2. LTFS allows for tape to work like disk. Gone are the days in which LTO was hard to navigate through to find a specific piece of data. Now it allows for data to be stored in manner that looks a lot more like disk storage.

3. LTO is recyclable and reusable. One of the major pluses associated with tape is its sustainability. If for any reason you want to purge data stored on a tape, it is possible to completely erase it, have a tape resurfaced, and reuse it again.

At Big Data Supply, Inc., we even offer top dollar for used tape, recycle it, and then sell it. We believe in taking care of Planet Earth and inspiring organizations to make responsible decisions surrounding the technologies they use.

Curious if LTO is the right choice for your data storage needs? We invite you to call our offices or e-mail us your questions and we’ll help you make the right choice.

Have new and/or used tape you’d like to sell? We can also help you recoup some of your initial investment and get cash into your hands.

Thankfully, as we move into 2014, there are a growing number of data storage solutions. We’ll keep you updated!

It’s no secret that in the world of business data is quickly becoming king. Thus, it is essential that organizations think deeply about how they will build a strong and effective data storage system. This must include a carefully thought out plan for surviving data crashes and emergencies.

Emergencies can come in the form of natural disasters, office fires, power outages -- you name it. If you haven’t considered the various ways that your data can be lost or destroyed, you aren't the first. We hope the following tips may help you plan for the future:

1. Take Inventory of Your Data Technologies

First and foremost, it’s vital that you know exactly the types of data you are storing on a regular basis and the types of technologies you are using to store it. In most business environments today, it is quite common for organizations to utilize a number of different data storage mediums.

For example, you may utilize a combination of disk and tape -- or a number of different tape formats. Taking inventory of them all will help pave the road for a solid emergency plan.

2. Get Your Backup Medium Selected and In Place

If you've been putting off data backups, it’s time to get moving. Failure to back up a disk-only storage environment or operating an archaic disk/tape data storage environment, can be dangerous.

A growing number of organizations are realizing the power of the latest versions of LTO tape for daily backups. Because of tape’s offline nature and stability, it is without a doubt the most reliable form of data backup.

We recommend that disk-only or cloud-based environments consider backing up or at least archiving and duplicating all data to tape for best results.

3. Develop Sound Policies and Procedures

Not only must you have the right technologies in place, it is important to set clear policies and procedures to be followed both prior to and after an emergency.

List every natural disaster that may occur in your geographic area and methods for assuring your data will be secure. For example, if you are commonly in the path of tornadoes, you may consider a combination of disk, tape, and cloud storage.

While cloud storage is growing in popularity, we still maintain that tape backups are the most stable form of storage, as the cloud can come with issues of its own. However, if there is a definite chance that your data library could be completely destroyed by a natural disaster, the cloud may be quite important.

4. Strategically Train Your Staff to Handle Emergencies

Make sure your team members know exactly how to handle the various emergencies that can hit. Assign point-persons to specific tasks and provide them comprehensive training for success.

Need to get started on emergency preparedness? We can help steer you in the right direction. Feel free to call our offices for advice! You can also e-mail our team, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.