CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS
Tape is Long-Lasting The average hard disk drive lasts somewhere between three and five years . Flash drives usually last about 10 . “ Tape has better longevity than almost any other medium . A flash drive won ' t last for 30 years , but a tape reel can ,” Walls enthuses .
Tape storage also doesn ’ t draw power . A disk drive spins constantly , even when not in use . “ Tape doesn ' t need energy when you ’ re not using it ,” says Walls . “ That ’ s one of the most beautiful things about it , and why the hyperscalers love it .” Of course , building a storage device that you can fill with data , leave on a shelf for 30 years , retrieve , and extract all that data in readable condition , is no mean feat . “ It is amazing the types of obstacles you have to overcome when you ' re designing a new generation of tape ,” remarks Walls . “ That tape is going to need to be stored for 30 years under pressure all the time , at different temperatures - hyperscalers these days like to run their data centres much hotter than in the past - At different humidities . Designing a tape that can last for all that time in all sorts of different environmental conditions , and be read by a different generation of tape drive than the one it was written on , is an extremely difficult task .”
Tape is Safe Security is a greater concern to data centre operators and the companies they serve than ever before . In the wake of a year in which the global shift to remote work has left companies more exposed than ever to a rising tide of cyber attacks , being able to
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