Magnetic Tape

         Magnetic tape is a tool used to store digital data for a long period of time. A tape drive is used to write or read data being stored on magnetic tape. As of May 2014, Sony has developed magnetic tape that can hold 185 TB of data. Magnetic tapes have to be stored in low temperature and humidity environment. A benefit of magnetic tape is that it does not have to be powered to keep storing the digital content.  The amount of data that can be stored by magnetic tape and its durability are factors that make it a tool that is appealing to a lot of collecting institutions. Deciding on what tools to use to store data is essential in digital archiving and important factors to consider in these tools are durability and access.
 
         While hard disk drives allow for continuous access because they are constantly running and connected to the system, magnetic tape is more like a physical copy. Magnetic tape has a longer shelf life because it is not a running piece of technology so there is no worry of heat damage. Magnetic tape requires a tape drive to read or write data, so there would be some processing time when accessing the content. However, magnetic tape is much more durable than hard disk drives and is the better choice because of that for long term storage.

Coughlin, T. (2014, June 29). Keeping Data For A Long Time. Forbes Magazine .

Sony. (2014, April 30). Corporate Info. Retrieved from Sony: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201404/14-044E/index.html

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