Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Four Reasons Tape is More Reliable an Disk by Jay Livens

03/03/2014

It is not uncommon to see many different technologies in the data center including disk, tape, SSD and even optical. Each of these solutions provides unique benefits from a performance, reliability and availability perspective. However, the one element that frustrates me is when vendors (typically disk-centric ones) point to tape as a technology that is outdated and unreliable. It is clear that all technologies have their strengths and weaknesses, but reliability is not typically one associated with tape. In this blog post, I will walk through four reasons why tape is more reliable than disk.

1. Bit Error Rate

Bit error rate (BER) is a concept that sounds complex, but in reality isn't. It is simply a measure of the total of number of expected erroneous bits as compared to the total number of bits received. In the most simplistic terms, it quantifies the likelihood of a faulty bit as a percent of total number of bits written. The table below is taken from the LTO website and highlights how the BER of tape compares to that of disk storage.

As you can see tape has at least a 10x improvement in BER versus the most expensive enterprise disks. However, since LTO is normally used for backup and archiving, SATA has historically been the disk alternative of choice and in this case tape's BER is 100x better! In summary, the likelihood of tape writing an incorrect bit is between 10x and 100x better than an equivalent disk drive.

2. Read After Write

There is a risk with any medium that what you want to write does not actually get written. Why would this silent corruption occur? Well, it could be caused by a number of things, but is often related to an unexpected error in the storage hardware. LTO tape incorporates technology to directly address this risk. As described in this primer, LTO drives natively re-read data as soon as it is written to validate accuracy. This is powerful because this error checking occurs with every write without any need for user intervention. Furthermore, any errors experienced are addressed in real time. If you compare this to disk arrays, the situation gets murky; each disk vendor has a unique RAID algorithm which may or may not include verification. Some arrays may go back at a later time to scrub the disk for errors, but the delayed analysis misses the real time verification and correction that LTO provides. Simply put, when you write data to LTO you can be confident that the tape is accurately storing your information.

3. Data Storage is Abstracted from Data Access

A hard drive is a self-contained device that includes data storage (magnetic platters where information is physically stored) and access (drive heads that move to read/write information and motors to spin the platters and move the heads). A disk drive is presented to the world as a simple block device (through SATA, SAS or FC, typically), but this simplicity masks the complexity of the underlying technology and microscopic tolerances required when manufacturing these items. All of the components inside the hard drive must operate in perfect harmony to access stored information and if any of them fails then all the stored data on the medium is inaccessible. A corrupted drive can be fixed, but the process is extremely complex, time consuming and costly and so most users bypass drive recovery and instead rely on RAID technology to solve the problem.

Tape is different because it separates data storage from data access. In the tape world, data is stored on removable tape media such as LTO-6, but the information is only readable when inserted into a tape drive. Hence data access is separated from storage. This separation is noteworthy because it changes the reliability dynamics since a failed tape drive can easily be replaced while the underlying data remains intact. It also brings interesting compatibility benefits because you can upgrade the data access device (tape drives) separately from the underlying data (the tapes). LTO enables this use case by providing 3 generations of LTO format backwards compatibility (e.g. an LTO-5 drive can read data from LTO-5, LTO-4 and LTO-3 media.)

4. Bit Rot

Extended data retention is the norm in today's IT environments. Yet as retention extends, users need to be cognizant of the consistent readability of their storage medium. Bit rot refers to the gradual degradation of magnetic media that can happen over time and can result in data corruption. Noted industry Analyst W. Curtis Preston discusses this concept in a blog post entitled Tape more reliable than disk for long term storage. The long and short is that all magnetic media face the risk of bit rot, but disk faces a higher risk than tape due its smaller magnetic particles and higher operating temperature. Thus customers can be more confident of the long-term viability of data stored on tape versus disk. Additionally, this formula also helps explain why LTO tapes are stated to last 30 years while the average disk subsystem is replaced every five years.

In summary, disk and tape are complementary technologies that provide strong benefits. Disk excels when it comes to random read and write performance which is why most customers use it as a target for near-term backup and recovery operations. However, it is also clear that tape brings substantial benefits as well and is the optimal medium for longer-term data storage and preservation. As a user, I encourage you to think carefully about the technology you are using to ensure that you are using the right technology to solve your business challenges.

Chart source: LTO Website
LINK: http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
See more stories from ironmountain

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

28/05/2026

Amazon MGM Studios, AWS Launch GenAI Creators' Fund

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

AudioShake Launches Copyright Compliance System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Big Blue Marble Advances 5G Broadcast

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Will Must-Carry Make It to NextGen TV?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Swiss Broadcaster Canal Alpha Streamlines Playout to Deli...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonics award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to ...

28/05/2026

Calrec Scales ImPulseV to Expand Choice in Virtualized Audio Workflows

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With...

Riedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expanded its backstage communications and te...

28/05/2026

Digital Alert Systems Ed Czarnecki to Speak on Advanced E...

Company's VP Government and International to Address How Broadcasters Can Operationalize Advanced Emergency Information for NextGen TV Digital Alert Syst...

28/05/2026

Radio BGM Upgrades and Futureproofs with DHD SX2 Audio Mi...

Radio BGM (https://radiobgm.org.uk/), Llanellis multiple-award-winning community and hospital radio station, has invested in a DHD SX2 audio mixing console and ...

28/05/2026

Calrec Scales ImPulseV to Empower Broadcasters with Great...

Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters as they enter a new broadcast age, Calrec announces an expansion to its ImPulseV...

28/05/2026

NAB, MPA and NCTA Defend Current TV Ratings System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Amazon MGM Studios, AWS Launch the GenAI Creators' Fund

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

AudioShake Launches New Copyright Compliance System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

ITV Studios Deploys Cuez Live Production Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

ACT Entertainment Introduces Green Hippo Estuary Series a...

Green Hippo, an ACT Entertainment brand, will pull back the curtain on the Estuary Series, a next-generation media control platform engineered for the scale, sp...

28/05/2026

ZEISS Introduces Panoptes 65 Cinema Lenses at Cine Gear E...

First Hands-On Opportunity at Universal Studios Lot, June 5-6 Oberkochen, Germany, May 27, 2026 ZEISS is launching their new Panoptes 65 primes at Cine Gear ...

28/05/2026

Wooden Camera Releases New Accessories for Blackmagic URS...

Irvine, CA May 20, 2026 Wooden Camera today announced the release of new accessories for the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive. The new lineup includes a redes...

28/05/2026

Six films, one unmissable collection. First Facts documentaries debut on 10 Streaming

Six films, one unmissable collection. First Facts documentaries debut on 10 Stre...

28/05/2026

Emma Watkins brings all-new Emma's Dance Club to ABC Kids

Emma Watkins brings all-new Emma's Dance Club to ABC Kids 28 May 2026 Emmas Dance Club. Image credit: Sarah Wilson. The ABC, Screen Australia and Screen N...

28/05/2026

Cool Concentric Text for Cavalry

Cool Concentric Text for Cavalry Simon Ubsdell May 27, 2026 0 Comments In this tutorial I'll show you how to make this popular text effect that is...

28/05/2026

Wild Conamara, a major two-part natural history documentary series, airs this week on RT

RT presents Wild Conamara, a two-part natural history documentary that brings a...

28/05/2026

The Name's Gaming Cloud Gaming: 007 First Light' Launches on GeForce NOW

License to stream, shaken and stirred. GeForce NOW is dialing up the espionage with the launch of 007 First Light, letting members slip into James Bond's r...

28/05/2026

NVIDIA Research Advances Robotics From Simulation to the Real World

Robotics is entering a new phase: moving from controlled demos and scripted automation toward generalizable, reliable embodied autonomy in the real world. At ...

28/05/2026

May 21, 2026

Scripps Research's Skaggs Graduate School awards doctoral degrees to 34th graduating class May 21, 2026 Scripps Research's Skaggs Graduate School of ...

28/05/2026

May 27, 2026

Scripps Research chemist Jin-Quan Yu is named a Fellow of the Royal Society Yu is honored by the U.K.'s national academy of sciences for his work in synthet...

27/05/2026

Telestream Appoints Benjamin Desbois as CEO, Effective July 1

Telestream has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Benjamin Desbois as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Desbois, currently Teles...

27/05/2026

FOX MLB Leads Live-Event Categories; ESPN Is Tops Overall at 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards

ESPN garnered 10 awards; NBC's Sunday Night Football received the Outstandin...

27/05/2026

Matrox Video Marks 50th Anniversary, Announces New Product Launch for June

Matrox Video is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of operations from its headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Founded in 1976, the company has...

27/05/2026

MLB Announces Fan Engagement Initiatives for Americas 250th Anniversary

Major League Baseball has announced a series of initiatives tied to America's Semiquincentennial, including a national marketing campaign, Fourth of July br...

27/05/2026

Advanced Systems Group Hires Brian Gross as Account Manager for Audio Team

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has announced that Brian Gross has joined the company as an Account Manager on its Audio team, based in the Burbank office. He will...

27/05/2026

Nielsen Research: Hispanic Fans, Asian Markets Drive Global Soccer Audience Ahead of World Cup 2026

Nielsen has released new research on soccer fandom ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2...

27/05/2026

ESL FACEIT Group Debuts First Ever Esports Vertical Stream Co-Developed With TikTok

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has unveiled a new partnership with TikTok to bring broad...

27/05/2026

Two Weeks Away: FIFA Outlines Production Plans for Highly Anticipated North American-Based World Cup

FIFA's Oscar Sanchez gives a deeper look to how this tournament will be cove...

27/05/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Maggie Lynn, Virginia Tech

The soon-to-be senior from Charlottesville is building her skills in replay, TD, and even creative content for HokieVision and its ACC Network productions In t...

27/05/2026

A Global Festival of Football: FOX Sports Illustrates Strategy to Bring Every FIFA Mens World Cup Match to the U.S. Audience

FOX Sports' Mike Davies breaks down the vision for this summer's showcas...

27/05/2026

Top-Tier Storytelling: Host Broadcast Services Works at Capturing the Atmosphere of the FIFA Mens World Cup

HBS's Paul King, FIFA's Oscar Sanchez preview how the masses at home wil...

27/05/2026

Matt Gangl & Pete Macheska on FOX MLBs Huge Night and an Unforgettable Postseason Run

FOX's MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards...

27/05/2026

FOXs Mike Davies and Team on Outstanding Technical Team Win for 2025 World Series

One of the most memorable Postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...

27/05/2026

NBC Sports Rob Hyland Reflects on an Unforgettable Sunday Night Football Season

NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most decorated and most watched programs in the history of television. It added to its jam-packed trophy case on Tu...

27/05/2026

Prime Videos John Ward and Mike Francis on Groundbreaking NBA on Prime Video Studio

The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...

27/05/2026

Countdown to FIFA World Cup 2026: SVG Launches SportsTechLive Blog in Lead-up to Winter Games

With the Opening Match just over two weeks away, the entire sports-production-te...

27/05/2026

Spotify Brings Long-Form Magazine Articles to Audio

Spotify already brings together listeners' favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks in one place. Now, we're trialing a new format that expands the cont...

27/05/2026

Podcast Clips Make Your Favorite Moments Easier to Save and Share

The best podcast moments deserve more than just a mental note. That's why today, we're making those moments easier to save and share with clips. Whethe...

27/05/2026

Spotify and Netflix Partner With Jay Shetty to Bring On Purpose' to Video Across Both Platforms

On Purpose is one of the most popular podcasts in the world, known for conversat...

27/05/2026

Olivia Rodrigo Brings Billions Club Live to Barcelona: Watch the Concert Film Now

On May 8, 1,500 of Olivia Rodrigo's top fans gathered in Barcelona's Tea...