Storage of mission critical data is one of the biggest concerns of corporations.  The cost of storage, the method of storage and the retrieval of stored data are engaging the attention of IT Administrators in a way that it never did before. In the early days of the Information revolution, data was stored in tapes and cassettes and secured offline with a time horizon of 30 years.  However, this storage was voluminous and often chaotic and data retrieval was a pain.  Newer storage devices now provide alternate storage methodologies that are attractive.

Pioneer has announced a 16 layer read only optical disc with a mega storage capacity of 400 GB.  What is so interesting about this device? This storage device has been hailed as one of the most important breakthroughs in storage technology. Earlier versions of optical discs were riddled with problems. They were unable to relay signals clearly from the different layers and cross talk rendered the device useless.  Pioneer has solved the problem of cross talk from adjacent layers by using a disc production technology that was first introduced into the DVD arena. The prediction is that future optical discs will provide much denser storage per layer and will continue to evolve as the science of optics is studied.

Ultra Density Optical (UDO) discs are third generation optical discs 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 but, “if you are holding your breath for that, you had better get a scuba tank”. So far the optical disc storages have not proven to be worthy in a commercial market and there are many kinks that have to be sorted out.

However, most experts do agree that the 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 acknowledged to be dead, continue to be pertinent because they are constantly being improved, cost a lot less and are durable.

The Future?  Most experts predict that future data storage will be achieved by a hybrid of RAM based or sometime of flash based solid state memory, perhaps even a touch of holographic technology.

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