HP bangs the drum for tape storage
Vendor claims LTO-5 launch will help ensure tape format remains a "relevant" offering
Tape crusader: HP claims tape remains "the most popular format for data protection"
HP has added its voice to the debate over what the future holds for data tape storage by proclaiming the technology is still “very relevant” for the channel.
The vendor said tape is “the most popular format for data protection” and that it still sells an “overwhelming number of tapes” through its channel partners.
Michael Law, product manager for HP StorageWorks in the UK and Ireland, said: “There has been something of a decline in the overall market, with USB phasing out tape use at the lower end, but we are still seeing a strong demand for tape.”
Law said the arrival of LTO-5 – the latest generation of the linear tape-open (LTO) format – brings improved data capacity and transfer speeds, and should ensure tape is around for a long time. Announced in January, LTO-5’s specifications include capacity of 1.5 terabytes and a data transfer rate of 140MB/s. A 2:1 compression rate would allow for both capacity and data transfer to be doubled.
Law said: “The capacity offered by the LTO tape has doubled over the life-time of the format, and the cost per GB of storing data on the LTO-5 [compared with previous generations] is now very low.”
Ray Quattromini, managing director of HP VAR Fortuna Data Systems, said the arrival of LTO-5 would provide the tape market with a “much-needed shot in the arm.”
“It is a big step forward for the technology because the capacity is huge and the data transfer speeds are very impressive,” he explained.
Bob Tarzey, service director at analyst Quocirca, said: “If tape is going to survive, the LTO-5 format will help because it increases the data transfer rate by about 50 per cent over LTO-4.
“Tape also has the advantage of portability, but you can back up disks over a network to a remote site, too.”