IBM storage keeps tape alive and kicking

With most analysts saying data held by enterprises is growing at an exponential rate, the challenge is to find somewhere to put it. IBM made the issue a key focus of its announcement.

Tape is a technology that many people thought had little future, but IBM is showing faith in tape as the technology of last resort.

The IBM TS3500, shown here, has been newly designed, according to Charlie Andrews, worldwide director of system storage products at IBM. Its drive can store a massive 3PB (petabytes), he said. Some of the increase came from changing the design of the frame.

"Traditionally there are three walls to the frame, so we added another wall," Andrews told ZDNet.co.uk. The TS3500 takes 1,500 1TB (terabyte) cartridges in a frame that covers 10 square feet.