In 1975, Gordon Moore projected that the rate of data growth in integrated circuits would double every two years. This forecast has become known as Moore’s Law, and has proven accurate for several decades, as well as contributing to many advancements in digital technology.
With all of this data, the demand for data storage is at an all time high. The technology world has come a long way since the era of the paper punch card. The 1880’s began to shape the ways we store and process data today using tabulating machines and punch cards. These punch cards were soon replaced by magnetic tape storage, due to the physical space limitations of the paper punch cards. Tape storage is still being used today, though it is mainly used for old records that do not require immediate access. In addition to magnetic tape, the 1950’s also brought the world’s first hard drive. Weighing as much as an elephant, this hard drive could store just five megabytes of data. Many average hard drives now can store 1 terabyte of data, which equals 1,000,000 megabytes, and only weigh about two pounds. Advanced systems can store multiple petabytes, even more than modern data storage needs require. Since IBM created the first hard drive, there have been huge technological strides made to increase storage capacity and decrease physical size.
The next big era in data storage began with cassette tapes, and eventually CDs. The invention of the removable hard drive allowed for these advancements. By the early 2000’s, innovation in technology provided us with USB flash drives and SD cards to improve more on the portability and performance of storage options.
The next form of storage on the horizon is cloud based. Cloud storage offers scalability and accessibility through the network. Cloud storage lowers total cost of ownership as it replaces hardware and a large amount of capital. It offers a fast infrastructure to perform many information management tasks efficiently. The new evolution of cloud storage has just begun, and its rise will make even more new technologies possible in the future.
Keeping your company updated and integrated with current technology can be vital to your organization. It is always smart to have a solid information management plan in place. BSC offers document and information management solutions customized to fit your needs. Take a look at all of our solutions-from premise based, to cloud based- to find one that is right for your organization.