Computer data storage

Computer data storage is a crucial aspect of the Information Age. People and organizations need to store the billions of files they have generated and collected over time. The storage capabilities they use should allow users to organize and protect their data, as well as to access it quickly and efficiently when needed. Many data storage tools allow users to transfer and access data either physically or remotely through networks or Internet-based technologies. This potentially allows users to store and use large amounts of important data at home, in school, or at work and even when they are working or studying remotely.

Over time, engineers and other experts have devised many forms of computer data storage. Each form may or may not be effective for a particular type or quantity of data. Computer experts categorize these forms of storage different ways. For example, they may be categorized based on how long a computer will retain the data; some data is temporary and lasts only for one computing session, while other data must be saved indefinitely. Storage is also commonly categorized by how far away it is from the computer that is using it. Some storage is inside the computer itself, while other storage tools may be physically attached to or put inside the computer. Newer forms of storage technology often use networks or Internet-based cloud tools to store and access data.

Background

In the twenty-first century, computers and computerized devices around the world store trillions of pieces of data. To handle this enormous task, computers must rely on many types of storage, which vary by use. For example, an individual home-computer user seeking to preserve family photos or organize music files has significantly different requirements than a multinational corporation that needs to store thousands of customer credit-card numbers or millions of pieces of information about inventory, sales, and profits.

Choosing the best type of data storage can help computers run efficiently and protect important data. The right kind of data storage also enables users to find and access data quickly and efficiently.

Overview

Computers may hold data in many ways, which are all meant to protect data and keep it in order but differ in certain respects. Computer experts have found several ways of classifying types of data storage depending on different factors, such as whether a particular form of storage is volatile or non-volatile. This level of categorization is based on how long a computer will store a particular piece of data.

Volatile data is information that a computer intends to store for only one session of use or, in other words, as long as the computer is powered by electricity. Once the source of electrical power is gone, the data will be abandoned, typically permanently. Many types of computerized devices rely on volatile storage, such as electronic calculators that can perform a wide variety of math tasks, but lose all information permanently when the device is turned off. In more advanced computers, the best example of volatile storage is memory, or RAM, which is the computer’s ability to open various files, programs, or applications, switch between them, and access additional data. RAM potentially allows a computer to keep a significant amount of data in its short-term memory for immediate use; however, like other forms of volatile storage, once the computer is deactivated, the data disappears. Users cannot re-power their devices to find the same information still on the screen.

The opposite of volatile storage is non-volatile storage, which refers to types of storage that can retain information over a longer term, even if the computerized device is restarted, shut off, or deprived of power. This is a much broader category of storage and contains many different tools, both inside a computer and outside. Likely the clearest and most common example of non-volatile storage is a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD).

An HDD is a small device that from the outside resembles a flat rectangular box and has several important parts inside. The internal workings of an HDD include one or more magnetic discs incised with many thin circles. Each circle is assigned a special code and address and organized within sectors of related data. The HDD includes a small motor that spins the disc or discs and allows a small arm to move over them. The arm has a head on it that can read existing data from the discs or write new data onto them. When instructed to do so by the computer operator, the discs spin, and the arm seeks data at a particular address code. HDDs may differ in several ways, including in the speed of the spinning. In most everyday personal computers, they may spin from around 4,200 rotations per minute to 7,200 rotations per minute; higher spin rates allow the computer to locate and record data more quickly.

HDDs have been a technological standard for generations of computer users and proven to be mostly reliable, relatively inexpensive, and capable of holding large amounts of data. However, HDDs are far from a perfect technology. The motor and various moving parts of an HDD are prone to malfunctioning and failing and may break entirely if dropped or damaged, thus endangering the data they contain.

An alternative to HDDs is the SSD, which performs the same overall function of storing data, but its internal workings differ. SSDs are designed without moving internal parts, and, instead, use electrical charges rather than spinning discs and moving arms to store or access data. Many computer users favor SSDs because they are more durable than HDDs and may allow faster access to files, which can be helpful for programmers and gamers. However, these drives are typically more expensive than HDDs and cannot hold as much data.

HDDs or SSDs are crucial to most computers and essential for most computer users. However, they are not the only options in the field of non-volatile data storage. Computer users may also choose from an array of non-volatile storage that interacts with the computer in some way but can be removed and kept separate from the computer, such as flash drives, digital video discs (DVDs), and compact discs (CDs).

Another way experts categorize types of computer storage is through hierarchy, or how far away the storage tool is from the central processing unit (CPU), the core of a computer that contains most of its physical parts and internal functionalities. The first level of the hierarchy is known as primary storage as it is located most closely to the CPU. Memory or RAM is the main form of primary storage, as it is built into the CPU’s workings and can access information or functions in the CPU most directly. Although the primary level of storage is essential for effective computing, it is still a volatile form of storage, and therefore cannot be relied upon to store information for an extended time.

For that reason, most computer users also employ a secondary level of storage, which is located near or just outside the CPU. This secondary level includes a wide range of tools, including the hard disk drive or solid-state drive, which are often built into the computer. This level also includes accessory storage devices that can be plugged into the computer (or possibly attached wirelessly), such as flash drives, DVDs, CDs, and additional external hard drives. People most commonly use hard drives and external devices to store data they intend to keep for more than one session; this data may include any computerized file from documents to videos to programs. (Some advanced computer users also employ tertiary storage devices, which are more complex and require robotic extraction, but these devices are uncommon among most users.)

A similar method of categorizing storage by location, adapted more to twenty-first-century technologies, is between direct area storage and network-based storage. Direct area storage includes any type of storage that is physically close to, and directly connected to, the computer. This includes internal storage tools such as hard disks and solid-state drives as well as accessory storage tools such as flash drives, DVDs, and CDs.

The other category, network-based storage, refers to storage tools that are not necessarily attached to or even physically close to the computer but access information through networks. Using networks for storage may have many advantages, such as allowing people to access their information via multiple devices, even on the go, and letting employees of a company access shared files when working remotely. Many options exist for network-based storage, with one of the most popular in the 2020s being cloud-based storage. This type of storage is stored online and accessible to users from any device with Internet capability and proper access credentials, such as passwords. Cloud technology can be customized to fit a user’s needs, such as by setting up hybrid clouds so that some material is public and other material is private.

Bibliography

“Data Storage 101: Everything You Need to Know.” Storables, 17 Jan. 2023, storables.com/data-storage/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

“Data Storage.” Hewlett Packard Enterprise, 2023, www.hpe.com/us/en/what-is/data-storage.html. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Sheldon, Robert, Garry Kranz, and Dave Raffo. “Storage (Computer Storage).” TechTarget, Nov. 2021, www.techtarget.com/searchstorage/definition/storage. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

“SSD vs. HDD: Know the Difference.” Crucial / Micron Technology, 2023, www.crucial.com/articles/about-ssd/ssd-vs-hdd. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Susnjara, Stephanie and Ian Smalley. "What Is Data Storage?" IBM, 15 July 2024, www.ibm.com/topics/data-storage. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Tate, Jon, et al. Introduction to Storage Area Networks. IBM Redbooks, 2017.

“What Is a Computer Data Storage Device?” Crucial / Micron Technology, 2023, www.crucial.com/articles/about-ssd/what-is-a-computer-data-storage-device. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

“What Is Data Storage? Definition, Benefits & Types of Data Storage.” CDW, 6 Sept. 2022, www.cdw.com/content/cdw/en/articles/datacenter/what-is-data-storage.html. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.