IBM today introduced tape storage drives based on the recently passed Linear Tape Open (LTO) Generation 4 standard, incorporating tape-encryption tools from its System Storage TS1120 tape drive.
The resulting integration allows the devices to compress and encrypt data with little or no impingement of the drive's performance.
This is a key accomplishment because customers demand the added safeguard of encryption -- which renders information unreadable by anyone but the key manager -- but who don't want the drive's ability to sock away or retrieve data impacted.
Despite rumors of its demise in favor of disk, tape storage is still a highly valued medium for backup, archiving and compliance, which is why LTO 4 drives are so highly anticipated by customers trying to temper the data explosion.
LTO 4 powers drives with greater performance and capacity than LTO Generation 3 could muster, said Craig Butler, business line executive for archive, IBM Systems Storage.
Specifically, IBM's new tape systems transfer data up to 240 megabytes per second, or 50 percent faster than LTO 3, and boast cartridge capacity to 1.6 terabytes (define), or double the capacity of LTO 3. The speed boost shortens backup windows while the capacity jump and compression reduces storage consumption.
Available in May, the new drives include the:
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