| r data backup is an ever-changing and sophisticated | | | | drives were used to hold microcode and diagnostics |
| field, especially as technologies become more | | | | for large IBM mainframe computer systems. The |
| complex. This complexity is due to two factors; first | | | | disks were 8-inch floppy diskettes recorded only on |
| the cost/performance versus size of various | | | | one side. In 1973 the new upgraded 8-inch drive had |
| memory-storage systems and second, the way | | | | read/write capability with about 250 kilobytes of |
| users organize and use data. | | | | capacity. The floppy drive began to shrink in size as it |
| Today’s computing systems consist of four | | | | went from 8 inches to 5.25 in 1976. The original |
| hardware components; the central processing unit | | | | 5.25-inch floppy drives were available only as |
| (CPU), the main memory, the secondary storage | | | | single-sided low-density format and stored less than |
| (discs, tapes, CD’s) and the input-output | | | | 100 kilobytes. They later evolved into double-sided |
| devices that interface with humans. | | | | and held 1.2 megabytes. In 1980 the 3.5-inch floppy |
| Looking back through time we can see how | | | | replaced the 5.25-inch drive. Sony introduced the new |
| secondary storage devices and backing up the | | | | smaller floppy disc and because of its affordability, |
| computer have evolved. | | | | the disc became an industry standard. |
| The first generation of backup was in 1951 with the | | | | Though the floppy disc became popular, it too quickly |
| punch card. By the 1960s the punch card gradually | | | | became limited, as people needed more storage |
| became replaced with something more capable and | | | | space for their emails, photographs and data. The |
| efficient — magnetic tape. One roll of magnetic | | | | CD-Recordable (CD-R) and CD-Rewritable (CD-RW) |
| tape could store as much as 10,000 punch cards. | | | | drive invented by Philips and Sony in 1979 started to |
| Tape backups were the most widespread backup | | | | become popular. Although the drives existed since |
| source because of the tape drive’s reliability, | | | | 1979, it wasn’t until their price dropped and |
| scalability and low cost. | | | | the need grew that the CD’s replaced the |
| In 1956 IBM introduced the first hard drive. The hard | | | | floppy disc. |
| disk consisted of a stack of disk platters, each one | | | | In 1998 the USB storage flash drive was invented. |
| made of an aluminum alloy or glass substrate coated | | | | Although the device was new, it grew in popularity |
| with a magnetic material and protective layers. | | | | quickly because of its size and ability to hold as much |
| Read-write heads on both sides of each platter | | | | data and even more than the CD-ROM. |
| recorded and retrieved data from tracks on the | | | | What is the next storage medium? Blu-laser discs |
| magnetic medium. But these hard drives were not | | | | using organic dyes are formatted to hold between 23 |
| suitable in the 60s and 70s for backups because of | | | | GB and 54 GB. While current optical disc technologies |
| their high price. Then, by 1983 the size and price of | | | | such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM |
| the hard disk drive was reduced and later became a | | | | rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new |
| standard component for most personal computers. | | | | format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the |
| Meanwhile, in early 1970s the first floppy disk was | | | | name Blu-ray. |
| introduced as a read-only device. These early disk | | | | |