technological insights

Mass Storage Devices

In an information system, mass storage is that type of memory, also called secondary memory in contrast to the main memory, able to collect large amounts of data in a non-volatile mode. Therefore, the memory device used at this scope must be able to mantain the availability of the data stored, even after its disconnection from the main system or after switching off/restarting the system itself.

hd-interno

Such computer devices are hard disks, optical/removable media such as CDs, DVDs and BlueRays, drives using magnetic media, USB drives and Flash/Nand memory cards, and network storage units, from cheap NAS to the much more expensive SAN/DAS.


Insights Archive

BackBlaze

Year 2019

Year 2018

Year 2017

  • What is HAMR and How Does It Enable the High-Capacity Needs of the Future?
  • Hard Drive Stats for Q3 2017
  • Yes, Backblaze Just Ordered 100 Petabytes of Hard Drives
  • Hard Drive Cost Per Gigabyte
  • Hard Drive Stats for Q2 2017
  • Hard Drive Stats for Q1 2017
  • Backblaze Hard Drive Stats for 2016

Year 2016

  • Hard Drive Stats for Q3 2016: Less is More
  • What SMART Stats Tell Us About Hard Drives
  • Hard Drive Stats for Q2 2016
  • One Billion Drive Hours and Counting: Q1 2016 Hard Drive Stats
  • Hard Drive Reliability Review for 2015

Year 2015

  • What Can 49,056 Hard Drives Tell Us? Hard Drive Reliability Stats for Q3 2015
  • Hard Drive Reliability Stats for Q2 2015
  • HGST 8TB Drives – Helium Makes Them Fly
  • Hard Drive Reliability Stats for Q1 2015
  • A Look at Backblaze’s Toshiba Hard Drives
  • What is the Best Hard Drive?
  • Our 6 TB Hard Drive Face-Off Revisited
  • Reliability Data Set For 41,000 Hard Drives Now Open Source

Year 2014

  • Our 6 TB Hard Drive Face-Off
  • Hard Drive Reliability Update – Sep 2014
  • Hard Drive Temperature Does It Matter?
  • What Hard Drive Should I Buy?

Year 2013