Tape Drive vs Hard Drive - Which Should You Use?

When it comes to backing up your companies data and information, there are two primary options when it comes to the physical realm of storage. These include tape drive vs. hard drive. When making this decision, most companies take into consideration the speed, capacity, and cost between the two. Whichever you decide, when you have old physical devices, consider West Coast Recycling Center to sustainably and securely manage your e-waste.

Briefly, tape drives provide you with the ability to copy entire data packages from a hard drive to a take cartridge, which is then used for backup, storage and recovery purposes. Disk backup, on the other hand, consists of copying data onto a hard drive for easy access later on. When it comes to speed, the consensus among IT professionals is that disk backups allow for higher speed when finding data. For example, tapes need to be rewound and physically go through the tape to find something while disks can be connected and then searched for specific information. Disk systems also have much more capacity than tape backup systems. While tape backup systems are cheaper across the board, thanks to new technologies, disk systems have significantly lowered their prices making it more affordable to the general public.

Due to ever increasing technology, tape drives are becoming less and less popular. So what do you do with old tape devices that you no longer need? When it comes to getting rid of e-waste, you want to do it securely and responsibly. Going to a certified e-waste recycler is one of the best options. This is because the physical destruction of the data ensures old information won’t fall into the wrong hands while also keeping e-waste out of landfills. If you have old tapes, old disk drives, or other forms of e-waste, consider hiring a third party e-waste recycling company.