We’ve paired with Toshiba to explore the most popular ways to keep your data safe

In every IT environment, data storage is one of the most important considerations. But it can also be one of the most difficult and complex choices to make. What is the best way to keep all of your information safe, while still being able to manage and share it remotely? How do you control accessibility? can all seem overwhelming on the surface. At Exertis, we understand the still-prominent need for reliable storage solutions. Working with Toshiba – who are renowned for their products designed for high capacity and excellent performance – has led us to take a deeper dive into understanding storage trends, while helping you figure out which solutions are best for your needs.

The value of hard disk drives is still evident

A few years ago, many analysts and industry spokespeople were predicting that by 2020, spinning disks as storage media would have entirely been replaced by solid state drives (SSDs). Now in 2022, it’s perfectly clear that this simply didn’t happen. The overall amount of data being generated and subsequently stored has grown dramatically – beyond all expectations. Consequently, hard disk drives (HDDs) still play a vital role in the global storage business.

HDD technology advances

One reason for the enduring success of HDDs is the engineering innovations that have been achieved in recent times. Capacity HDDs with conventional air-filled technology reached their limit a few years ago at 10TB. The use of helium-sealed filling has allowed thinner configurations to be implemented, with more platters being accommodated, thereby allowing storage capacities to be raised to 14TB. Smarter read-heads enabled smaller magnetic bits and higher density levels, resulting in capacities of 16TB being possible in the common 3.5” form factor.

Key trends influencing the storage market

Large online storage implementations

During the last couple of years – when it turned out that HDDs must remain the base for large active online storage reserves – vendors optimised their capacity HDDs (above 10TB). Not only for ever higher capacity, but also for higher speed.

The continued life of external USB HDDs

Although some client applications like network video recorders (NVR) for surveillance applications and low-cost desktop PCs are still built on HDD storage, by the end of 2022, SSDs will have replaced the traditional HDDs in almost all other client applications such as laptops, all-in-one PCs, compact PCs, and gaming consoles.

Gaming

Previously, game consoles relied on 1TB of HDD storage capacity. The adoption of SSDs brought no capacity increase, with neither the Xbox Series X nor the PlayStation 5 offering 1TB (approx. 825GB), even though the memory requirements of games have grown enormously. Popular game titles can easily occupy 50GB or more. In order to free game console disk space and to cache memory-greedy games safely, external USB attached HDDs are now a common accessory.

Surveillance

Another important trend that needs to be mentioned is surveillance. Surveillance systems are no longer just used for safeguarding private houses or large companies’ premises. Manufacturers like Toshiba have recognised the need to deliver tailored and reliable surveillance solutions for both smaller and bigger business operations.

Network attached storage (NAS)

It’s not actually that new, but NAS certainly represents an ongoing trend to be aware of. NAS systems have turned out to be the ‘jack of all trades’, as they can be used for smart home applications, as media servers for music/video content, and for small business and home offices (something that has, of course, gained a lot more traction in the last 2 years).

Overall, it seems that HDD and SSD storage solutions will continue to co-exist with one another, and discussions about whether SSD will ever fully replace HDD have – for now – ceased. The world’s ever-expanding need for greater online storage capacity at a low cost can only be feasibly addressed by HDDs, so their future is assured for many more years to come.

To explore our range of Toshiba HDD storage solutions, visit Toshiba – Exertis Enterprise today, or contact our product specialist Kieron.Mitchell@exertisenterprise.com