Actually, if we try to judge tape drive independently as a digital storage medium, too many disadvantages will be noticed. But we have to keep in mind that each digital medium has its own advantages and disadvantages, and these are decided by its inherent qualities. The CD has many disadvantages when compared with the DVD, and the DVD will probably pale in comparison to an external hard drive. On the other hand, it may be pointed out that the floppy and the LD have gone out of use, and the LD has actually become extinct. Similarly, VHS tapes are no more used to store movies – and if someone has a collection of such tapes, it would be difficult to locate a player in the market for them now. So should not the tape drive too go in the same way? The answer is, maybe not.
The LD is a good example of intermediate technology; it has too many flaws, is unwieldy in shape, costly, requires too many infrastructural changes, and the qualitative difference, at the end of the day, is not worth the extra pounds. As for the floppy and the VHS, they both had their hey days when the world looked up at them, using them because there was no choice and trying to figure out how to get past their too many and too obvious disadvantages. These were not intermediate technology, they were self-complete formats, but deeply flawed. The CD is simply better in every aspect, and has some inherent advantages that are not to be found elsewhere. The same applies to the tape drive. In other words, tape is preferable in some cases – precisely because it is tape.
Advantages First and foremost, there is the cost factor. Tape is cheap, and that just cannot be denied. Big companies still prefer buying cartloads of tape and loading off their information on it at a fraction of the cost an array (or a set of arrays) would take. We are not talking about home consumers here. The data in question is vast in volume, and needs to be stored, updated, and protected in an environment where there is least chance of virus penetration. Tape drives are the natural choice here. The information can be selectively shared; it can be uploaded into another format any moment anyway, and is quite virus-proof. Tape drives cost anything between a few hundred to a few thousand pounds, and are easily affordable by most companies.
There is also the space factor inside the machinery. A tape wounds itself around and around the hub and takes up very little space that way.
This property of the tape also gives it another advantage – the portion on which data has been written is not exposed to the elements and cannot be scratched, tampered with, cracked, and chipped easily. Mishandling chances are also relatively less.
The new generations of tape drives are less slow, more versatile and easier to handle. At the same time, they are not as costly as hard disks.
Disadvantages The CD is simply the cheapest way to store information now. So the greatest strong point of the tape drive, i.e. its cost, is taking a beating.
Mass production has reduced quality, and what is the use of storing data if it is going to get corrupted in a bad drive?
People like to reduce costs beyond all reasonable limits once they find a way out. Second-hand tapes are booming in the market today – and this is far from a wise decision for many companies. These may not be securely wiped. Imagine the recycler selling your company information in handy little packages in the market just because they have got their hands on your inadequately wiped tapes. Besides, a second-hand tape will be less durable, worse in quality and much more unreliable than any other media.
Storage can be a problem. Tapes are delicate and need to be protected from heat, dust, humidity and can simply fall to pieces (or bits), if old enough. Large companies need elaborate infrastructure and separate space for this. Separate manpower would have to be hired only for the storing.
Despite all these factors, tape drive will be the best choice for many industries for its advantages and sheer cost savings.
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