Which of the following characteristics makes magnetic tapes suitable for…
2025
Which of the following characteristics makes magnetic tapes suitable for archival purposes?
- A.
Compatibility with SSDs
- B.
Long lifespan and low cost
- C.
Fast read/write access
- D.
High volatility
Attempted by 43 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Magnetic tapes are suitable for archival purposes due to their high durability and long-term data retention capabilities. They offer cost-effective storage solutions for large volumes of data that need to be preserved over extended periods.
Note (For More Understanding)
When organizations need to store massive amounts of data for compliance, legal, or historical reasons, they look for archival storage. Archival data is rarely accessed but must remain safe and intact for decades.
Magnetic tape (such as modern LTO tapes) remains the gold standard for archiving due to two primary characteristics:
Low Cost per Terabyte: Tape cartridges are incredibly cheap to manufacture compared to hard drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs), especially when scaling up to petabytes of data. They also consume zero electricity while sitting on a shelf in a warehouse.
Long Lifespan: If stored in a temperature-controlled environment, modern magnetic tapes can reliably preserve data for 30 years or more, outlasting the typical 3-to-5-year lifespan of mechanical hard drives.