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The latest annual tape media shipment report released by the LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (Hewlett Packard Enterprise , International Business Machines Corporation and Quantum Corporation) highlights substantial growth in tape capacity shipments. A record 176.5 Exabytes (EB) shipped in 2024, marking a significant 15.4% increase compared to the previous year.
This rise in tape capacity is driven by a surge in unstructured data from modern technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). The shift toward cost-effective hybrid cloud solutions has further accelerated this trend.
“Setting a new growth record for the fourth year in a row, LTO tape technology continues to prove its longevity as a leading enterprise storage solution,” said Bruno Hald, General Manager, Secondary Storage, Quantum. “Organisations navigating their way through the AI/ML era need to reconfigure their storage architectures to keep up, and LTO tape technology is an essential piece of the puzzle for those seeking a cost-friendly, sustainable, and secure solution to support modern technology implementation and the resulting data growth.”
LTO tape technology, notable for its low total cost of ownership, offers enticing benefits, as enterprises can evaluate cost-effectiveness with tools like the LTO Ultrium TCO Calculator. The LTO-10 format stands out, promising high speeds and enhanced capacity and density—up to 75 TB compressed per cartridge—accompanied by quantum-safe encryption.
Phil Goodwin from IDC emphasizes the value of tape's scalability, cost-effectiveness, and cyber resilience. These attributes make tape a crucial component of contemporary data architectures amidst rapid data growth, solidifying its importance in the realm of secure, sustainable long-term storage.
As LTO shipments peak in 2024, its presence assures enterprises about cost, power consumption, and data security challenges. LTO tape seamlessly complements technologies like disk, flash, and cloud solutions, forming a crucial line of defense against threats like ransomware. In varied scenarios—from archiving data for analytics to managing vast media content—LTO tape offers a robust solution for diverse organizational needs. Its ability to provide secure, offline data copies separates archives from potential online threats, reinforcing data recovery strategies.
