We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Hardware

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Magnetic Tape?

Malcolm Tatum
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 47,089
Share

Utilized as a storage device since the early days of radio, magnetic tape is an external storage device that can be used for making copies of audio, video, and data. In addition to data storage, this material has been used over the years to make master copies of audio recordings that would be replicated for vinyl, cassette, and more recently compact disk recording formats. The tape is employed with the use of a machine referred to as a tape drive. Tape drives run the magnetic tape during the recording process and also stores the tape onto a reel for easy retrieval.

The appearance of magnetic tape is similar in all of its incarnations. The tape is a simple strip of plastic that is very narrow in appearance. A thin oxide coating on the plastic makes it possible for the tape to retain electronically encrypted data that can range from voice to audio to data information. This makes it an ideal method to back up customer databases, computer generated detail, and billing database information.

Many businesses back up copies of programs and databases that are essential to the operation of the company on magnetic tape. Often, the backup recordings are made after the business day is over. In the event that the company operates around the clock, it is not unusual for the backup to commence at midnight, thus creating a record of all activity up to and including the current calendar day. Backups help to ensure that if the main computer memory becomes inoperable for some reason, essential data can be restored with the use of the backup.

While a wide range of computer storage alternatives are available today, magnetic tape continues to be a popular option when it comes to backing up computer memory systems. The reels of tape are relatively easy to store and can be labeled for quick retrieval when necessary. Many companies choose to maintain a bank of magnetic tape copies in addition to utilizing online data storage and other means of creating system backups.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Malcolm Tatum
By Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing to become a full-time freelance writer. He has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including EasyTechJunkie, and his work has also been featured in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and newspapers. When not writing, Malcolm enjoys collecting vinyl records, following minor league baseball, and cycling.
Discussion Comments
By anon174090 — On May 09, 2011

The magnetic tape takes up way more space than a CD. You could make a CD store a terabyte by adding layers to it. It would just keep getting bigger.

By VivAnne — On Apr 07, 2011

Do you know I was really shocked to learn the other day that magnetic tape can actually beat out a CD, storage-wise? Apparently magnetic tape capacity has reached the terabyte level. It seems that magnetic tape is still being developed to match the demand for larger storage capacity. I can just imagine it now: magnetic tape backups in the yodabytes.

By afterall — On Oct 07, 2010

While still used in business, it seems computer magnetic tape would be less useful for personal use.

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing...
Learn more
Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-magnetic-tape.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.