INFORMATION TECHNOLGOY

DATE: November 2021

GRADE:10
TOPIC: SECONDARY STORAGE
Define ‘secondary storage device’.
OBJECTIVES

Identify at least eight different types of secondary storage and describe

their functional characteristics.
State and explain terms associated with storage devices.
Explain why a computer system needs secondary storage.
Describe the limitations of secondary storage
Explain the definition of ‘cloud storage’ and describe the characteristics
of cloud storage
Identify examples of cloud storage platforms.
Identify advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage.
Apply the knowledge of storage devices to recommend an appropriate
device.
Explain the difference between primary and secondary storage.
Describe how data is read from and written to optical and magnetic
memory
 Secondary Storage

Secondary Storage (also called auxiliary,

external storage or backup storage) is used to
store data and instructions when they are not
being processed. Secondary storage can be
generally grouped into local storage and
cloud-based storage.
Factors affecting the choice of a
secondary storage device include:
speed (how quickly data can be
accessed)
cost per storage unit (i.e. price per
gigabyte or megabyte)
durability (toughness)
portability (how easy it is to move it
from one computer to another
There are three main types of secondary
storage in a computer system:

solid state storage devices, such as USB

memory sticks.
optical storage devices, such as CD,
DVD and Blu-ray discs.
magnetic storage devices, such as hard
disk drives
Local Storage involves users having storage
devices or media with data in their
possession or generally knowing of their
location. These local storage devices
include:
Magnetic media (magnetic tape and hard
disks)
Optical disks such as CD-ROM, CD-R,
DVD and Blu-ray
Flash memory.
 Advantages of Local Storage
Inexpensive
Easy to use
The data is under your control
Security: Once the drive is disconnected, it is
safe from malicious attacks that can affect your
infrastructure.
Speed: The external hard drives connected
with Fire wire can work at a very high speed,
thus as soon as your device is connected, you
can access your relevant files, photos, etc.
 Disadvantages of Local Storage
Can be stolen
Accessibility and disaster Recovery: The main disadvantage is
its vulnerability. For instance, hard drive failures can occur without
any warnings due to physical damages, power failures, mechanical
failures or logical issues. Hence, to protect the data on the external
hard drive, you have to take good care of the drive all the time.
Flexibility: Typically, with local storage, the storage space you
have on hand, is all you will have to work it. If you needed to
increase your storage capacity, you would have to invest in more
hardware; namely, buying additional storage media.
Cost: The investment in a local hardware backup systems is
typically hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars or more, if there
is enough data to require a private data centre with servers. In
addition, the owner of that data will be responsible for all
maintenance, upgrades and power consumption costs for those
servers. As a result, on-site backups can be prohibitively expensive.
 MAGNETIC MEDIA
The cheapest way to store and
backup data is on magnetic media,
such as magnetic tape and hard
disks.
 Magnetic Tape/Data Tape
Magnetic Tapes/Data Tape is a ribbon of plastic
material coated with a metal oxide film on which
data is recorded as magnetised or
unmagnetised spots. It is commonly used for
off-site storage so that in the case of a disaster,
such as fire, the data could be retrieved from the
tape. Businesses which need to store important
and large amounts of data for a long time uses
magnetic tape.
 How magnetic storage read and write data
A magnetic disk drive consists of a
number of platters (disks) coated in a
magnetic material. They spin at around
7200 rpm. The data is encoded into bits
and written onto the surface as a series of
changes in the direction of the
magnetization. The data is read by
 Magnetic Tape/Data Tape

The data is recoded along the length of the tape,

with each symbol encoded in binary form across the
width of the tape. It is unique since data can only be
retrieved in the same order in which it was stored.
Therefore, retrieving the 50th piece of data means
accessing 49 pieces that precede it. The tape drive
winds the tape from one reel to another by passing
the tape over a magnetic head to read, write or erase
the data as it moves.
 Usage
The data can be stored for long periods of time
The device and the media are separate so the
media can be stored in a safe place
Backup and recovery: organizations maintain
backup copies of their files in a secure storage
space (usually waterproof and fireproof) to
ensure that their operations can resume after a
disaster has occurred. In the event of data loss
that could be due to a mistake or malicious
intent, the data may be restored from the backup.
 Advantages Magnetic Tape
Used on many networks to back up data on hard disks
Low-cost storage
 
Disadvantages of Magnetic Tape
Not generally used with desktop computers
Slow – Accessing data is very slow as you cannot go directly to an item
of data on the tape.
Can only be accessed sequentially.
Cannot be read by humans
Vulnerable to dust, heat and humidity.
Difficult to update files (Cannot make changes to a record without
writing over the entire tape)
Not suitable for data files that are revised or updated often because it
stores data sequentially.
Magnetic Tape/Data Tape
 HARD DISK/HARD DRIVES
Hard disks are thin but rigid metal platters covered with a
substance that allows data to be held in the form of
magnetized spots. On minicomputers and mainframes, the
hard disk is usually called the fixed disk. Almost all PCs
come with a hard drive that is housed inside the system
unit and attached to the motherboard by a special cable.

The most common type of secondary storage are

hard drives. Hard drives are the poster child
for secondary storage. Many computers bundle hard
drives as internal storage media, but external hard
drives are popular as well.
HARD DISK/HARD DRIVES
 External Hard-Disk Drives
An external hard drive is a portable storage
device that can be attached to a computer
through a USB or FireWire connection, or
wirelessly. External hard drives typically have
high storage capacities and are often used to
back up computers or serve as a
network drive. External Hard Disk can store
a large amount of data.
 
External Hard-Disk Drives
 Usage
Used for a range of data storage
solutions when attached to laptops,
desktops and other computing devices.
Widely used because of their speed in
reading and writing.
Storage of operating systems,
applications and user data
Storage of media files (photographic
 Advantages of Hard Disk
Large Storage capacity (Hard disks
range from 700 GB to 1 TB)
Hard Disk allows faster access to data
than diskettes.
External hard drives are portable
Cheap on a cost per megabyte basis
 Disadvantages of Hard Disk
Head crash can occur.( A head crash happens
when the surface of the read/write head of
particles on its surface come into contact with the
disk surface causing the loss of some or all of the
data on the disk).
Internal hard drives are not portable
Removable hard drives need specific cable to
connect to computer or device. They can also be
misplaced, or damaged because they are portable.
 OPTICAL DISKS
Optical disks are storage media that hold
content in a digital form and that are
written and read by a laser lights. The disk is
made mainly of type of plastic
(polycarbonate). The data is stored on a
layer inside the plastic. A metal coating
(usually aluminum) reflects the laser light
back to a sensor. The main types of optical
disks are CDs and DVDs.
CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read
Only Memory) – A CD-ROM is a
compact disc used as a read-only
optical memory device for a
computer system. Read Only means
that you can only read (access) what
is on the disk, but you cannot add or
change anything.
CD-ROM
 Advantages of CD-ROM
Stores large amounts of data (capacity
of up to 700MB)
Very cheap to produce, particularly on
a large scale
Good way of distributing software
such as games and music
Used for backup
 Disadvantages of CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is read-only, data cannot be
changed or deleted.
Slower access times than hard drives, so
video images generally not full screen
Cannot read DVD
They can be rendered useless/hard to use
rather easily (scratches, breaking, over-
heating, etc.)
CD-R (Compact Disc – Recordable)
A CD-R is a blank compact disc which can
be recorded on once only. This disk allows
you to write data onto the disk once only
using a CD recorder (burner). It is ideal for
storing large volumes of data that does no
need to change. A typical use is to create
music CDs
CD-R
 Advantages of CD-R
Stores large amounts of data – up to 650Mb
Possible to add data (write) to the CR-R in more
than one session
Good for backing up files
 
Disadvantages of CD-R
Must have a CD-R recorder to write to a disk
Read Only
They can be rendered useless/hard to use rather
easily (scratches, breaking, over-heating, etc.)

 CD-RW (Compact Disc-Re-Writable) –
A CD-RW is a blank compact disc that can be
recorded, erased, and rerecorded many times.
 
Advantages of CD-RW
Stores large amounts of data up to 650 Mb
Can be erased and reused as many times as
required
Good for backing up files
 Disadvantages of CD-RW
Must have a CD-RW recorder to write to a
disk.
CD-RW does not work in all CD players.
They can be rendered useless/hard to use
rather easily (scratches, breaking, over-
heating, etc.)
They are more expensive than CD-R and
CD-ROM
CD-RW
 DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)
A DVD is a high density optical disk for
storing large amounts of data especially
high-resolution audio-visual material.
DVD is capable of storing large amount
of information. Some DVD disk allows
data to be stored on both sides and
therefore dramatically increases the disk’s
capacity. They are used mainly for storing
movies.
 Advantages of DVD
Stores massive amount of data – up to 17
GB.
Excellent for showing video
DVD players can read CD-ROM
As with CD-R and CD-RW, there is a range
of ways of writing (storing) data on DVD.
Sale of ‘off the-shelf’ products such as
computer games and software
 Disadvantages of DVD
DVDs do not work in CD-ROM drives
It uses digital compression. Poorly
compressed audio or video may be blocky,
fuzzy, harsh, or vague
They can be rendered useless/hard to use
rather easily (scratches, breaking, over-
heating, etc.)
DVD
 Blu-Ray Disks (BD) 
Blu-Ray is a type of video disk that is
used for storing large amounts of high
quality digital information. Blu-Ray
disks store data using a blue laser rather
than a regular red one. Blu-ray can store
several hours of video using a storage
capacity of up to 100 GB.
 With Blu-ray, you can:
record high-definition television (HDTV) without
any quality loss
instantly skip to any spot on the disc
record one program while watching another on the
disc
create playlists
edit or reorder programs recorded on the disc
automatically search for an empty space on the
disc to avoid recording over a program
access the Web to download subtitles and other
 Advantages of Blu-ray
Blu-ray was intended to replace the
DVD. Main use is for distribution of
feature films and video games
 High-definition (HD) resolution
video.
Ultra-high definition resolution video
(4k, video)
 Disadvantages of Blu-ray
Requires a Blu-ray player or optical
drive
More expensive that CDs and
DVDs
Blu-Ray Disks (BD) 
 Storage devices that use flash memory
 
USB Flash Drive - A flash drive is a device used for
data storage that includes a flash memory and an
integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. USB
flash drives, is also referred to as thumb drives,
jump drives, memory sticks. Flash drives can have
storage capacities from 8 MB to 256 GB, some
include a password protection facility and the ability
to run software directly off the USB drive. They are
mostly used for transfer of computer files, since they
can store and transfer data faster than CD and can
be read by many devices.
 Advantages Flash Drive
Compact shape
Operates faster than an optical disk
Can hold more data than on optical
disk
File storage for individuals in their
personal and professional lives
Distribution of educational,
technical and promotional materials
 Disadvantages Flash Drive

USB memory stick requires a USB

port
Some do not have write-
protection
Can be easily misplaced or stolen
FLASH DRIVE
 Memory Cards/Flash memory cards
A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash
memory data storage device used for storing digital
information. They are commonly used in many electronic
devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop
computers, tablets, vehicle recorders and spy cameras,
MP4s players and video game consoles. Flash components
are non-volatile; users can write, modify or delete the
information stored on them. They are made from a specific
type of EPROM. SIM cards used in mobile phones vary in
size, and their storage capacity ranges from 2 GB to 1 TB.
 Advantages of Memory Cards

Memory cards are very portable (easy to move from

place to another based on size.
They have a nonvolatile memory that maintains
the stability of the data on the card
They are used in various devices
They consume very little power, which makes them
an attractive choice for devices that use batteries

 
MEMORY CARD
Disadvantages of Memory Cards

They can easily break, lost,

misplaced or crushed
The power user might have to change
the memory card a few times in a
lifetime
 CLOUD STORAGE
Definition 1: Cloud Storage is a cloud
computing model in which data is stored on
remote servers accessed from the internet, or
"cloud." It is maintained, operated and managed
by a cloud storage service provider on storage
servers that are built on virtualization techniques.
Cloud storage is also known as utility storage
Definition 2: Cloud Storage refers to saving
data to an off-site storage system maintained
by a third party.
 CLOUD STORAGE

Instead of storing information to your computer's

hard drive or other local storage device, you save it
to a remote database. You can store your data such
as school work, photos, email messages and videos
at any time, from anywhere, once you have access
to the internet. This saves you from deleting data
form your secondary storage device or transferring
it to other storage devices to free space. The 
Internet provides the connection between your
computer and the database.
 CLOUD STORAGE
How does it work?
There are hundreds of different cloud storage systems. Some have a
very specific focus, such as storing Web e-mail messages or 
digital pictures. Others are available to store all forms of digital data.
Some cloud storage systems are small operations, while others are so
large that the physical equipment can fill up an entire warehouse. The
facilities that house cloud storage systems are called data centers.
When you use cloud-based storage, the data is not stored on a single
remote computer somewhere in the world, but on lots of different
computers. If one computer stops working, your data is still stored on
another one. Some cloud-based storage is free. However, businesses
pay to have their data stored in the cloud for easy access and backup
purposes. Users pay for the data storage, which can change as the
amount of their data increases. You may never know where your data
is stored, but you can access it using your computer or other devices
and applications.
Companies that offer some form of cloud storage
Google Docs
 Gmail
Hotmail
Yahoo
Flickr
 Picasa
YouTube 
Facebook 
Myspace 
 Advantages of Cloud Storage 
Accessibility: You are able to get to your
data from any location that has Internet
access.
No need to carry around a physical
storage device, you use the same
computer to save and retrieve your
information.
You can even allow other people to
access your data.
 Advantages of Cloud Storage 
  • It is convenient and offers more flexibly. (You
can have as much or as little storage space as
  you need, and most providers allow you to add
storage capacity on demand, so there is no
upgrade or rollout wait for increased storage.)
• It lets you access applications your own
computer might not be able to execute.
• In most cloud computing applications, this
client-side program places minimal demands
on your machine's resources.
 Disadvantages of Cloud Storage
 
Reliability – Clients aren't likely to entrust their data to another
company without a guarantee that they'll be able to access their
information whenever they want.
If you want to store a lot of information, you’ll probably have to
pay for storage
Security: Data can be hacked, deleted, stolen, or corrupted. Users
with similar email addresses can receive each other’s messages.
Control: For individually or businesses with highly sensitive data,
and inability to retain complete control over the storage process
can be a drawback with cloud platforms.

 
 Disadvantages of Cloud Storage

Speed: Depending on the amount of data

you have, creating a full backup to a cloud
storage platform can take a long time
because transfer is limited to your
bandwidth and connection speed. Most
local backup solutions are much faster.
Cloud storage requires an Internet
connection for access.
 To secure data, most systems use a
combination of techniques, including:
Encryption, which means they use a complex 
algorithm to encode information. To decode the
encrypted files, a user needs the encryption key.
Authentication processes, which require
creating a user name and password.
Authorization practices the client lists the
people who are authorized to access information
stored on the cloud system.