Product category:
Manufacturing IT hardware
News Release from: Sony Europe, ISS Division | Subject: Professional Disk for Data
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 September 2003
Is there a future for DDS?
At the end of 1999, 3rd and 4th generation DDS tape drives were fulfilling over 90% of the entry server backup capacity requirements
History At the end of 1999, 3rd and 4th generation DDS tape drives were fulfilling over 90% of the entry server backup capacity requirements - which at the time was a requirement of up to 18GB At around this time, Sony, the co-developer of the DDS tape technology, announced that whilst continuing to support DDS, it would not be developing it to a 5th generation
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Sony introduces the StorStation FSV-M5S
Sony introduces the StorStation FSV-M5S, a powerful and versatile NAS Application Server
Introduction of Sony's S-AIT
Arguably one of the most significant developments in recent years is the rise of tape storage in comparison to disk storage as the best means to address backup, performance and storage management
Believing that DDS would not be able to sustain the improvements in both capacity and performance beyond DDS-4 required to keep up with the ever increasing demand for storage capacities, Sony offered its users a migration path to its Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT).
Lack of Awareness At the end of 2000, the installed base of DDS tape drives was 6.2 million, DDS shipments for that year totalled more than 1.5 million units.
Sony's own research in 2002 not only indicated that DDS was now only fulfilling 29% of entry server backup capacity requirements (which, in some cases, was now up to 146GB), but also showed that despite this fact, one third of companies interviewed had continued to buy DDS tape storage systems.
Further reading
The compliant worm
Research commissioned by Sony indicates that 93% of information is now generated in digital form and 35-50% of business data is stored in email.
New compact surface mounters
New compact surface mounters combine speed and accuracy for cost-performance benefits
Sony Scorpion Vision Starter Kit
Sony Image Sensing Solutions partnerships deliver approved end user solutions
More astonishing was the discovery that over 60% of those interviewed were unaware that DDS was in its last generation.
A New Mindset This year, having previously announced that it also would not be introducing a successor to DDS4, Hewlett Packard introduced its DAT72 drive.
However, Sony believes this is too little too late.
2003 research from Sony indicates that the industry has now finally realised that it needs to be looking at an alternative to DDS if it investment is to be recouped in the long term.
The Future Gavin Matier, EMEA Tape Research Analyst at IDC, comments that: "Whilst the 4mm format is still the largest single technology in the EMEA tape drive market, it continues to lose its battle to maintain its share of the low-end tape revenue market.
In the last 12 months, the 4mm format has lost over 10% of its revenue market share, falling to 58%.
We do not feel that DAT 72, the next generation 4mm offering, will be able to reverse this trend, but we anticipate that it will slow the technology's decline.
At the same time, Sony's AIT1 and 2 formats have continued to grow.
Combined, they now account for 16% of the low-end revenue market.
And with a 42% unit share of the DDS replacement market, AIT1 and 2 are now the #1 alternatives to DDS in the low-end market segment." Sony believe that more than half of DDS users are considering migration and that this trend will continue to grow.
Sony commentary Gregg Strydom, sales and marketing manager for Sony's StorStation division, is able to discuss how the latest drive from HP is merely a stop-gap and how, in the long term, the total cost of investment in the technology will not be recouped.
As the cost of drives continue to be reduced, Sony believes that tape technologies, such as its own AIT (which is the same compact design as DDS), will offer far greater capacities for the same price whilst proving to be significantly more reliable and quicker.
Ultimately, Sony believes that without a proven roadmap and new products delivered every 2 years, DDS will not survive beyond DAT72.
Sony @ Storage Expo At the show Sony will be launching the "Professional Disc for Data", the first data storage product based on its blue laser optical storage technology with 23.3GB capacity, the first branded, external S-AIT drives and an innovative series of NAS based fileservers from its StorStation range.
It will also be demonstrating its PetaSite tape libraries that, using industry-leading SAIT tape technology, offers enterprises a scalable native capacity of up to 1.5 petabytes (PB).
With the future of DDS in question, Sony will also be discussing how its AIT technology can provide SME's using DDS an effective migration path with increased reliability, speed and capacity for a similar per gigabyte cost.
Sony Business Europe's Storage Solutions division is a key provider of personal and business data storage solutions and recording media.
Products include Sony StorStation tape drives, autoloaders, libraries and backup appliances based on AIT (Advanced Intelligent Tape), S-AIT drives and DTF-2 tape drives which form the basis for Sony's enterprise PetaSite automated library solutions.
• Sony Europe, ISS Division: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
