Quantum DLT 2000 Handbook page 170

to solve the backup crisis, the DLTtape system will continue to be
the system of choice for library vendors and end users alike.
Big Iron In Server Clothing
One trend that promises to continue for the foreseeable future is re-
centralization. In the past – before the personal computer – infor-
mation management was handled by the "data processing" crew in
the glass room with the raised floor. They handled data backup,
application development, and access to information. Then the PC
changed everything. Before we knew it, PCs had spread to every
corner of the organization. Now, we have vast heterogeneous net-
works that include PCs, servers, workstations, and mainframes.
With data distributed far and wide, few organizations have adequate
systems in place to back up everything that's critical.
However, the computing industry is starting to look a little like the
fashion world – let enough time pass and what once was old is new
again. Experts said the rise of the PC LAN and client/server comput-
ing would kill the mainframe. Now, the mainframe is re-emerging as
big servers. And, IS departments are beginning to use these main-
frame class servers to bring order to network chaos through central-
ized file and backup control. These big systems need big tape drives
for backup, and the DLTtape system is and will continue to be the
system of choice for these organizations.
Library Trends
Users of low to mid-range systems are beginning to exceed the
capacity of standalone tape drives, and are migrating to automated
storage management solutions. Library vendors will continue to
incorporate DLTtape systems in their products. DLTtape technolo-
gy offers library vendors and their users scalability in the same
footprint, low cost-per-gigabyte, and built-in market acceptance.
17.2 SUPER DLTtape: THE FUTURE OF DLTtape TECHNOLOGY