Data storage refers to magnetic, optical or mechanical media that records and preserves digital information for ongoing or future operations. It is a fundamental component of computer systems and an essential enabler for executing computer programs. A computer’s CPU can’t actually compute anything or produce any output data without the user’s input. Users can enter the input data directly into a computer. It can work for small amounts of data, but it is not practical for larger volumes, including the actual program instructions.
Initially, programmers used punched cards as the primary medium for input of both computer programs and data. Later, IBM introduced the hard disk drive in 1956 and soon it became the dominant secondary storage for most computers. Once hard disks became popular, the concept of file system emerged. Without a file system, the storage device would contain a big chunk of data stored back to back, and the operating system wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. The term file system takes its name from the old paper-based data management systems, where we kept documents as files and put them into directories. File systems present a similar model with digital documents.
The next challenge was how to transfer data between computers, back in the days when computer networks were not pervelant. In 1967, IBM (again) introduced the floppy disk, or diskette as people used to call it. It enabled storing of data on one computer and taking it to another computer, which can read the data. Today, the only place you can still see a diskette is in the shape of the save icon. Diskettes were replaced by optical discs such as CDs and DVDs, and later by disk on keys, which are based on flash memory.
Another major development in storage technologies has been enabled by computer networks. Computers that are connected to the network can exchange data without needing removable media and as bandwidth increased, it became almost redundant. More than that, the network enabled remote storage where computers can read and write data from/to storage devices that are located in another physical location. This concept has facilitated easier data sharing between computers and different users. Storage Area Networks (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS) provided advanced methods for storing and accessing data over networks. It improves not only capacity but also data transfer speeds and reliability.
Then came the Cloud. In 2006 Amazon launched the Simple Storage Service, or S3 in short. It was the first publicly available AWS service, and introduced the concept of object-based cloud storage. The revolutionary idea was that you no longer have to access your storage through a file system, and you don’t need to rely on your physical storage space. Instead, S3 offered practically unlimited storage space, which is cost-effective and can be accessed easily from any device, anywhere.