An enterprise today has a number of choices when it comes to effective long-term storage. Most want to go digital and find ways to move everything to the cloud, but one company believes there’s a better option. IBM Enterprise Storage suggests using tape for long-term storage, and promises to save companies money while doing so.

Calline Sanchez, VP of IBM Enterprise Storage, talked with John Furrier (@furrier) and John Walls (@johnwalls21), cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, during this week’s VMworld conference about IBM Enterprise Storage and the revival of tape.

Why tape?

It may be shocking to learn that 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies are still using tape, according to Sanchez. It may be an older way of storing data, but it’s still pervasive and very effective.

The best advantage of using tape is likely its cost efficiency. Tape can be used to store up to 1 gigabyte of information for only 1 cent. It’s become easier to store massive amounts of data in tape format, and IBM aims to “chase the best capacity for the best possible price,” said Sanchez.

Stay consistent

Along with its cost-effective benefits, using tape can also be very secure. Storing data using a physical means allows companies to keep track of their data, reduce opportunities for breach and “can be accessed across the portfolio from end to end,” said Sanchez.

Though it may not fit in with the digital revolution, using tape is still one of the most reliable means of storage. It’s still common in media and was even helpful when abstracting data from the failed Challenger mission, according to Sanchez.

Using tape may not have been at the top of an enterprise’s list for storage options, but IBM is offering a cost-effective solution that can be supported across various cloud providers, Sanchez concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the VMworld 2016.

Photo by SiliconANGLE