Opinion

posted on 23 May 2008 16:13

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In this opinion article, George Purrio, European technical manager for Imation, examines the debate around the solid state drive as it struggles to achieve acceptance.

Data has become a crucial aspect of our everyday lives. Not only are we using data in our working lives, but it has now crossed over into our social lives with us backing up our memories in the form of photos and music. People like to use something that is familiar and reliable, even when it means that this may not be the most suitable choice for them. This familiarity breeds a sense of nostalgic resistance at the prospect of adopting new technology as a replacement and developers need to win hearts as well as minds in the battle to launch a new product.

Solid state technology is one of these newcomers attempting to convince hard disk fans that SSD technology is the way forward for data storage.

SSD technology uses solid-state memory to store continuous data by imitating a hard disk drive. However, it is different from hard disk drives as it has no moving parts and instead uses a semi-conductor memory which makes it faster and quieter to use. Yet, with these current advantages of using SSD technology the industry has been less than enthusiastic at accepting them for anything more than a built-in storage option for laptops.

So why are companies cautious about using SSD technology? One disadvantage could be due to the current price tag compared to conventional hard drives. The high cost will stop businesses taking the risk of adopting a new data storage technology because of their inexperience and understanding of using it. Eventually through its production, SSD technology will increase and as a result the price will drop, which could tempt more companies to take the risk and adapt to this new technology.

However, companies do not know enough about SSD and are reluctant to change with what they feel confident in using. Could this be preventing them becoming more efficient? The SSD technology provides many advantages to rival those of the conventional hard drive with faster writing speeds, improved durability and reduced energy consumption making it a greener option. Nevertheless, analysts at market research firm IDC, have predicted that businesses with wait until the second generation of SSD is released in 2009 before they start to feel comfortable enough to purchase technology.

With the current data storage technology available and attitudes in adopting new technology, can SSD and hard disk drives live together or will only one be victorious? Potentially SSD technology could become a major contender against traditional hard disk drives and as a result we could be in for a clash similar to that of the Blu-ray/HD-DVD-style face off.

The Blu-ray/ HD-DVD battle had very clear comparisons as both are similar and ultimately perform the same tasks. The difference is that Blu-ray can hold data on a bigger capacity while HD-DVDs are cheaper to produce. As everyone knows Blu-Ray won but not until after a long fight. Are we at the dawn of a new storage battle between hard disk drives and SSD? Presently, there is no sign of this, as SSD technology has just emerged onto the market; however, time and new technological advances will show if SSD can really make an impact and prove to be a major threat for the mighty hard disk drive.

For now, the hard disk drive appears to be safe with the high cost of the SSD limiting those taking the risk of changing but the real threat will happen once production costs and prices of the SSD drop. People will then be able to discover for themselves which of the two really is the best data storage technology for them and as a result we may well have a SSD/hard disk drive battle on our hands.

Questions to ask your storage supplier

• How much experience does it have in implementing new storage technologies?
• Can it offer tailored solutions to suit your industry sector?
• Will it offer ongoing maintenance and support?
• Will it keep your data secure?

George Purrio, European technical manager for Imation.