The amount of digital data mankind is producing is at an all-time high. The Zettabyte Era is here, with data defining and pervading every aspect of business, culture and people's daily lives. But where do all these numbers, videos, photos and files go? What is the underlying technology that enables us to record all this data? This guide, structured in the form of a glossary, explores data storage, from today's virtualized cloud systems and solid-state memory back to data on spinning disks.

Computer data storage is a diverse field, complex and constantly changing - and yet of utmost relevance in everyday IT. Getting started with the subject can be difficult: terms are unknown, concepts are only vaguely familiar, or technical abbreviations are difficult to decipher. What is NAS, what a SAN? Is there a difference between iSCSI and Fibre Channel? What is a file-system and how does it relate to Block Storage or Hybrid cloud storage? This Micropolis Handbooks publication is mainly written in the form of a technical terms glossary, meant as a quick-start guide on computer data storage. Short paragraphs per term summarize often complex matter to provide you with an overview of the field. Selected terms receive broader discussion in short articles. Several concepts are visualized in black and white illustrations. Organized like an encyclopedia, this basic reference book is a first primer on a fascinating and highly relevant topic of System Administration and Information Technology.

100% human text: This book is original content and was not written with the help of artificial intelligence.