Digital Storage: Preserving Your Content

Flashcards covering digital storage technologies, cloud computing, memory, and security.

Memory

Electronic components that store instructions waiting to be executed by the processor, data needed by those instructions, and the results of processing the data into information.

Storage

Long-term, permanent access to data and information.

Storage Medium

The location where a computer keeps data, information, programs, and applications; also called secondary storage.

Cloud Storage

Keeping information on servers on the internet.

Storage Device

The hardware that records and/or retrieves items to and from storage media.

Writing

Transferring data, instructions, and information from memory to a storage medium.

Reading

Transferring data, instructions, and information from a storage medium into memory.

Capacity

The number of bytes (characters) a storage medium can hold.

Access Time

The amount of time it takes for a storage device to locate an item on a storage medium, or the time required to deliver an item from memory to the processor.

Transfer Rate

The speed with which data, instructions, and information transfer to and from a device.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

A storage device that contains one or more inflexible, circular platters that use magnetic particles to store data, instructions, and information.

Longitudinal Recording

Aligns magnetic particles horizontally around the surface of the disk.

Perpendicular Recording

Aligns magnetic particles vertically or perpendicular to the disk’s surface.

Density

The number of bits in an area on a storage medium.

Formatting

Process of dividing the disk into tracks and sectors.

Track

One of the series of concentric circles on one of the surfaces of a magnetic hard disk platter.

Sector

An individual block of data or a segment of a track.

Read/Write Head

The mechanism that reads items and writes items to the drive.

External Hard Drive

A separate, free-standing storage device that connects with a cable to a USB port or other port on any device.

Solid-State Drive (SSD)

A flash memory storage device that consists entirely of electronic components and contain no moving parts.

Optical Disc

A type of storage medium that consists of a flat, round, portable disc made of metal, plastic, and lacquer and is written and read by a laser.

Cloud Computing

Consists of a front end and a back end, connected to each other through a network.

Cryptocurrency

Digital currency that can be used to transfer money or payments between users or corporations.

Enterprise Hardware

Allows large organizations to manage and store data and information using devices intended for heavy use, maximum efficiency, and maximum availability.

Highly Available Hardware

Accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Enterprise Storage Center/Data Center

A secure location with many large computers that act as servers, making files available to users.

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

A group of two or more integrated hard drives.

Mirroring (RAID Level 1)

Writes data on two drives at the same time to duplicate the data.

Striping

Splits data, instructions, and information across multiple drives in the array.

Network Attached Storage (NAS)

A server that is placed on a network with the sole purpose of providing storage to users, computers, and devices attached to the network.

Storage Area Network (SAN)

High-speed network with the sole purpose of providing storage to other attached servers.

Magnetic Stripe Card

A credit card, entertainment card, bank card, or other similar card with a stripe that contains information identifying you and the card.

Smart Card/Chip Card

Stores data on an integrated circuit embedded in the card.

RFID Tag

Consists of an antenna and a memory chip that contains the information to be transmitted via radio waves.

NFC (Near Field Communication)

Uses close-range radio signals to transmit data between two NFC-enabled devices or between an NFC-enabled device and an NFC tag.

Address

A unique number that identifies the location of a byte in memory.

Saving

The process of copying data, instructions, and information from RAM to a storage device or to the cloud.

Cache

A temporary storage area that helps speed up the processes of the computer because it stores frequently used instructions and data.

ROM (Read-Only Memory)

Memory chips storing permanent data and instructions.

Flash Memory

Type of non-volatile memory that can be erased electronically and rewritten.

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)

Uses battery power to retain information even when the power to the computer is off.

Beacons

Devices that send low-energy Bluetooth signals to nearby smartphones, to alert customers who use a payment app, such as PayPal, to personalized offers in their stores.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Smart electric meters, wearable technology, and vehicles’ black boxes submit data about us as part of the…