10 Reasons to Choose LTO for Archiving

What is an LTO ?

LTO (Linear Tape-Open) is a magnetic tape data storage technology developed in the late 1990s by IBM, HP, and Seagate to create an open standard and increase competition in the market. Its main format, LTO Ultrium, was designed for high capacity and became widely adopted. The first Ultrium cartridge, released in 2000, had a native capacity of 100 GB.

Although tape storage is often viewed as an outdated technology, it continues to be widely used. In fact, the release of LTO-10 was largely driven by the growing demand for high-capacity, cost-effective solutions to store the massive volumes of data generated by AI applications.¹

Here are 10 reasons you should consider LTO for your archival needs : 

1. Cost-Effective Storage

LTO delivers one of the lowest costs per terabyte for long-term data retention. Compared to disk or cloud solutions, tape offers a significantly lower total cost of ownership over time.

A single LTO-9 cartridge, priced below $200, can hold up to 18TB of uncompressed data (or 45TB with 2.5:1 compression). In contrast, transferring large datasets from the cloud can be significantly slower, and the associated egress fees can be prohibitively expensive.²

Ref. : https://blog.archiware.com/blog/comparison-of-lto-and-cloud-storage-costs-for-media-archive/ 

2. Long Media Life

With a shelf life of 30 years or more, LTO tapes are ideal for archival scenarios where data must be preserved for decades but accessed infrequently.

In comparison, when archiving data on hard disk drives, manufacturers typically recommend powering them on at least two to three times per year to maintain functionality and prevent potential issues from prolonged inactivity.

3. High Storage Density

Current LTO generations (such as LTO-9 and LTO-10) provide up to 45 TB compressed per cartridge, enabling large-scale storage in a compact footprint.

4. Energy-Efficient Solution

Unlike spinning disks, tapes require no continuous power to maintain data integrity. This makes LTO a green, cost-saving option, reducing both energy consumption and cooling requirements.

Ref.: Why LTO is Still the Gold Standard for Long-Term Storage? (Webinar 25/06/2025) Blitz Micro x Symply

5. Exceptional Reliability

LTO technology boasts an extremely low error rate and robust durability.
Error correction is 10,000 times more reliable than HDDs and 1,000 times more reliable than SSDs, ensuring data integrity even under demanding conditions.

6. Easy Scalability

Expanding capacity is simple—just add more tapes or libraries. LTO scales seamlessly without major infrastructure changes, making it perfect for growing archival needs.

7. Open Standard & Vendor Support

LTO is based on an open standard, supported by multiple vendors and overseen by the LTO Consortium³ which is formed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), IBM, and Quantum Corporation. This guarantees interoperability and helps avoid vendor lock-in.

8. Reduced Cyber Risk

LTO tapes can be stored completely offline, shielding data from malware, ransomware, and accidental deletion. When physically removed, they create an air gap, adding an extra layer of cybersecurity.

9. Efficient Data Transfer

LTO tape drives can achieve impressive data transfer speeds—up to 1000 MB/s, allowing for 3.6 TB per hour per drive with compression. Typical sustained performance ranges between 300 and 400 MB/s, which is faster than traditional hard drives and comparable to some SSDs. To fully leverage this speed, it's crucial to ensure adequate bandwidth to the tape system.

10. Continuous Innovation

The LTO roadmap ensures ongoing evolution.

• LTO-10 launched this year, offering higher capacity and performance.
• Future generations are already planned, guaranteeing long-term viability.

Ref.: https://www.lto.org/roadmap/