Offline storage
Any storage medium that's non-volatile and whose data cannot be accessed by the computer once removed. A good example of offline storage is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) thumb drive. Offline storage is used for transport and backup protection in the face of unpredictable events, such as hardware failure due to power outage or files corrupted by a computer viruses.
The image shows three types of storage. However, offline storage is a subset of secondary storage as they both serve the same purpose and do not interact directly with the CPU (Central Processing Unit). The key differences being that offline storage is used as a way to physically transport information, generally has less capacity, and isn't accessible without human interaction.
Offline storage examples
Below are examples of offline storage used with computers.
- Blu-ray disk
- CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory)
- DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)
- External hard drive
- Flash drive
- Floppy drive
- Tape drive
- SD card
- USB drive
Backup, CD terms, Floppy drive terms, Primary storage, Secondary storage