Editing Computer data storage (section)

=== Off-line storage ===
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''Off-line storage'' is computer data storage on a medium or a device that is not under the control of a [[central processing unit|processing unit]].<ref>{{Cite tech report
 |last         = National Communications System
 |author-link  = National Communications System
 |title        = Federal Standard 1037C – Telecommunications: Glossary of Telecommunication Terms
 |publisher    = General Services Administration
 |date         = August 7, 1996 
 |id           = FS-1037C
 |url          = http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/fs-1037c.htm
 |access-date  = 2007-10-08
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090302235918/http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/fs-1037c.htm
 |archive-date = 2 March 2009}} See also article [[Federal standard 1037C]].</ref> The medium is recorded, usually in a secondary or tertiary storage device, and then physically removed or disconnected. It must be inserted or connected by a human operator before a computer can access it again. Unlike tertiary storage, it cannot be accessed without human interaction.

[[Off-line]] storage is used to [[Data communication|transfer information]] since the detached medium can easily be physically transported. Additionally, it is useful for cases of disaster, where, for example, a fire destroys the original data, a medium in a remote location will be unaffected, enabling [[IT disaster recovery|disaster recovery]]. Off-line storage increases general [[information security]] since it is physically inaccessible from a computer, and data confidentiality or integrity cannot be affected by computer-based attack techniques. Also, if the information stored for archival purposes is rarely accessed, off-line storage is less expensive than tertiary storage.

In modern personal computers, most secondary and tertiary storage media are also used for off-line storage. Optical discs and flash memory devices are the most popular, and to a much lesser extent removable hard disk drives; older examples include floppy disks and Zip disks. In enterprise uses, magnetic tape cartridges are predominant; older examples include open-reel magnetic tape and punched cards.