Storage describes any medium used to save files for long-term or permanent access. Storage media include your computer's hard drive, USB thumbsticks, memory cards, or optical storage media such as CDs, DVDs or Blu-rays. Unlike memory, storage is considered stable, or "involatile", because it does not require a persistent external electrical current to preserve data.
Different devices store information in different ways. Traditional hard drives use a spinning disc and head assembly to print binary code directly onto a magnetized surface.
Optical storage uses lasers of varying wavelengths to read and write to an optical path calibrated to match the particular wavelength. The shorter the wavelength, the more data can be printed to the proper disc. CD lasers have the longest wavelengths of common optical media readers/recorders, and therefore the smallest storage capacity; Blu-ray lasers presently have the shortest, and therefore the largest capacity per disc.
USB thumbsticks and memory cards are examples of flash memory, which is actually a form of non-volatile storage. Flash memory stores through transistor cells which are each individually either charged or uncharged, representing the 1 or 0 of binary code.
Nearly all computer forensics investigations involve analysis of storage media. With our specialized digital forensics tools and training, we can recover deleted files and e-mails, internet browsing history, hidden bank accounts and more.
Back To Glossary