If you use tape to backup your files, you might want to consider IBM's tape enhancement, the largest physical capacity linear tape media currently available. The company's tape can now hold a whopping 700 gigs of data, a 40-percent improvement over IBM's previous tape model. The tape, which became available January of this year, is set to streamline the data storage room, with far fewer tapes needing to be stored, according to company director of system storage products Charlie Andrews.

Before you run out to replace all your 500 gig tapes with the beefier versions, consider this - searching for data on a larger tape would be more time-consuming. Experts suggest using the larger tapes for long-term storage and maintaining a library of the smaller tapes for day-to-day activities.

The company says the new tapes include WORM format and are supported by the encryption capability in the IBM System Storage TS1120 Model E05 Tape Drive. The 3599 tape media may be integrated into the TS3500 Tape Library, the 3494 Tape Library, the Silo Compatible Tape Drive Frame 3592 Model C20 and into standalone environments. The cost - $270 per cartridge. Cartridges come in a package of 20, retailing for $5,400. For more information, visit the IBM website.