IT directors and administrators need to look for a comprehensive, all-around solution to data management to bring about corporate governance, compliance and efficient storage management.

A lot of times, if you want to add capacity [to a tape library], you have to put together a new frame. The way this is designed, you can slide new boxes in and don't have to do any cabling.

Database archiving is gaining in popularity, but I think there is confusion in the terminology that has not helped to differentiate active archiving from simple data backup.

I think tape's going to be around a long time, but it's being repositioned. We're still going to need tape to hold older backups and longer term archives because it's still the most inexpensive way to do that. The difference is that tape will be the second tier of backups, not the first tier anymore.

In the enterprise, you already have all these libraries, but a lot of midsized companies want smaller automated tape products. The PX500 series plays into that market -- the lower end.