Secondary Storage

Example: "An external hard drive is a common secondary storage device used for data backup."

Secondary storage refers to storage devices and media that are not constantly accessible by a computer system. Examples include external hard drives, portable flash drives, CDs, and DVDs. These devices and media must be either plugged in or inserted into a computer in order to be accessed by the system. Because secondary storage technology is not always connected to the computer, it is commonly used for backing up data.

First Published: 2009
Last Updated: December 8, 2009