Flash storage describes any device or system that uses flash memory. It’s a broad term that can describe anything from a simple USB flash drive to a complex enterprise system that uses flash memory (“flash RAM“) as part of the storage system.
Flash Storage in the Enterprise
In the enterprise, NAND, a type of flash technology, is changing fundamentals in computing and storage systems and flash memory in the enterprise is believed to reduce energy consumption of storage systems. Unlike a physical hard disk drive (HDD) , NAND do not require as much space and SSDs built with NAND technology provide a high level of performance in enterprise storage systems.
Flash Storage in Consumer Technology
In consumer technology, mobile devices, including phones, digital cameras, music players and tablets also rely heavily on flash-based storage. These devices use flash chips instead of a hard drive for storage.
The shift to using flash chips in place of hard drives has a number of benefits, including size, power and energy consumption as flash tends to reduce heat and in turn requires less cooling. The downside to flash storage is cost. Compared to traditional hard disk drives, flash storage is much more expensive.
