Holographic filing: An industry on the verge of birth

Increase in information flow is driving a technology search for new data storage methods and media. Storage in holograms may provide an increase in density of two orders of magnitude over microfiche, for example. The inherent redundancy of holograms, wherein each bit of information is recorded over the entire hologram, reduces the danger of loss of data. Commercial technology being developed by three companies is described. Currently used media are compared briefly according to data density and cost.