IBM LTO 9 Tape

Enterprise storage that balances capacity, cost, and security

The IBM LTO-9 Ultrium tape delivers secure, scalable, and affordable long-term data storage. With 18TB native capacity (45TB compressed) per cartridge and transfer speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, LTO-9 helps organisations protect critical data without the recurring costs of cloud storage.

Whether you’re looking to strengthen ransomware resilience, meet compliance obligations, or manage growing datasets, IBM LTO-9 tape is a proven and trusted choice.

Key Features IBM LTO-9 Tape

• 18TB native / 45TB compressed capacity per cartridge
• Up to 400 MB/s native (≈ 1,000 MB/s compressed) transfer rate
• AES-256 hardware encryption for secure, compliant storage
• WORM option (Write Once, Read Many) for immutable, audit-ready archives
• LTFS support (open, self-describing file system for drag-and-drop access)
• RAO (Recommended Access Order) to speed up restores on large datasets
• Air-gapped by design — offline media immune to ransomware
• Enterprise reliability — designed for multi-decade retention
• Backwards compatible with LTO-8 media (read/write)
• MAM (Memory-in-Cassette) for barcode/health metadata and faster workflows

Built for Data Growth

With explosive data generation across AI, video, healthcare, and finance, LTO-9 scales to meet enterprise storage demands without locking you into expensive cloud fees.

Strong Ransomware Protection

Because LTO-9 cartridges are offline once written, they cannot be encrypted or deleted by cybercriminals. This makes them a critical part of any ransomware recovery strategy.

Compliance Made Easy

IBM LTO-9 WORM cartridges provide immutable storage — perfect for industries with strict data retention requirements, such as finance, legal, and healthcare.

Future-Proof Investment

Part of the LTO roadmap, LTO-9 is backward-compatible with LTO-8 and forward-compatible with LTO-10, giving organisations flexibility to expand and upgrade without disruption.