PowerFile, which makes optical drive archive appliances for digital storage, introduced its <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2012284,00.asp?kc=EWNAVEMNL090606EOAD">Active Archive Appliance,</A> which uses an "active" mode method for keeping frequently accessed data such as documents, images and media files always accessible on the network. The approach, designed for both small and midsize business and enterprise users, stands in contrast to the traditional method of "banishing data off to tape where it remains an enterprise burden for years," a PowerFile spokesperson said. While identifying itself to the network as a standard network volume, the PowerFile A3 commits data to a virtualized massive array of DVD optical media.