Definitions of mass storage technologies and strategies have evolved along with computer systems. Experts point to the earliest and most primitive mass storage strategies used in the days of main-frame supercomputers. These include Hollerith cards or punch cards, and other relatively manual storage media. These days, mass storage can involve various types of hard disks or solid-state storage media, as well as tape containers and other types of physical data storage media.

The idea of mass storage is also often associated with data backup and data recovery. Enterprises will plan for all available data to be recorded, stored and backed up, which requires much more mass storage media than what is supported by factory-direct hardware. That leads to a strategy where tape or other media can be used to provide ongoing mass storage handling. Other types of mass storage may act as an effective data storage strategy for an entire network or a set of portable remote devices. For example, mass storage for a tablet can involve the use of flash or USB media to back up data on a portable tablet that lacks a high amount of internal memory.