computer science

Imation

Imation is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Imation rather than just read about it. In short: Imation Corporation was an American company which manufactured and marketed data storage products. It was founded in 1996 as a spin-off of 3M's data storage and imaging business.

Key takeaways

Imation belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Imation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Imation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Imation Corporation was an American company which manufactured and marketed data storage products. It was founded in 1996 as a spin-off of 3M's data storage and imaging business. Imation had three core elements: traditional storage (magnetic tape and optical products), secure and scalable storage (data backup, data archive and data security for small and medium businesses) and what the company calls "audio and video information" products. In January 2017, the company announced a change of name and direction, completing its move away from the data storage business towards being focused on asset management and strategic investment and rebranding itself as GlassBridge Enterprises. The Imation brand was sold off later that year to O-Jin Corporation Co., a Korean company who have since licensed its use to other businesses, but retain ownership of it as of 2024.

History

As 3M Originally part of 3M, the company was involved in the development of many technological improvements in data storage, such as the introduction of the first American-made magnetic tape in 1947, the first quarter-inch tape cartridge for data storage (QIC) in 1971, and the 3.5-inch (89 mm) floppy disk in 1984.

As Imation

Imation was started in 1996, when 3M spun off its data storage and imaging business. The company underwent a divestment of non-core businesses, and invested in four core product technology areas: secure storage, scalable storage, wireless/connectivity, and magnetic tape. In late 2007, Imation acquired TDK's recording media business, including flash media, optical media, magnetic tape, and accessories, for $300 million. This also included a license to use the "TDK Life on Record" brand on data storage and audio products for 25 years. In September 2015, Imation announced that it had agreed to relinquish this license and would cease selling TDK-branded products by the end of the year. In February 2012, Imation announced a product set to secure mobile data, identities, and workspaces, based on the idea that employees used portable storage devices to transport corporate data. The security news followed five acquisitions the company made in 2011 in scalable storage and data security: ENCRYPTX; MXI Security from Memory Experts International; the assets of ProStor; the secure data storage hardware business of IronKey; and intellectual property from Nine Technologies. Imation received an exclusive license from IronKey for its secure storage management software and service and a license to use the IronKey brand for secure storage products. In October 2011, Imation products for small and medium businesses centered on its DataGuard and InfiniVault multi-tier data protection and data archive appliances. The company sold consumer electronics, headphones and accessories under the Imation, Memorex, TDK Life on Record, and XtremeMac brands. The combined Imation, Memorex and TDK Life on Record brands made the company into a global market share leader in sales of CD-R and DVD media before that business was shut down in 2016.

Change of name and direction

In January 2017, Imation announced its intention to change its name to GlassBridge Enterprises, completing its change of direction away from the data storage business towards being an asset management and strategic investment company. The name change became effective on February 21, 2017. Net revenue for 2016 was $44.1 million, compared to $529.2 million the year before. GlassBridge's stock registration was revoked effective January 30, 2026, due to GlassBridge's failure to file periodic reports with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, after filing a form 10-Q with the SEC for the period ending on September 30, 2023.

Sale of Imation brand GlassBridge Enterprises sold the Imation brand name to Korean company O-Jin Corporation Co., Ltd. (now Ojin Corporation Co.) on August 4, 2017. In 2019 Imation, by then under O-Jin's ownership, announced licensing deals for use of the brand by PNY Technology, Ritek Corporation and photo printer company Prinics. As of July 2024 O-Jin still owns the Imation brand.

See also 3M Computer data storage Memorex

References

External links Glassbridge Enterprises Imation brand website (English version)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Imation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Imation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Imation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Imation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Imation

In research: Imation appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Imation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Imation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2017 mergers and acquisitions, 3M, Companies based in Minnesota, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Imation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Imation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Imation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Imation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Imation in simple terms?

Imation Corporation was an American company which manufactured and marketed data storage products. It was founded in 1996 as a spin-off of 3M's data storage and imaging business.

Why does Imation matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Imation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Imation.