Optical disk storage is a rapidly evolving technology that is creating a significant impact on the geophysical industry. Optical disks can be used to store images (drawings, surveys, maps, etc.) or raw data (seismic traces, telemetry, etc.) for retrieval and analysis. Commercially available optical disks can be written on only once, so a disk becomes an unalterable record of the image or data. Although many people once considered that a system in which information could not be erased or modified was fatally flawed, this asset can be an advantage for archival storage. The following is a brief overview of the current state of optical disk technology.