Regarding data storage solutions, what does the term "latency" refer to?

Latency refers specifically to the time delay that occurs before a data transfer begins. In the context of data storage solutions, it is a critical performance metric because it impacts how quickly data can be accessed and transferred once a request is made. High latency can lead to delays in reading or writing data, affecting the overall responsiveness of systems that rely on quick data retrieval, such as databases or online applications.

In contrast, the other options pertain to different aspects of data storage. The amount of data that can be stored relates to capacity, which is a measure of how much information a storage device can hold at any given time. The physical space occupied by data refers to the storage footprint of data files, while the capacity of a storage device indicates its maximum storage potential. These concepts are important but do not directly address the timing aspect that latency specifically describes.