How To Choose Devices for External Data Storage

Data storage devices have evolved over the years. While computers now have larger memory capacities, it is still best to store important and frequently used files in external storage devices. This is very useful for people on the go, so all their files can be brought with them anywhere. It is also useful for those who share a common computer at home, at school or in the office. Even if you have your desktop or laptop computer for yourself, it is advisable to have data backup for safekeeping, just in case the computer suddenly breaks down because of a virus or whatever hardware problem. You can choose among these storage solutions for that which will be most useful to you:

• A USB flash drive is a useful device to store small files, mostly for documents. There are available USB drives that can hold up to 64 GB of data. Flash drives are very handy, light and have no movable parts. Its top advantage is that all computers now have USB slots, and USB flash drives are just plug and play devices. It is also not prone to scratches, unlike compact discs or tape storage devices. It is also not sensitive to dust. However, it can break down after it is used several times. It also does not have a write protect mechanism, so the files can be modified by whoever has access to it, unless the file itself is protected by a password. USB flash drives are also cheap, less expensive than external hard drives.
• External hard drives are useful for data storage of more than 100 GB. These are connected to the computer through the USB port. The more expensive hard drives have memory capacity of up to 500 GB, which can accommodate files that can fit on several DVDs. However, external hard drives are more sensitive and can be damaged by shock when dropped, and cannot be used at high altitudes. They are also sensitive to magnetic fields, although their casings have some degree of protection. This is more useful for laptop users who can no longer upgrade their notebook memory.
• You can also have your data backup online, similar to how free email providers store your messages and attachments. For a larger capacity, you can have a premium storage account, for which you will pay a fee depending on how large the capacity is.
• For companies that have large data storage requirements, they can have offsite backup, which is one of the solutions being provided by outsourced companies that have buildings that house data storage devices for large companies. This is ideal for companies that need to operate their systems 24/7. Having offsite backup is good, especially in case of building fires and earthquakes, among other possible causes of server failure. Offsite locations should be far from the company's premises and should not be in the same data network, so in cases of virus infection, the backup storage is not affected.
• For data that you just need to archive and store for future reference, you can burn them on optical media such as CDs or DVDs, which are very cheap and portable. They also occupy less space, so you can store plenty of data on several CDs.