Storage Devices

Although the best thing about memories is making them, it is also worth keeping every memory with you in the shape of the picture. What’s more important is to make sure these pictures and memories are saved, because every picture will tell stories to generations. However, passing or sharing these memories with others can also be a great idea. This is where a storage device helps.

Alternatively known as digital storage, storage media or sometimes storage medium, it is a hardware device that stores information. This information can be stored either temporarily or permanently. These hardware devices work as secondary storage devices that are portable. Hence, it becomes easy to carry data from one place to another. These storage devices are preferably used in both personal and professional settings. Mainly they help in storing (and transferring) digital data and information. All these devices can keep data like videos, images, documents and other file types. Today, we will look into the possible types of storage devices available in the market.

Types of portable storage devices for computers and laptops

Back in time, computers used to fill up entire rooms. A two megabyte was believed as an extortionate amount of storage space. Today, a palm-sized disk can store much more data as compared to old computers. A portable storage device includes USB drives, Mini or external hard drive, and portable CD/DVD ROMs in today’s computer world. Additionally, some drivers work as an external storage replacement to the internally installed hard drives. These drives come with hard cases and a plug for the drive. You can use a cable to connect these drives with any computer, laptop or even tablet device. Here are some of the most common external portable hard data-storage devices available now.

A simple external hard drive

These simple hard drives are like what is installed within the computer or laptop. The only difference is that they can be plugged and unplugged anytime using an external cable. Plus, you can transfer them from one place to another, without carrying a bulky computer or laptop with you. These drives typically come in two sizes; 3.5 inches (desktop external drive) and 2.5 inches (portable external drive). An external hard drive is cheaper and faster than a portable hard drive. Plus, they are robust and can bear any shocks in case of any collusion. Commonly these drives come with a capacity range of 160 GB to 3TB. Thus, it can easily be connected to any computer to laptop with a USB port.

The solid-state drive or SSD

SSB (for example, G technology storage) is functionally like the traditionally available magnetic hard drives. But the list of similarities stops there. Internally an SSD drive is entirely different. These drives come with no rotating platters or moving parts, and they rely on semiconductors and electronics for data storage. This is what makes them a more robust and reliable option than traditional magnetic drives. Moreover, because of no moving parts, these drives consume lesser power as compared to traditional drives. Plus, they work much faster and let you complete your tasks without any delays or interruptions. Commonly these drives come in 64 GB and 256 GB capacity with USB 2.0/3.0 connection ports.

The network-attached storage (NAS)

NAS (for example, QNAP NAS) is one or more standard SATA or IDEA hard drives plugged in any array storage enclosure. Plus, they are connected to a network router or a HUB with the help of an Ethernet port. Some NAS comes with ventilating fans to shield the hard drive from overheating. These drives are best for local backups for small businesses or networks. Plus, we can attach several hard drives with NAS at the same time. Due to these multi-functional abilities, it can store large amounts of data. Additionally, NAS can be set up with RAID increasing the reliability of reading and writing performance. Finally, corporate settings use these drives for automated scheduled backups.

The cloud storage

The time of DVD and USB is vanishing, and the idea of cloud computing is taking over the data storage game. Cloud storage is universally accessible storage space in commercial data centres. The best part of this type of storage is that you can access the data using any computer device. A dedicated service provider provides this type of data storage. Here you may find a certain amount of data space for free, but more than that is available on subscriptions only. Some of the known examples of cloud data storage service providers include; Google Drive, Sky Drive, and Amazon S3. This type of storage is getting fame due to its accessibility with a higher level of security from theft or misplacement.