Well, there are quite a few options regarding data storage and let us take a look at those options and how good they are:
A. Hard drives – these can be both internal and external. If it is an external drive then it is covered up by a hard casing and it has individual power sources. The external drives are connected via the USB or the faster FireWire port and they are detected as another hard drive. External drives give one the option to protect them with password and carry it to places. Only a bit of preventive maintenance and it will be fine.
B. NAS – a scaled down computer connected to an existing network is what makes up NAS or Network Area Storage. The data is stored and accessed as and when required over a network. Unlike any other normal computers with keyboard and mouse, they are just limited to storing data. They however require some space and security to set up but are a very good option.
C. Optical drives – these include the common CDs and DVDs that we use to store movies, songs and other stuff. They are very cheap and can store a fairly large amount of data (CDs – 700 MB, DVDs – 4.7 GB). A bit of care is needed so that they do not get any scratches or spoiled in high temperatures or even get broken.
D. Flash memory – portability is the USP of these storages. They consist of USB drives or memory cards and they get into the USB ports of computers. Smart and portable as they are, they have one drawback of getting infected with viruses. And they can also get misplaced or lost. But all in all these drives are quite good as portable storage options but unfortunately do not come in large capacities.
E. Online storage – this type of storage requires one to make up backup copies of data and store them online. Many businesses offer this kind of service for a nominal fee and only a network connection is needed. Also, due to remote storage the data can be accessed via internet anytime, anywhere. The downside in this regard is that you need to have a fast internet connection or else data upload/download will take an eternity.
F. Internal hard drive – this is quite a cheap option as the data can be backed up on the same system without having to add extra space. An internal drive with greater speed will add to the overall speed of work being done quickly. Moreover, the data can be copied simultaneously as the work progresses. Also, additional drives can be added as and when required.
These are generally the storage options available to users as their data storage needs increase. For, good rack servers one may consider the Dell PowerEdge C6100 or for a good host bus adapter one should look at the QLE2560-CK.
