USB Drives as a Medium of Storage
Your Backup Options
Over the last 12 months remote working has become normal which has now placed an even greater emphasis on an adequate back medium and a backup procedure for all devices that require regular data backups. The main back up options include the cloud, external hard drives, your own device and of course, USB drives.
Why USB Drives are a Great Option
USB drives are a great option for data backup because they do not rely on the internet speed or the actual connectivity and the backup is extremely fast. You also have the choice of the USB capacity depending on your data requirements and importantly, you do not have ongoing annual or monthly fees to continue backups which is the case with the cloud.
Other Back Up Options
Other backup options includes cloud, external hard drives and your own device. Cloud backups are very popular, the automation of the backups is also convenient. However, remote working locations may not access reliable internet connectivity or have an adequate internet speed that allows the full backup within a reasonable period of time. USB drives provide a 100% reliable back up as long as you have your USB drive. USB drives are also directly connected to your computer so the data transfer rate is extremely fast, particularly for USB3.0 ports and USB3.0 USB drives.
Although external hard drives have become more compact and do have a very high storage capacity, these drives remain bulky compared to USB drives and are not ideal for mobile people. USB drives can typically store up to 128 GB and more which is adequate for the vast majority of users.
The final option is to back up your files on your own computer, usually in a unique directory or on a different drive than your original data. Backing up on your own computer allows a very fast data transfer rate and it can be automated but this option does defeat the purpose of a back up because if your device fails or is damaged and your data cannot be retrieved, you have lost everything including your original data and your backups.
Conclusion
USB drives are a great option for backing up your data because they are reliable, provide a fast data transfer, you pay a relatively small one-time purchase price, no ongoing annual/monthly fees and minimal risk of hacking. Cloud based backups are a popular option although it does require a reliable and preferably, a fast internet connection, you also need to make recurring monthly or annual fees. External hard drives are not convenient for people who are mobile and finally, backups on your own computer cannot be considered a viable option, a computer that losses it’s data will also lose the data that has been backed up.