It is critical for any organisation to have data backup in order to fulfil their key business tasks and to keep the business functioning in the event of a hardware failure or a natural disaster.
As soon as you make the decision to back up your data, the first thing you need to do is select the storage device or backup media that will be used to store your backups. The industry offers a wide range of data storage devices, including optical drives, tape drives, different types of memory sticks, hard disc drives, SD Cards, and a wide variety of cloud storage services etc. etc. As a result, selecting the most appropriate backup storage device is an essential part of every backup project.
This article primarily focuses on several types of data storage devices, as well as critical considerations to keep in mind when utilising them.
Tape is a reliable medium.
Using tape drives has several advantages, the most important of which is that they are trustworthy storage devices, since data saved on tape drives can be accessed safely even after being held for decades. In order to mitigate this risk, many firms (including large corporations) rely on tape drives as their primary backup mechanism. Furthermore, tape drives may be quickly removed and kept offsite, ensuring that the data held on them is safeguarded from any hardware failures, corruption, theft, or natural catastrophes that may occur.
Although tape backups are a realistic option, they are both time-consuming and expensive. Due to the fact that tapes are sequential access media, identifying and recovering individual data can be time-consuming and frustrating. To store data that is not altered or accessed regularly, tape drives are most often used for archival reasons, such as archiving data from hard discs.
Price and mobility of optical storage devices
Optical discs (CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs) are widely used as storage media in the home by consumers. Because they are both affordable and portable, they are frequently utilised for system backup and restoration. Because data on optical discs is read and written using lasers, there is less wear and tear on the discs during the read and write processes.
Optical discs, on the other hand, are more susceptible to damage or scratches, and the data stored on them might become illegible very quickly. Reading and writing optical discs necessitates the use of specialised hardware and software, which can be an issue if your laptops or desktop PCs lack an optical drive or do not support all of the drive formats available.
SD Cards are small and portable, making them ideal for travel.
Storage devices like SD cards, sometimes known as memory cards, are compact storage devices that may be used to back up data such as documents, photographs, videos, and audio files. SD cards provide a number of advantages over other storage media, including their tiny size, portability, and ease of access to data. They are frequently used to store small amounts of data on mobile phones, digital cameras, and personal computers, among other things.
SD cards are more costly than hard drives, CDs, and DVDs, among other things. Furthermore, SD cards are prone to failure, and the data contained on them may be lost as a result.
Flash drives are a good value for the money because of their ease of usage.
A Flash Drive is a plug-and-play portable storage device that stores data in non-volatile memory and may be used to transfer data between computers. The storage, retrieval, and management of data on a flash drive are all quite simple. One of the primary functions of a flash drive is to transport and transfer data from one device to another.
In contrast, if you use the flash drive with several different computers, you run the risk of spreading viruses from one computer to another and infecting the contents that are saved on the device. As a result, it is critical to check the flash drive using antivirus software before allowing it to be utilised. As a last precaution, always preserve numerous backup copies of your key information (e.g., on an external hard drive or in the cloud) to avoid data loss.
Hard drive and solid-state drive (SSD) pricing and capacities
Data storage devices such as hard disc drives (HDDs) are the most common choice for both residential and commercial customers. Hard drives are a type of storage technology that is both portable and reasonably priced. Their storage capabilities range from megabytes to terabytes, and they are available in a variety of forms and sizes to suit your needs. You may quickly attach a hard drive to your computer and use it to store backup data.
HDDs have a number of disadvantages, including the fact that they may be damaged, broken, or crashed quickly. As a result, while utilising hard drives for backups, greater attention should be exercised. Due to the fact that the majority of hard drives do not offer password security, if your hard drive is lost or stolen, your information will be accessible to anybody who has access to the drive.
Solid State Drive (SSD) is another type of storage device that is increasingly being used to replace hard disc drives. SSDs outperform hard drives in terms of speed, durability, and dependability. SSDs, on the other hand, are more expensive (although costs are reducing), and the cost of the device might grow significantly as the storage capacity increases.
NAS (Network Attached Storage) Drive – Capacity
High-capacity storage devices that are directly linked to a network and may be used to provide storage for numerous computers or devices are known as network drives (also known as network attached storage drives).
With network-attached storage (NAS), you may effortlessly share files with others and view them from a variety of devices over a network. As a result, NAS devices are used for data storage by small organisations and residential users.
There are a few restrictions to using a network attached storage device. If users are copying huge files to and from the NAS, performance may be degraded due to the fact that the data transfer is taking place through a network connection. The firmware of a NAS is responsible for the majority of its functioning. Some network-attached storage (NAS) devices are shipped with early builds of software that have issues that have not yet been detected, which might create problems while saving data. It is necessary to check the manufacturer’s website to determine whether a newer firmware version is available, and then to upgrade the firmware before utilising the device in question.
Cloud storage, FTP, and other offsite storage services – accessibility and location
Cloud Storage Services, also known as FTP Servers, allow customers to store data remotely on an offsite location that is protected from viruses, hackers, and natural catastrophes. Cloud Storage Services are also known as FTP servers. FTP (File Send Protocol) was commonly used to transfer huge files to a distant server in the early 1990s. Even today, several firms rely on FTP, FTPS, or SFTP servers to store their offsite backup data on a regular basis.
One restriction of FTP is that it requires the use of an FTP client (or backup software that is compatible with FTP) in order to backup or restore files stored on the server. It can be a complicated and time-consuming procedure to establish an FTP server, especially if you need to open extra ports or install a firewall or router in order to transmit data to and from the server. As a result, many corporate customers are converting to cloud storage for their online data storage requirements.
When it comes to cloud storage, one of the most significant advantages is that it gives a handy method to access data from any location in the globe with an internet connection. The second most significant advantage is that cloud services provide large amounts of storage space at reasonable pricing. As a result, cloud storage helps your firm save money and resources by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. However, if the bandwidth utilisation exceeds a specific limit set by the cloud provider, the operating costs may increase, and data flow may be throttled.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the data backup device you pick is determined by the quantity of data you need to keep, the speed with which it can be backed up, the cost, the security, the dependability, and the availability of the data. We recommend that you retain both local and offshore backups in order to protect yourself against primary data loss and corruption.
