The Phenomenon of Data Storage

Business is all about data. Knowing what your customers want, who is your competitor, what is he doing, analyzing the concerned research and coming up with solutions and better strategies essentially means loads and loads of numbers and data. This also means speed! The data must be accessible within milliseconds. Think of another situation. A student, these days needs lots of music on his computer along with umpteen numbers of photographs, eBooks, academic data, movies etc. Is it possible to store everything in one computer without making the computer extremely slow and prone to "hanging"? Everyone will hate it if the computer is overloaded with data or not segmented properly because it will reduce speed and accuracy drastically. In today`s world, where people rely on speed and accuracy, this might become a big issue!

Hence, the devices of data storage, from memory sticks to hard disks are used extensively in office and at homes. They all are external to the computer and the data can be safely stored. It supplements and adds on to the existing computer memory. They are also called as removable data storing devices because they are external to the computer and need to be attached / connected to access the stored data in the device. The data can in the form of files, folders, music etc.

One of the biggest advantages of the external storage device is its portability. You can just plug it to your computer, PC, laptop etc anywhere in the world, and gain access to the stored data immediately. These days, storage devices are slick and sophisticated. They not just look smart but also require minimal physical space! These interfaces enable high speed connectivity with the click of a button. You connect the device as and when required. Thus, chances of corruption of data, threat of virus etc are greatly reduced. It also acts as a great backup in case of computer crashes. These days, many companies specialize in computer and its paraphernalia and you can get it a cheap price too!

There are some basic drawbacks of using storage devices too. Nothing which is related to computers is spared from the threat of corruption and virus attacks. Although less common in external devices, but still relevant if the storage device is used by multiple people on multiple computers. If data is not segmented and filed properly, chances of repetition and deletion is also there.

As is said, nothing is perfect! Same is the case with storage devices. It has its own pros and cons. But advantages outweigh the disadvantages. These days, every one depends on computers to sift through the extensive data of music, videos, movies, office work, academic data and the like! It is like having an extra shopping bag when you go for your retail therapy. It is not just luxurious but essential!