Storage of digital data has become very vital in today’s world. With the current issues on energy conservation and mankind’s effort to save the trees and greening the planet, digitally storing data has become the trend instead of printing every data out which would need millions of trees to be cut just to have enough paper to print these tons of data. For example, telephone companies are now encouraging the enrollment of e-statement instead of sending printouts of the monthly bills of their customers. Copies of the billing statements are just sent via email for the customer to view. Health records are being computerized to save much needed spaces in the hospitals. Aside from the space saved, saving these records has given them ease in retrieval.
The current technology has given IT users particularly those dealing with data storage several options in saving data. It is just up to the user and his needs as what type of data storage he will utilize. Some of the common data storage and its pros and cons of usage are examined below. The most common type of data storage used is either dynamic data storage or static data storage. Dynamic data storage includes hardisks, flash drives and memory cards. This type of data storage allows the concurrent access to the device. This means that the user can access data from these storage devices while saving file to it at the same time. These are also advantageous when the data is frequently accessed and is frequently updated. A disadvantage however of using such data storage devised is that the data becomes vulnerable to changes and can be altered. (Roach, 2007)
Static data storage on the other hand includes optical disks such as CDs and DVDs and tapes. Data stored in this type of data storage are those files that do not need to be changed. This removes its vulnerability to alterations since changes to the data can’t be easily saved. A problem with using this type data storage is the possibility of having an unrecovered file because the storage medium could be damage especially when it is access after a long period of time.
The user also has the option to either use internal or external data storage. The choice depends on several factors that must be taken into consideration by the user. If the you need access speed, then the user may opt for an internal memory since it will definitely give more speed in accessing files especially large files, however, using an internal memory can be inconvenient since you have to bring the whole unit to whenever you need the data stored in it. External memory, on the other hand is more portable since you can save files to it and bring them to anywhere you go and it is also convenient to use since most of the external data storage devices today are just plug and play. However, when dealing with large amount of data, using external memory can have slow accessibility compared to the internal memory.
Another option is the use of cloud data storage or online. These can be beneficial because it does not involve the keeping of any physical device. You just need an account to access your data stored in the clouds anywhere in the world. This reduces the burden on the part of the user. However, one disadvantage is the cost of maintaining the cloud storage and the security issues surrounding it.
With the numerous options readily available in the market for data storage, the choice as to what type of data storage will be used by the user depends on several factors and the users needs. If the user wants to access data from anywhere then he may opt for a cloud based data storage or a removable data storage. However, no matter what data storage he chooses, it is still his responsibility to backup his data in case something happens like corruption of the data or lost of a removable storage device.
References:
PC Hardware Info (2012). PC Upgrades - External Storage Drive Versus Internal Storage Drive. Retrieved from http://www.pc-hardware-info.com/articles/PC-Upgrades-%20-External-Storage-Drive-Versus-Internal-Storage-Drive.html
Roach, Anne (2007). Selecting a Proper Storage Device. Retrieved from http://fht.byu.edu/prev_workshops/workshop07/papers/3/Storage.pdf
