External Hard Drive vs. Cloud Backup

Backing up important data is something we all neglect until that dreadful day when we actually lose important files. Data on our hard drives can be lost due to viruses, physical damage, hacking, and hard drive crashes.

In this day and age, almost everyone’s livelihood is connected to computers. Some of us are entirely dependent on files stored in our PCs and Macs, while others are partly dependent on them. People store family photos, resumes, wedding videos and all sorts of important documents on their computers. The computer hard drives are susceptible to many risks and threats, and lost data usually cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is important to back up your data and have copies stored on more than one storage devices.

External Hard Drives

External hard drives are plug and play data storage devices. Some of their advantages are as follows:

1. They are easily available online and can be bought at any computer hardware store.
2. The best thing about these hard drives is that you simply plug them in, the computer detects them and then you can simply access them like you do any other device on your computer.
3. Backing up data is easy as you just drag and drop, or copy/paste the files you need to backup.
4. You can also store data directly in them.
5. Buying an external hard drive is a onetime expense.
6. They are available in all sizes, i.e. storage capacity ranging from hundreds of gigabytes to terabytes.

A major disadvantage of external hard drives is that they pretty much are susceptible and exposed to the same risks as your primary hard drive. It has a limited memory, and if you need more memory you will have to buy another one. Also you have to carry them around, i.e. take them to work, library, etc. if you need to access the files stored in them.

Cloud Backup

Cloud Backup is an online solution which helps you store your data on the servers of the service provider. Some of the major advantages of cloud backup are as follows:

1. There are several online solution providers offering this service, some even offer it for free up to a few gigabytes.
2. The data is stored on servers at a different physical location than your computer.
3. Data can be accessed from any computer with internet access; you do not have to carry anything around like in the case of external hard drive.
4. The system where your data is physically stored is looked after by professionals, that means they take all the necessary measures to reduce physical and virtual threats.
5. As your storage needs increase, you can simply upgrade your package for a few extra bucks. No need to buy a new device.
6. Some cloud backup solution providers are offering unlimited storage for a monthly fee.

A disadvantage of using cloud storage is that you have to upload and download files to and from the internet. People with a limited internet usage packages may find it to be problem, because they will end up using their quota very quickly.

Also, cloud storage comes with a monthly fee. Although the service providers use firewalls, and multiple backup copies, data when being sent and received through internet is always susceptible to security breaches.

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Guest article written by: Morris Fisher is a writer for BestOnlineCloudStorage.net – This site provides reviews on the best cloud storage services available today.

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Guest article written by: Morris Fisher is a writer for BestOnlineCloudStorage.net – This site provides reviews on the best cloud storage services available today.

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