Local and Online Storage Systems

In this new era, you can find technological evolution in almost every industry. With technological advancement and evolution happening daily, we are required to store our valuable information on storage systems. A storage system is a hardware on which we’re able to store, port and extract data files. This data can be stored either temporarily or permanently on any computing devices. There are two types of storage systems, local storage options and online storage options.

1. A local storage system operation is to read or write requests from users to read or write data onto a local storage device
2. An online storage system is used to store data files from a local storage system or even from online websites such as email onto an online storage system such as a Cloud system.

The key difference is that unlike those installed within the desktop and laptop, these hard drives are portable. This means that they can be carried around by users and be able to plug into any desktop or laptop to access data files by inserting it into a USB, firewire or if more advanced can be plugged in wirelessly. Desktop external hard drives are generally cheaper than portable hard drives. They are larger in size and heavier containing a 3. 5-inch disk. They are much faster as their disk spins at 7200 RPM (rotations per minute) and contain a larger storage space, however they need to be connected to power source such as wall outlet to work. Also, they are fragile, so a small fall may cause the hard drive to stop working.

Portable hard drives contain a smaller 2. 5-inch disk that spins at 5400 RPM. Compared to the desktop external hard drives, these drives contain smaller storage space and are slower due to their lightweight. They do not need to be connected to a wall outlet power source like the desktop external hard drive to work, as they are able to draw power from the USB port of a laptop to work. Due to their portability, they can easily be carried around by users and are more durable as such they will be able to resist a fall compared to the desktop external hard drive.

A local storage options

USB thumb drive/ Flash drive

An USB thumb drive/ Flash drive is a small storage device that usually comes in the size of a keychain. It can be connected to a laptop or desktop through the USB port. It is also portable like the portable external hard drive and more convenient due to its even smaller size. However, it can be considered costly per GB as it has an even smaller storage space compared to the hard drives. The hard drives have a storage space ranging from 160 GB to even 3TB while an USB thumb drive, biggest storage is only around 64 GB. There are larger USB thumb drives which have large storage spaces which are up to 2TB, but it’s important to note that they are rare. An USB thumb drive can easily be accessed once connected to the USB port and allows users to change data on the USB thumb drive as many times as the user wants to.

Optical drive (CD or DVD)

Optical drives are enabled to store data on optical disks such as CDs or DVDs. Optical devices are mainly input devices on which we’re able to store songs, movies and even computer software on it. Optical drives use laser to read data, as well as write data. The laser used to write data is more powerful compared to the one used to read data. Data reading occurs when the optical drive spins the disks, the speed at which the disk is spun at ranges from 1600-4000 RPM. This is still slower than the hard drives. Also, a CD can store to maximum of 900MB while a DVD which has a bigger storage can store up to 17GB. It is considered relatively cheap to store information on CDs and DVDs but bear in mind that these CDs and DVDs have very short life spans. Slight damage to the disk can cause all storage to be lost.

Memory cards

A memory card is a small storage device usually found in phones and cameras to store photos, videos, text messages and other important data. Memory cards are easily portable, require less power to function and provides immediate access to data files stored on our phones or cameras. However, users must be careful in using memory cards as they’re still at risk of damage by breaking or even being misplaced due to their small and thin appearance.

Online storage options

Cloud storage

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BYCloud storage are online virtual platforms that allows us to store data files for us to read or write. The data files that we upload onto cloud can be from our computers, emails or even from internet websites We will need to have access to the internet to access our data which is uploaded onto the cloud storage. Our data are managed and maintained by cloud operators. Examples of cloud operators are Google Drive, One Drive and Dropbox.

There are three types of cloud storage:

Private Cloud Storage

Private cloud storage is mainly for individuals and private businesses. The data is managed by both the company and cloud storage provider working together It gives you administrative access and can design a system which allows you accomplish your business needs. It also requires higher security maintenance provided by the cloud storage provider.

Public Cloud Storage

In public cloud storage, the company and cloud storage provider are separate. The data is managed by the cloud provider and the system does not require as much security as the private cloud storage because, the enterprise is able to authorize anyone to access the files.

Hybrid Cloud Storage

Hybrid cloud storage is a mixture of both private and public cloud, where vital documents are stored in the company’s private cloud and the rest are stored in the company’s public cloud. A statistic carried out in 2017 by Right Scale showed the amount of people that used private, public and non-cloud users. In conclusion, we all need to store our data in some medium. Some people opt to store their data in local storage while other choose to store theirs in online cloud storages.