Data Backup Systems
In today’s world of active computer usage, off site data backup has achieved an important significance. Now that you have fixed up a backup schedule, it is essential to decide on the media for data storage.
Data Backup Systems
There are a number of data backup systems which may be appropriate for your needs. The various backup media available are as follows:
Magnetic Tapes
They are the conventional storage media for offsite backups. It consists of a thin plastic strip coated with magnetic material. Magnetic tapes come in reels and cartridges of various storage capacities. The data is stored in blocks on the tape. It is a sequential storage device that has become a preferred backup storage media because of its low cost and portability.
Optical Disks
Optical disc, by definition, is storage devices in which light is used to read and write data. The disc used is usually made up of dye coated clear polycarbonate plastic. A low powered Laser beam is used to record and retrieve data. The CD or Compact discs have storage capacity up to 680 megabytes. The CD-R disc can be written only once. For multiple rewriting, CD–RW are used. The Digital Video Disc, commonly known as the DVD has more storage capacity than the CD. DVDs can store data up to 4.7 gigabytes. It is a much-preferred medium for multimedia data storage.
Optical discs have more storage capacity as compared to magnetic media. In addition, this media is impervious to damages from electric surges and magnetic fields.
Solid-State Storage Devices
They are removal storage media that employ integrated circuits (IC) in place of optical or magnetic media. The USB drives and other proprietary portable drives are examples of solid-state devices. Since it contains no mechanical parts, the data transfer in solid-state devices is much faster than magnetic or optical devices. It also has a longer life compared to other storage devices. The downside is the storage capacity that is much less than other conventional backup storage devices. A USB flash memory can store up to 1GB of data where as the hard drives can store up to 100 GB. The cost per byte of storage is much higher for solid-state devices. However, it is gaining much popularity due to its compact size, fast retrieval and easy portability.
Online Storage Services
Online storage services such as Mozy or Carbonite are an excellent offsite, online data backup system.
The storage device used for offsite backup should be selected with care taking in consideration the size and structure of your data. The user should carefully evaluate all the options and decide upon the right media for the off site backup.
You may wish to implement a number of data backup systems to be sure your important data is protected.
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