Data Storage Background Data Storage Device Comparisons

Computer data storage refers to the memory, components, and any data storage devices or media used in retaining digital computer data after an interval of computing time. A data storage device is any such device that records or retrieves data from any medium (it could mean even the medium itself). Typically, data storage devices include: floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, hard disks, and USB flash drives.

Due to their low capacity for data storage, floppy disks are not in as much use as during their advent in the mid-1980's and the early 1990's. They have been replaced by CDs and DVDs, which come in both recordable and rewritable formats. These data storage devices offer more actual data storage capacity than floppy disks and are also quite cost-effective. Many computers nowadays only come with CD-ROMs so that users can utilize CDs and DVDs, but no longer have drives for floppy disks since they are not in enough demand to warrant it.

Like floppy disks have been surpassed by more cost effective data storage devices with larger capacities for information, these data storage devices will eventually be surpassed by online data storage. Already, online data storage has become the premier and most suggested offsite data backup solution. Any data recovery or file recovery plan worth considering takes online data storage into account. Furthermore, any data recovery or file recovery plan worth actively pursuing involves online data storage.

However, it remains unlikely that online data storage will ever render other data storage devices like CDs and DVDs useless like they have almost completely rendered floppy disks useless. Recovering one's data from an online data storage medium requires a working Internet connection. If one's computer does not have a working online connection, then it is useful to have crucial data backed on secondary data storage devices so the user has access to it. This demonstrates the usefulness of having multiple backup options.

Any efficient data recovery or disaster plan will have multiple backup systems in place since no backup solution is completely safe. Such backup protection can include simply copying data onto multiple CDs and DVDs, copying the data onto multiple hard copy files, or even storing the data at off site data backup locations such as at home or at a different office.

Online data storage, of course, is off site data storage. Given that the data storage medium it uses is the Internet, its capacity for data storage is infinite.

Also, online data storage is quite secure. Online data storage providers put software onto a computer that encrypts the information and then sends it via the Internet to their company's servers where it is saved. Even if one of these servers is destroyed or damaged due to a natural disaster or other tragedy, the data remains safe since it is also saved in the online data provider's other servers in different locations.

Accessibility is one a strong suit of online data storage. The computer user can access his or data from any computer with a working Internet connection so long as they have the proper decryption key to read it.

This convenience has made online data storage the preferred data storage and recovery plan.