USB Flash Drives


The digital revolution has made data storage and transfers quite easy and fast. This has been enabled by use of removable media that can be attached and detached from a computer just as fast. Currently, cloud storage is gaining popularity with its major selling point being the ability to access your data anywhere in the world provided there is an internet connection. This is a welcome move for rapid movement of information from one part of the world to the next, distance and barriers notwithstanding. One limiting factor of this mobility of data is that it is dependent on the availability of the internet. Without the internet, the storage is useless because it cannot be accessed then.


Everyone has data they are keeping, be it their identification details, bank account details, certificates or any other private information. Some of this information is very sensitive and private that some people are not willing to risk any chance of letting this information falling into the wrong hands. Such data need to be stored in an encrypted vault to protect it from nosey people and hackers, and to ensure that it is only be accessed by the right individuals. The cloud storage can be compromised when the hackers strike and anybody keeping their data there risk losing it. Classified information can also be accessed by the hackers who may manipulate them or use them for malice. This makes the use of a flash drive a better option because of its small size, large capacity and safety.

The risk, of losing data stored in the cloud, as well as its dependence on the internet availability, is mitigated by the use of removable media such as the flash drive. A flash drive, unlike other removable media such as compact discs (CD) and floppy disks, is not vulnerable to destruction by scratching or magnetic interference. It is a small electronic and non-volatile data storage medium that can be written and rewritten several times unlike the CD or the floppy drive.


There are several types of flash drives with various capacities in the market ranging from memory cards to the regular USB flash drive. It is commonly referred to as a USB flash drive because the flash drive is connected to a USB connector which mounts to the USB port of a computer, or some other electronic device that is being used for data transfer. Data transfer to/from a USB flash drive is very fast and easy, and using it for playing multimedia files is a plug and play affair.

Data stored on the flash drive is very stable because it uses solid state technology for data storage. This technology enables usage of a small sized chip to store large amounts of data (up to a few terabytes currently). One flash drive can safely replace several hundred DVDs, making it a relatively cheaper option. The flash drives are very safe because they have an integrated encryption software that enables the user to set a password to protect the files contained in the drive. They are insulated to avoid damage and various designs are available to enhance portability.



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