Crystal Rae
Are you frantically searching for your important files on your computer? Are you worried that they might be lost forever?
It’s imperative that you always back up your files so that you never lose them. You might consider backing up your files on a cloud server. But the best way to save your files is on external hard drives.
These are the best devices that can store your files and protect them. You can keep them in your home office or carry them with you. Here’s why you should consider buying external hard drives:
- Large Storage Space
The major advantage of external hard drives is that they have a large storage capacity. Most cloud storage services offer less than 1 TB of space. For those few that offer 1 TB or more, you’ll likely have to pay a high subscription fee.
For less than $100, you can find external hard drives that reach up to 1 TB. You can also find portable external hard drives that reach up to 4 TB and can easily fit in your pocket.
You can also buy larger external hard drives ranging from 6 TB to 10 TB. These are perfect for your home office. These are especially good for storing media. If this is your main reason for needing storage, you should read more about external hard drives.
- Portability
As we’ve mentioned already, one of the biggest advantages of external hard drives is that they’re portable.
While you can access cloud storage service while you travel, you have to depend on a reliable internet connection. As connected as the world is, a reliable internet connection can still be quite rare.
With a portable external hard drive, you can access your files wherever you go without worrying about an internet connection. This is great for business travelers, students, and digital nomads.
Portable external hard drives have a hard casing that makes them resistant to shocks, wear-and-tear, or other damage. You can also easily find protective sleeves and cases for these external hard drives.
- Perfect for Organization
Do you get overwhelmed when you need to organize your digital files?
With external hard drives, you’ll find it much easier to organize your files. Within your external hard drive, you can create folders and place your files within them.
You can also add adhesive labels to your external hard drives so that you can identify the types of data within the hard drive. For example, you can add all your documents to one external hard drive. Likewise, you can have separate hard drives for videos, photos, and audio files.
Within external hard drives, you can also add text documents that outline or detail the files that can get found within them. This is especially useful if you have hundreds or thousands of files on an external hard drive.
- They Offer Security
Do you worry about your files and data getting lost or stolen?
This is one of the serious issues that we have to deal with as more of our lives become digital. You might have legal documents, bank statements, personal photos, etc., in a digital format.
While many users keep such files on a cloud service, these are prone to hacks. One can never be assured that these files won’t get stolen or duplicated by hackers.
The best alternative remains external hard drives. With an external hard drive, you are responsible for your data’s security.
With a cloud storage service, you are wholly dependent on the service you use. No matter how much you pay Google, Box, or Dropbox, there’s no guarantee that your files will always be safe.
External hard drives cannot be hacked through the internet. You can also add password protection to hard drives if they get lost.
You can also keep your external hard drives in safe areas. These can include safes, vaults, or discreet areas within your home!
- They Are Easy to Use
Are you intimidated by the prospect of having to keep your files secure?
You don’t have to stress about this when you use an external hard drive. External hard drives are easy to set up.
In most cases, all you’ll have to do is plug in your external hard drive to your computer. Most external hard drives will use USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 connections.
Some external hard drives will come with built-in software to add password protection. They might even have software to help you delete your files en masse or encrypt your data. These software applications will be easy to use for most users.
- They Last Longer
The fact is, your computer’s internal hard drive can burst at any moment! You likely spend hours each day on your computer. This can exhaust your computer and all its internal hardware.
This internal hardware will include your hard drive. It might take longer for you to save files and data. In extreme cases, you might not be able to save files at all. At times, internal hard drives might automatically delete files without your consent.
Your external hard drive will get to rest whenever you aren’t using it. As such, it’ll have less difficulty with storing files. It’s rare for an external hard drive to ever delete files without your consent.
The same goes for cloud storage services. You can’t always depend that the service will last forever. At any given moment, the service might be discontinued and you’ll lose your data without warning.
As such, it’s always best to keep a few external hard drives that store all your data. The goal is that if your computer crashes, you can replace the computer without worrying about replacing the data or files.
Start Buying External Hard Drives
Now that you know the advantages of external hard drives, you can buy them for your data and files.
These are far more advantageous than cloud storage and certainly much better than depending on the stability of your computer! You can find them at an affordable price and with a range of storage capacity.
Make sure you choose one that also has password capabilities and has been tested for durability.
There are more tips on computers and tech on our website!
