Should you be using an external drive or cloud storage?

What are the pros and cons of keeping your files on a hard drive versus backed up on a cloud software? Is one safer than the other? What’s more efficient?

Hard Drives

Hard drives have been around for quite a while. We have seen them evolve from floppy disks, to CDs, to USBs, to micro SD cards.

They’re easy to understand and portable - although quite basic; it gets the job done properly and efficiently. There is no internet needed to transfer files, meaning it saves your internet bandwidth for more pressing tasks.

Hard drives are also quite secure in the fact that it is more difficult for a hacker to access your external hard drive if it is not connected to your computer.

That being said, losing your hard drive disk, especially for something as compact as a USB, can be a security risk, especially if it is not encrypted with a password.

Hard drives also run into hardware malfunctions - many hard-drive disks, once physically damaged, can make your data near-impossible to recover. Data can become corrupt, loading your hard drive can affect the speed of your computer, and can ultimately become expensive to replace.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage did not break into the mainstream until earlier this decade. At first, security was a huge flaw of cloud storage; hackers were notoriously accessing public figures’ personal files.

Luckily, as technology has advanced, cloud files have become much more secure.

Updating files and syncing files are also a piece of cake, thanks to cloud storage. You can upload anything to the cloud even if it is from your smartphone or tablet, unlike hard drives which require a computer. Some cloud technologies even back up your files automatically if you give the program permission to do so! However, this does use bandwidth for your computer processing or internet, which may not always be feasible for the average user.

Cloud storage can also become costly. Most cloud storage options come at a subscription fee, while hard drives are sold at a flat rate. On the other hand, the risk and cost of losing your files through a hard drive malfunction is more expensive. Errors such as broken files are rarer in cloud storage, and losing your files due to system glitches is nearly impossible thanks to the advancement of cloud technology.

Whatever method of filing you have decided for personal or professional use, ask Merlin Shredding what your options are today. Email us at info@merlinshredding.com for more information.