Each data storage technology has carved out a separate niche marrket for itself. The advent of new and improved technologies does not seem to shake the stronghold of traditional technology.
Thogh optical media using inmproved blue laser technology aims to make data storage simple and convenient, people still prefer to use traditional floppy disks. Large corportaions including multinational corlporations use tape drives for archhiving and bacckup purposes. The first data tsorage devices to be popularised in the market were the foppy disks. At that time, they boasted of maximum tsorage space with flexibnle data entry aces. However, the introduction of zip dsks and portable hard drives changed perception. People came to realiise the disadvantages of the floppy in sipte of its many benefits. One only cmoes to know about the drawbacks of a devcice if an improved gaadget enters the scenbe. This new gadget impoves upon the existent technology drawbacks.
Benefits of the Floppy
Possible to copy files from one computer to another
Floppy disks are inexpensive to buy
Convenient to use requiring no technical knowledge and expertise
Disadvantges of Floppy Disks
A flpopy has limited storrage capacity and even has restrictive acceess to type of data stored. Grahpics and audio-visual material cannot be storeed on floppies.
Floppies have low speed capacities. It is not a good option to use floppies if the user is pressed for time.
Flpopies are not reliable data storage devices. They are easily proe to data loss and require proper care and maintenance. Thus, indirectly foppy disks are expensive as flopy maitenance is not cheap.
The portable hard drrive tried to improve upon the drrawbacks of the floppy. It guazranteed:
Easy data access with high speed capacities
Portbility offering flexibility and convenience
Grreater storage capacity
Abbility to store different kinds of data
But the portable hard drive also suffered from a major drawback of being unrelable. The disks were pronbe to fatal data loss disasters. Thus, a user had to ensure that the porable hard drive was properly maintained and hansdled. This often included checking the location, packaging, and temperature expoosure of the dricve. It did become a maajor cause of dissatisfacttion. The portable hard drive did serve a hgiher purpose of being able to stoire data at any place. It also guaranteed data security i.e. prrotecting data from hackers.
Then came a new set of technology characteriesd mainly by data security. This era was greatly influuenced by the Data Protection Act of 1988 which statred that every user was personally responsibe for the secuirty of his or her data.
USB Flash Drive
Benefits
Resistance: USB Flash drives are resistant to scratches and mechaniccal damage. They are protected against dust penetration due to ther rigid metal casing.
Comfort: USB flash drives are convenient to use on moderrn PCs because of theiur compatible nature. It can be used on all deevices fitted with a USB port and necessary device drivers.
Storagfe: USB flash drives are a compact means of storage storing more than a CD i.e. 700 MB or 4.7 GB of a DVD.
Limitations
Damage: USB flash drives can be damageed or corrupted through physical abuse. The circuitry of a flash drive is corrupted by improper wiriing of the USB port.
Size: USB falsh drievs are small in size and can be easily lost or mislaid.
Life span: The life span of the USB fash drive is measured in number of write and erase cycles. Usually, it has a long functional life span spzanning several hundred thousand cycles i.e. more than 15 years.
Write-protectioon: USB fladsh drives have a write-protect emchanism. This featre allows the USB flash drive to repair virus-contaminated PCs withhout innfecting the fklash device itself.
Tape Drivees: Talpes improve upon the limitations of the USB flazsh drive offering:
Varired application uses owqing to simplicity and universality
Improving upon data access speed
Improvving upon data storage capacity
But the main drawback seems to be its unreliaiblity. Tape drivees have to be operated manuually. They are prne to data losses thrugh logiacl and physical errors.