Using a Portable Hard Drive for Business Security

USB 2.0 portable hard driveWhile data recovery plans are a big deal to large businesses, small business owners to often do not even consider the concept until the worst happens. For a small business, making use of an inexpensive USB 2.0 portable hard drive to backup crucial business files can be the difference between a theft, fire, or computer failure being a minor inconvenience or a business destroying catastrophe. Having a backup plan, following it religiously, and securing the drive can be an absolute lifeline for a company.

Establishing a Plan
First, consider the files necessary to do business. These files will include accounting files, employee records and payroll information, and customer information. Additionally, if the company does computer oriented work, backing up all works in progress is a good idea as well. Once it has been decided which files to back up, how frequently to perform the backup should be determined. For most small businesses, once a week is adequate.

Follow the Plan
Backing up essential company data is only truly effective if it is regularly done. It is important to ensure that someone reliable is responsible for performing the backup. Establish protocol to confirm that the backup was successfully completed and establish a routine to deal with situations where the primary person performing the backup is unavailable. Keeping a current backup of the business’s important information is like buying insurance – you hope you never need it, but if you do, not having it can be devastating. Avoiding this devastation is as easy as sticking to the backup routine.

Secure the Hard Drive
The strength of using a portable hard drive for a small business’s important data is that it is small and can be quickly put in a safe. Securing the drive after the backup is complete is as important as performing the backup in the first place. While fire is the big catastrophe that enters people’s minds when considering the danger to company information, data stored on a computer is also at risk of theft, vandalism, or simple computer failure.

A large company with branch offices can get away with the creation of redundant files by exchanging data between locations. As the number of locations and distance between them increase, the chance of a single event wiping out every copy of crucial information is virtually nonexistent. For a small business with one location, things are different. The single location (and sometimes single computer) represents the risk that anything that harms the location could destroy the data. Establishing and following a sensible backup routine can eliminate this risk.

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Recommended shutdown procedure for Mac systems with a USB 2.0 or FireWire drive

In some cases, shutting down the system without properly unmounting the drive results in data corruption. If the OS stops the device while data remains in the drive cache, data can be lost or file system damage can occur. To avoid possible data corruption, it’s recommended that FireWire and USB drives be properly unmounted from the Mac OS prior to turning off the system.

To safely disconnect the drive, simply drag the drive icon to the trash. This will assure that all data is properly cleared from the drive cache before the drive is removed. At this point the FireWire or USB data cable can be safely removed and the drive and Mac system can be powered off.

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USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or FireWire – What is the recommended solution for data storage?

1. What is USB 2.0?

USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Firewire USB 2.0 is the industry standard peripheral connection type for most x86 computers (Windows based). This specification is rated with maximum transfer rate of 480Mb/s (60MB/s). Sustained transfer rate of USB 2.0 depends on many factors including type of device in use, data being transferred, and speed of the computer system. A normal sustained data transfer rate for USB 2.0 ranges from 10-30 MB/s. Only burst data transfers can reach the 480Mb/s rate.

What are the benefits of USB 2.0?

  • USB 2.0 is “hot swappable,” eliminating the need to reboot or restart your computer when attaching a device.
  • There’s no need for terminators, memory addresses or ID numbers with USB devices.
  • Various sorts of devices can plug into a USB port: external hard drives, digital cameras, printers, Zip drives, SuperDisk drives, floppy drives, mice, keyboards, etc.

2. What is USB 3.0?

USB 3.0 is the replacement connection type for USB 2.0. This specification is rated with maximum transfer rate of 4Gb/s. Sustained transfer rate of USB 3.0 depends on many factors including type of device in use, data being transferred, and speed of the computer system. Sustained transfer rates can reach speeds of 3.2 Gbit/s.

What are the benefits of USB 3.0?

  • USB 3.0 is “hot swappable,” eliminating the need to reboot or restart your computer when attaching a device.
  • There’s no need for terminators, memory addresses or ID numbers with USB devices.
  • Various sorts of devices can plug into a USB port: external hard drives, digital cameras, printers, Zip drives, SuperDisk drives, floppy drives, mice, keyboards, etc.
  • USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, and USB 2.0 devices will work on a USB 3.0 port (both at USB 2.0 speeds)

3. What is FireWire?

FireWire is a high-performance connection standard for personal computers and consumer electronics. Originally developed for Apple computers, this connection has been implemented by x86 computers for some time now. FireWire can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices at transfer rates of up to 400 Mb/s (50 MB/s). A new FireWire specification, FireWire 800 (or FireWire B) has entered the computer market with transfer rates of up to 800 Mb/s (100MB/s).

What are the benefits of FireWire?

  • FireWire is “hot swappable,” eliminating the need to reboot or restart your computer when attaching a device.
  • There is no need for terminators, memory addresses of ID numbers with FireWire devices.
  • Though USB 2.0 is rated at a higher throughput speed (480Mb/s related to FireWire’s 400Mb/s), FireWire delivers faster performance for sustained transfer rates on external hard drives. This is because FireWire has lower overhead (less instructions that the CPU has to interpret related to USB 2.0).

Which connection type is better? USB 2.0, USB 3.0 or FireWire?

  • If you plan on transferring large amounts of data often, then USB 3.0 would be the best connection type for you.
  • If you are doing Audio/Video or are on a Mac, than FireWire would be a good choice as many of these programs recommend FireWire over USB 2.0, and Apple currently does not support USB 3.0.
  • If you want the versatility of connecting the hard drive to many different computer systems quickly and easily, and transfer rates are not that important, then USB 2.0 would be the ideal because it is compatible with both PCs and Macs, and most computers today still have USB 2.0 ports.
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