With all the virus infections around today, the need for backing up is even more crucial then ever. Lots of folks are resorting to the cloud for backing up their files. The 
problem with this is security. Backing up to the cloud is great for pictures and non-sensitive documents. If you want a more secure back up. It is best to go with an external drive.
External drives are gaining in popularity and is starting to be the back up medium of choice. More and more, folks are beginning to see the advantages of using an external hard drive. With an external drive, backups are much quicker and there are no programs using your computer resources or bandwidth.
Some of the cloud programs will really tax your system and slow you down. With an external drive, you can use imaging programs that only run on demand and not when you are trying to prepare that important document.
There are three flavors of external hard drive that are available. The first is the compact variety. These are great for people on the go. The drives often do not need an external power source and they are powered right from the USB port on the computer. These types of drives will generally be smaller then other varieties but they are small enough to fit in your shirt pocket.
The second variety is the desktop external hard drive. These drives are larger and bigger and will offer the fastest performance. You can get these drives in almost any denomination up to 8 terabytes if you desire. Now that a lot of space! These drives are great for the serious back up fanatic. The speed and available space should be enough for almost anybody from the casual computer user to a small business.
The third type of external drive is the network variety. This is for a large household with multiple computers or a small or medium business environment. These drives are equipped with their own processor that allows you to connect to your network via an Ethernet cable. Once configured, you can connect to the drive from any of the allowed computers. The only issue with this type of set up is security. Since the assembly is larger and heavier, it is not practical to disconnect the drive after each use and store it in a safe or other secure location.
There is one more type I forgot to mention, it is the one for people who like to drop things. The drive is made by LaCie and is a rugged USB drive with a shock resistant hard drive and special cushioning to help keep the drive working after a fall. This type of drive would be great for the businessman on the go that simply cannot afford to have a hard drive that does not work.
Once you have the drive that suits your needs, there are a few things that you to remember. Once you have your backup complete, you are going to want to store your information in a space away from the computer. Never leave your back up plugged in your computer and running if you are not using it. The reasons are simple. If for some reason you get an infection on your main computer, that infection could transmit to the external drive if you have it plugged in and running at the time you get infected. In addition, some computers will not boot properly when an external drive is attached and running at computer startup.
When choosing a new external drive, be sure to opt in for USB 3 speed. Most new computers will support 3 and even if you have an older computer, it is backwards compatible.
So, there you have it, a rundown of all the best choices for an external drive. Now there is no excuse for not having a backup! So go out, choose a drive and start getting your important stuff saved in case on a disaster.
Article Posted By, Ross Deprey from Computer Geeks Online.net A small business owner!
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