Hard Drives Are a Thing of the Past

Computer technology evolves exponentially, constantly realizing our science fiction fantasies. Our old models have been based on our physical limitations. If you wanted data accessible, you had to keep it stored physically within reach. If files were not backed up and this source went down, you would have lost everything. The transmission of information is now so efficient that data never needs to be kept proximal to the user ever again.

People are more mobile now than ever. They use their data from multiple access points as they go through their day. They use portable laptops and smart phones to access important files, pictures and music on the go, and then use their personal workstations at the home or the office. All of the data can now be held remotely, accessible immediately through blistering broadband connections.

The challenge to keep data synchronized was a central concern for many under the old system. Perhaps four different devices would all have their own version of the user’s collection of data, and the user was continually updating each via jump drive or external hard drive. Cloud computing provides services designed to allow the storage and retrievability of files remotely. The data is stored securely through cloud technology and does not reside on a local machine owned by the individual. Files can be accessed through programs and web sites wherever the person may be. There are also options to share files with other individuals.

In business environments, thin clients as individual workstations have become a popular solution. These are small, simple devices that connect to a central server. Individual files and programs are not stored on the terminal, but are accessed from the main server. The thin client has no hard drive, it loads data from the network and runs it from memory. From a security and data management standpoint, utilizing thin clients instead of full PCs is a wise decision, as all of the data is safely stored and backed up on servers. Data is safe from theft or loss on individual stations. In professional or public environments, like offices or libraries, many workstations are needed. Even buying a high-end Dell thin client for each employee proves to be much more cost effective than outfitting each person with a full use computer and provides the same level of performance.

Another thing that is making the computer hard drive obsolete is the use of flash drives and portable disk drives. The size of media files has become excessively large, and when an individual stores music files, movies and pictures on a computer, they can quickly fill up the hard drive. These portable drives allow data to be transportable, although the danger of loss from physical contingency remains. These drives come in varying storage sizes, but are sure to handle even the largest media collection.

Computing is done on such a mobile basis now that relying on locally stored data is no longer practical. New cloud technologies constantly emerge and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this industry.