Types of Storage
Cloud storage is a service model in which data is maintained, managed, backed up remotely and made available to users over a network (typically the Internet). Users generally pay for their cloud data storage on a per-consumption, monthly rate.
In an era when Apple charges 99 cents per month for 50GB of iCloud storage and Google offers 100GB of free storage for two years with the purchase of a new chromebook, it would appear that mainstream external hard drives are destined for extinction.
A floppy disk, also called a floppy, diskette, or just disk, is a type of disk storage composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic enclosure lined with fabric that removes dust particles.
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive or fixed disk is an electromechanical data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information using one or more rigid rapidly rotating disks coated with magnetic material.
Magnetic tape data storage is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording. Modern magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes. The device that performs writing or reading of data is a tape drive. Autoloaders and tape libraries automate cartridge handling. For example, a common cassette-based format is Linear Tape-Open, which comes in a variety of densities and is manufactured by several companies.
Network-attached storage (NAS) is a type of dedicated file storage device that provides local-area network local area network (LAN) nodes with file-based shared storage through a standard Ethernet connection.
An optical disc is an electronic data storage medium that can be written to and read using a low-powered laser beam. Originally developed in the late 1960s, the first optical disc, created by James T. Russell, stored data as micron-wide dots of light and dark.
Some optical Drives such as the CD writer drive, CD ROM drive, and combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW are longer manufactured or supported by most PC manufacturing companies. DVDs have a storage capacity of 4.7GB and can be used to store data for various uses.
Solid-state storage (SSS) is based around the use of non-volatile flash memory. This type of storage is known for its high level of performance and comparatively high price tag. Solid-state storage (SSS) is based around the use of non-volatile flash memory.
In a dual-drive system, the manufacturer will install a small SSD primary drive (C:) for the operating system and apps, and add a larger spinning hard drive (D: or E:) for storing files. This works well in theory; in practice, manufacturers can go too small on the SSD.
A jump drive may refer to any of the following: 1. Alternatively referred to as a USB flash drive, data stick, pen drive, memory unit, keychain drive and thumb drive, a jump drive is a portable storage device. It is often the size of a human thumb (hence the name), and it connects to a computer via a USB port.