VGraphix provides many different kinds of data storage options for both business and home use. The key is to make the storage solution serve your needs as best possible.
Home and small business users should consider a DVD Writer / Rewriteable. The media is readily available and affordable, but the biggest benefit is that almost every newer PC has a DVD-ROM, whereas not everyone has a ZIP, LS-120, DAT or Tape Drive.
Reviews and Recommendations |
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CD
Writer / Rewriteable
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DVD
Writer / Rewriter
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| This is without a doubt the least expensive overall option if you plan to do any backing up of large amounts of data, especially for archival purposes. The life expectancy of a CD is considerably longer than any of the other methods listed here, and each CD holds up to 700mb (80min). Rewriteables can be used up to 1,000 times, so they are good for in-house data backups. |
This is similar to CDR's but with much more capacity - 4.7Gb for single-layer DVD disks, and up to 8.5 on dual-layer media. The dual-layer media is considerably more expensive and is used mostly for larger movie disks - a standard 4.7Gb DVD disk can backup most home PC's. DVD writers can also write CDR and CDRW diaks. |
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Tape
Drives
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DAT
Drives
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| Tape Drives have improved greatly in the past few years. Capacities of 250GB and greater are affordable. One advantage to a tape drive is that you have one media to backup your entire system as opposed to multiple CDR's or ZIP Disks. Backup software works well with tape drives, and the media is reusable for a long period of time. | DAT drives are the choice for server data backup requiring large storage capacity. The media is also considerably less expensive than most other available options. If you need a reliable method of backing up a large amount of data, this is the best option for the price. DVD technology may eclipse DAT drives in time. Companies that back up LARGE amounts of data still use DAT drives because of their very large data capacity. |
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Iomega
ZIP/JAZ Drive
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USB
Hard Drives
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| Probably the best reason for buying a ZIP drive is the cost. Internal models (250MB) are approx. $75, and externals are around $100. Internal is faster than external. The ZIP drive acts as a hard drive. An external can therefore be used as a extra hard drive (100mb ZIP, 1gb JAZ) making it useful for multiple computers. One last advantage - thousands of these drives are in the market, which means the cartridges will be available for some time to come. | USB External Drives may be the large-storage solution for small businesses and home users in the near future, though they are currently not very cost effective per megabyte. Another possible disadvantage is that USB is a relatively new interface and older PC's may not include a USB port. It is important to include a USB 2.0 interface and drive, the older standard is too slow to move large amounts of data. |