USB Flash Drive vs. Cloud Storage Infrastructure

There has been a huge amount of interest and buzz surrounding cloud computing, storage, and infrastructure. Everyone wants to be on the cloud; some because they need it and some just to be a part of the buzz.

Cloud storage is gaining ground with Google, DropBox, iDrive, Amazon, Microsoft, and many others competing for the business. The idea is quite simple – allow users to store data remotely so that it can be accessed from any device and any location in the world where there is Internet connectivity. Behind the scenes there are large data server farms that are air, heat, and vibration controlled with redundant systems that all work to maximize uptime and data reliability. For many, the Cloud storage services are invaluable tool at their disposal.

However, there are a couple downsides to the Cloud storage service, no matter how invaluable it may be. The most troubling is sending your data to companies that may harvest, analyze, and potentially borrow your data from you. “What are you talking about?”, you ask. The following excerpt is from Google Terms of Use as of March 1, 2012: “When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.” Even though many say that this is the usual small print text that companies include in their terms of use, I say “It makes me very uneasy using their service when they use such language!”

Another, a much more simpler downside, is data availability. It’s ironic, however all the Cloud data is accessed over the Internet; therefore you are always at the mercy of the Internet Service Provider (ISP)  to provide the best service possible. No connectivity means that your data is safely stored in the industrial data warehouse completely out of your reach.

The ISP does not necessarily have to be blamed for connectivity issues to the Cloud. If your business has insufficient bandwidth for your employees, you may get stuck spending your time looking at the progress bar as it slowly tests your patience while opening a single document.

The USB Flash Drive is your answer! Well… maybe I am slightly biased towards the flash drives on this site. Please forgive my eagerness. The USB storage definitely has some answers, but it is not a solution for all.

The USB storage, whether it is in the SSD or a small flash drive package, offers significant simple benefits.

  1. Your data is not shared with any company and the terms of use are your own.
  2. The data can be simply secured using great encryption tools (some free and some not – your choice).
  3. Data availability is at your fingertips.

It is quite logical that USB flash drive or SSD offers simple benefits to the Cloud storage service. However, there is a downside.

  1. You need to worry about the backup (Flash memory does go bad, just like any other technology).
  2. If you loose your drive, there is no way to recover it unless you have a backup.
  3. There are no additional services for data sharing as offered by the Cloud services.

Picking a storage solution is a matter of a personal preference, a technological set of beliefs, and your specific needs and requirements. If you don’t feel threatened by the terms and conditions of the Cloud service providers and have great network connectivity, the Cloud can be the choice. If you’re a little paranoid (like me) and like to have an always available storage with no strings attached, the USB flash drive or SSD may be your answer.

 

New Summer Trend with USB Sandals 2012

It’s the perfect time to prepare for summer with appropriate gear. Who needs the dull looking flash drives? All they do is remind about the miserable days of cold winter.

Now is the time to switch to the summer gear with enough flash capacity to last the season. Even though you cannot really wear these sandals, it will be a great fit for a laptop.

The design is entirely up to you. Don’t like the flower pattern, we can change it up to any summer appropriate design. Just as simply, a logo or text can be added instead. The sole of the USB sandal can be silk-screened with a custom design for absolute personalization. The sandal straps keep the cap secure, and the key chain keeps the drive handy.

Start the summer right with the cool USB footwear. Even though this particular design will only fit your left foot, I am sure your laptop will not mind. With capacities up to 32GB, you are set to enjoy the summer with style.

Glowing USB Wristband Flash Drives For Your Party

In the past couple of months, we’ve been getting feedback from our customers that the wristband flash drives have become not as popular this season as they used to be in the past couple of years. It seems that the wristbands are going out of style.

It’s hard to tell if the wristband fashion is truly out of style this year. I keep hearing that the polka dots are back in fashion, and I am puzzled about that possibly being true.  However, if you love the polka dots or not so much, you are bound to find these glowing wristbands pretty cool even in the dark.

Photo taken in the dark to reveal the wristband glowing. It was not easy to take this photo!
Regular photo of the glow-in-the-dark USB Wristband flash drive

Come to think of it, if someone made the dots on a polka dot dress glow in the dark, that would be kind of cool.

I love these wristbands. They are silicone, printable with your logo and text, and they glow in the dark. These features alone are good enough for a fashionable revival. However, the best part is that your logo will be seen in the dark! Oh yes. The glowing material of the wristband is blocked by the ink of the logo print. This effect causes your logo to be darker than the wristband and therefore visible in the glow of the wristband. Awesome!

Unaltered photo taken in the dark
Same USB Wristband as above taken under normal lighting conditions

The USB wristbands come in many colors and are available with up to 16GB of data. It is just a couple of additional reasons why you should consider giving the wristbands one more look. Once you give these a try, you’ll change your mind about the wristbands going out of fashion. With the glowing look, they are back in!