Today there exists two methods of storing or backing up data; through an external hard drive or with a cloud storage service. Let us compare the two and find their merits and demerits.
Cost
Local hard disk storage costs less than an online cloud storage. External hard disks are cheap and the user just incurs a one off purchasing cost unlike cloud storage where there are recurring subscription and bandwidth usage costs.
Security
The issue of data security has become a hot subject in the technology world today. The two methods of data storage have elicited diverse opinions among tech gurus. However the issue narrows down to one simple fact; with an external hard drive hacking of your data is close to impossible. The only way you are likely to lose data is through physical access to your computer.On the contrary, cloud storage services are susceptible to hacking. Once you upload the data, you no longer have utmost control over it.
Convenience
Cloud storage allows you to access your data from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. This is crucial if you use more than one computer. Furthermore cloud storage allows you to access the data from any internet supported device, be it your computer, iPad or smartphone with any web browsers. External hard disks must be carried around physically for you to access the data in them.
Storage Size
Most cloud storage services usually allow for up to 25GB of data which is comparatively large. However with external hard disks, you can store as much as 1TB of data.The method you choose will largely depend on your needs. The type of data you want to store and how you would like to access it,is crucial. External hard disks will give you security and a large storage for your data while cloud storage offers you flexibility and convenience of accessing your data from anywhere.
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