For the vast majority of the history of computers, magnetic drives of one kind or another have been the normal form of storage. Magnetic drives have held so much appeal because they do not require constant power, and they are easy to overwrite and change data on (as opposed to an optical disc which is really only good for one use). However, over the last fifteen or so years, new methods of storage have come into use. You are probably familiar with “flash drives” and memory cards. These devices are considered to be SSD (Solid State Drives), and they have made their way from postage stamp size chips with limited storage, to chips the size of a thumbnail with the same amount of storage as an old magnetic hard drive.

Recently, SSD has become available as a viable alternative to magnetic hard drives. These drives have no moving parts, which makes them difficult to break by dropping, and that makes them ideal for laptops. SSDs are fast, as well, and businesses that take advantage of them in laptop and desktop architectures will experience faster boot times and less noise because of the lack of moving parts.

There is still some work that needs to be done before SSDs catch up to magnetic drives in terms of cost per storage unit (there are multi-terabyte magnetic drives available for less than $100, while SSD units are more expensive for 250-500 GB size), but with the rapid advances in all fields of computing, it will not be long before businesses will be able to take advantage of large-capacity SSDs at a price point that makes it worthwhile to use them.

Global IP Networks knows SSD, and if you are interested in learning more about solid state drives and how they may be a good fit for your business, please contact us and we will begin working with you on the best solution for your business.