Is your company looking to upgrade or expand its storage capacity? Selecting the right storage solution to fit your business needs can be a challenging process. Hard drives come in an array of styles with unique specifications and a wide selection of product features. Whether you need an internal or an external hard drive, the first step is to choose a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). Each comes with its own set of advantages and tradeoffs, including capacity, performance, pricing and more. Hard disk drives tend to be less expensive, allowing for greater storage capacities, while solid state drives are generally more rugged, more responsive, and require less energy to operate.

The key specifications of both internal and external hard drives are Form Factor, Capacity, RPM or Spindle Speed, Cache, and Interface. These indicate the drive’s respective physical size, storage capabilities, its performance, and how it connects to your computer or network. Examining your current storage solution will help to identify your potential upgrade options, helping select the optimal drive given any connectivity or capacity requirements and factoring in economic constraints. Refining your options, by selecting a required connector, such as eSATA or USB 3.0, or a necessary form factor, such as external desktop or portable unit, will help determine the best storage solution for your business.

Another very important factor in the buying process is the manufacturer and brand-specific features. Western Digital drives have a variety of available features, including GreenPower Technology, which yields lower operating temperatures for increased reliability, IntelliSeek, which calculates optimal speeds to lower power consumption, and more. LaCie offers a line of rugged, mobile drives, which are shock resistant and offer optional encrypted, biometric access. New advancements are being developed all the time, including the new Helium-filled units which are expected to lower power consumption and improve storage capacities.