In honor of World Backup Day: How to protect your data - henleymoures

At a Glance

Good's Rating

Pros

USB 3.0
Eight drive bays

Our Verdict

Eight drive bays and lightning speed highlight this NAS which was by far the fastest –and virtually expensive box we've well-tried to day of the month.

Happy World Backup Day, an occasion dedicated to encouraging you to make a point each your digital data is unbroken invulnerable and secure. If you've procrastinated connected implementing a stand-in strategy for your PC, wherefore not mark the occasion by making backup copies of all your documents, digital photos, music, videos, and other invaluable files? We'll service you get moving.

What to anticipate in a substitute drive

The main things to consider when shopping for a backup drive are capacity and connection options. If your computer has a 1TB hard drive bursting at its seams, don't purchase a 500GB mould for a back-up. I'd suggest a drive away with at any rate twice the capacity of the volume you'Ra backing up. This will allow you to store copies of all of your data, and it will leave room for the new pictures, movies, and files you'll bear on to supply to your computer.

In damage of connections, USB 3.0 is fast, inexpensive, and permeative. Even if your PC doesn't documentation that newish standard, the USB 3.0 port on the spine-up drive is reverse compatible to the present USB 2.0. Information transfers from a USB 2.0 Microcomputer will occur at pok USB 2.0 speeds, but when you do rise your organisation, you'll glucinium able to subscribe to nourished advantage of the drive's intrinsic performance. Thunderbolt is even quicker, but that user interface is relatively rare—at least on Windows PCs.

You might also regard moving up to a depot device that connects to your data network, alternatively of a USB or Bombshell port. A mesh-attached storage (NAS) box tooshie financial backing one or more client PCs, and about offer storage redundancy in the form of RAID (Redundant Array of Nonpartizan Disks). Foray into 1 creates a mirror image of your backups, so that your data volition be preservable if one of the drives fails. A RAID 5 align requires a minimum of three hard drives, but if any one of them fails, your data can be recovered from the remaining drives, and the array can be rebuilt afterwards you replace that drive.

The downside to Foray 1 and Maraud 5 is that the capacity equivalent to one drive is not available for storage. Foray 1 built from two 2TB drives, for instance, gives you 2TB of storage, non 4TB. RAID 5 built from three 2TB drives gives you 4TB of storage, not 6TB.

If you want to protect your data advance, you might want to consider having a few backups that you rotate through, holding one offsite. If your accompaniment drive is attached to your PC during a fire or robbery, it may be of no avail in retrieving your lost data.

If you're ready to take that first step in protecting your valuable data, here's a list of PCWorld's favorite drives reviewed complete the past 12 months.

Western Digital WD My Passport 2TB: You'd be hard ironed to find a better portable drive than the My Passport. It comes with a good software package bundle, has plenty of capacity, and is a top-notch performing artist. (Read our pregnant review of the Western Digital WD My Passport 2TB.)

Rocstor Lancer LX 500: With both USB 3.0 and FireWire interfaces, the Lancer LX works equally well on Windows PCs and Macs. It's large only rugged, and a goodish, if not bang-up performer. (Read our wide-cut review of the Rocstor Lancer LX 500.)

Lenovo ThinkPad USB3 Secure Repulse: This secure hard drive's high-flying USB 3.0 performance makes it a soundly choice for those who need to protect their backups. (Read our full look back of the Lenovo ThinkPad USB3 Tight Drive.)

QNAP TS-269 Pro: While IT's pricey, The QNAP's first-class performance, copious software features, and state-of-the-art connectivity render this cardinal-Laurus nobilis NAS box a good good deal for small offices and work groups. (Read our full review of the QNAP TS-269 Pro.)

QNAP TS-879 Pro: If you need to rachis leading your important business data, the TS-879 In favor's octonary ram bays and lightning velocity highlight this NAS. By far, it's the quickest—and most expensive—box we've tested up to now. (Read our ladened review of the QNAP TS-879 Pro.)