An easy way to speed up and increase reliability on an old computer is to replace the hard drive (HDD) with a Solid State Drive (SSD). What is the difference between the two? The fundamental difference is that a SSD has no moving parts. The mechanical workings of a HDD is very similar to a record player. A platter is spun and read by a header to attain information. Therefore, the speed of a HDD is limited to how fast the platters can spin. This is measured by the amount of Revolutions-Per-Minute (RPM). A HDD’s RPM can vary from model to manufacturer, but on average it is between 5,400 to 7,200 RPM and up to 10,000 RPM on servers. On the other hand, SSD’s use NANDs as storage. NANDs are a electrical memory component on a circuit board. The CPU can access data on a SSD instantaneously.

While preventive measures will reduce the chance of this happening, two ways of protecting data against potential loss is to create on-site (local) and/or off-site (remote) backups. An important concept to understand while determining your backup needs is the 3-2-1 rule. This rule is a strong general practice to follow, and will help you in […]