07

March

Slow Performance and Local Drive Capacity

Hard disk and SSD storage space can be a little deceiving. You may not realize it, but a little empty space on the hard or solid state drive is necessary for the proper operation of your computer.

This is true no matter what kind of computer you have: the operating system constantly reads and writes data to the drive and schedules the removal of unnecessary files at predetermined intervals. When it becomes necessary for the computer to purge old files on the fly before writing new ones, that is when your entire system slows down.

To lessen or eliminate the problem of slow performance, you should first and foremost check to see if your local data storage drive is getting full. If it is more than 90 percent full, you will undoubtedly experience significant slow-downs. At 80 percent, performance is better, but still not optimal.

Moving Files to Cloud Storage

As Internet connections get faster and storage capacities on local drives keep getting higher, we tend to download larger files without thinking about them. Multimedia files are among the largest of the files that we retain but only use occasionally. An easy and economical solution to the issue of limited storage is to simply remove these kinds of files from your local data drive(s) and store them securely online using a cloud data service.

There are two prominent kinds of cloud storage: centralized, and distributed. iWeb Technologies explains that centralized data storage is “the storage of files, data and databases shared between computing servers over a network.” On the other hand, distributed data storage spreads encrypted pieces of files over multiple hard drives through the process of drive farming. Storj describes this method of cloud storage as fast, cheap, and secure, because “no farmer holds the entire file that a user uploaded, and because the file is encrypted.” The method of cloud storage that you choose will likely depend on the amount and the type of data you want stored, so make sure to study up on both options.

Whether your cloud data is centralized or distributed, you can access those files remotely or download them for smoother performance. Once you are done with them, you can delete them from the local machine and still be able to access them from the cloud whenever you want.

Benefits of Cloud Storage

Cloud data storage is a great solution for individuals or organizations who store large numbers of photos, videos, or large database and project files. Industries like audio and video production and computer aided design where generating and accessing large files are the norm can also benefit greatly from remote storage solutions.

Files with the same or similar extensions can also take advantage of the benefits associated with object storage. This cloud storage solution out-performs classic file systems in terms of both disk space and retrieval, allowing for faster access to the individual files you select on demand.

If you haven’t previously considered a move to cloud storage, now is the time. More free disk space means faster, more reliable computers, increased productivity, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing your data is regularly backed up and secure.