Helium Sealed Drives

I love that there are helium sealed drives - this is just an inherently cool thing. Helium sealed drives use less power, are quieter, generate less heat, and are more resistant to dust and debris which can lead to drive failure. Helium is less dense than air, and this allows the drive to spin with less turbulence and take up less power, and also generate less sound through vibrations. The drive operates at a cooler temperature because less friction is caused in the helium environment. Because a Helium drive is smoother and more stable more platters (the circular discs that rotate on a spindle) can be fitted inside the same space. The encasing needed to seal in the helium also keeps out particles than can effect the performance of the drive.

Western Digital currently offers several multi TB helium sealed drives.

Put Your Data in a WORM Hole

When you have to comply with a government regulation like the SEC Rule described in last night's tip, or have a another pressing reason to ensure that data is stored indefinitely without being altered, consider investing in a WORM device. WORM stands for Write Once, Read Many. Optical discs like a CD-Rs are WORM media, but WORM drives also exist. A SanDisk memory vault device will prevent the deletion of any file which has already been saved to it. GreenTec's WORM drives ensure all data is read only by the protection in the hardware itself. No matter what operating system is used and what access controls are placed on data, it cannot be overwritten. EMC also manufacturers Centera drives which serve the same function.

Data storage devices can fall into hands other than those that originally acquired them to archive records. Drives are often in short supply and get repurposed. If a court order only allows a firm to retain a single copy of deposition transcripts or other documents after the settlement of a case, you want to guarantee the data doesn't get deleted inadvertently at some point. WORM drives may increasingly become part of standard electronic post-discovery due diligence for long term storage.

Laptops are Super Cheap These Days

If you're like me and you invested in an expensive laptop with lots of VRAM for graphic presentations which works great, but isn't so portable, it may be time to consider investing in an easier to carry laptop. Prices for new laptops are very low these. I just purchased a Asus laptop with a 11.6 inch screen which can be bought here for less than $150. It only weights 2 pounds and is listed as getting 12 hours of battery life. I am using it right now and I have not encountered any problems. The widespread use of tablets and smartphones means that manufacturers have no choice but to slash prices. But having a keyboard and a Windows operating system lets you do so much more. I'm sure having a top of the line Surface Pro would be nicer, but for the money you could afford to get a new one of these laptops every year. Note that the Asus laptop referenced above is a reconditioned device.