datAshur BT is a portable secure hardware encrypted USB flash drive.

The iStorage datAshur BT 64GB flash drive arrived in a 3 5/8 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches tall blister pack.  The main cover listed the iStorage company name, datAshur BT 64 GB product name, USB 3.2 (Gen1) Hardware encrypted flash drive, four product defining icons (Remote Management Ready, FIPS compliant, Automatic Antivirus, three years warranty), icons for Android/iPhone, and images depicting the Bluetooth connectivity. 

The lower section provided the www.iStorage-uk.com website address, and showed compatibility with Windows, Apple, Android, Linux, Citrix, and VMware.  I liked the upper/lower black segments, blue borders, white central segment, blue icons, and the centrally displayed USB-A flash drive.  The design provided a clear representation of the size of the device, capabilities of the device, and suggested utility.  The upper segment of the rear panel provided the same black/blue section as the title/cover.  Beneath the blue accent bar, you will find an image depicting the easy two-step process.  The picture showed the USB-A plug, insertion process, pin entry, and activity/access to the flash drive. 

The rear panels lower segment listed 10 product features (FIPS compliant 140-2 level 3 standards, Wireless unlock via mobile App 2FA via text, remote management, IP57 Rated, OS/Platform independent (any device with USB port), Multi-factor authentication, tough epoxy coating, drive reset feature, data at rest protection, 4gb-128Gb size options), details about the quick start guide, and a QR code link to the datAshur BT app on the App Store and Google Play store.  The lower black-colored rim provided an SKU barcode, product manufacturing labels, and patent information.  Before opening the packaging, I used the camera on my iPhone 14 Pro Max to access the datAshur BT app on the App Store. 

I then cut along the edge of the plastic container and removed the 0.6-ounce, 2 3/8 inches long by 3/4 inches wide by 5/16 inches thick iStorage DATASHUR flash drive and instruction manual.  I removed the USB-A cap, plugged the device into my UGREEN USB-C Docking Stating, and navigated through the multilingual instruction manual.  

With the flash drive installed and the App downloaded, I opened the App and selected the datAshur BT from the list.  I entered the device ID printed on the side of the USB connector and then tapped the red lock icon on the App screen.  I entered the default 11223344 password and then the red padlock again to unlock the drive.  I loved the visual symbolism when the red locked icon transitioned to a green unlocked icon.  I tapped the drive’s name again and was taken to a secondary panel.  I tapped “Change Name” and renamed the drive to MacSources, tapped “Change Password,” and added the old/new/confirmed password. 

You can use the sliders for 2-Factor Authentication, Password Recovery (will send recovery code to registered phone number as a text), Remember Password, and Active Face ID (will grey out the Remember Password if activated).  You can also activate the step-away Autolock feature or the time-based Autolock feature. This will allow you to adjust the timeline to 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 minutes (defaulted to Never).  I found the 5-minute timeline to be the most useful. You can also set the drive to read-only, reset the drive, and activate remote wipe.  Lastly, you can activate the “Enable Apple Watch” feature. 

It is important to note that some features do not work together, and you may need to choose your preferred features.  I changed the password to a number/letter combination, decided to activate the 2FA, then entered my phone number, followed by the texted confirmation code.  The App quickly alerted that the 2FA setup was enabled “You will receive a text message with a security code to enter every time you unlock your drive.”  I loved the brief, clear messages, and the easy-to-navigate App.  With 2FA selected, the primary panel showed a 2FA within the drive banner panel. 

I activated/used the FaceID and attempted to start Enable Apple Watch.  I was warned that the Apple Watch feature could not be used with the 2FA, and the App instructed me to deactivate the feature.  I deactivated 2FA by sliding the toggle back and then attempted to activate the Enable Apple Watch feature again.  The App warned that the feature could not be activated with the current password (letters/numbers) and required only a number passcode.  I changed the password to an acceptable 7-15 character password, and finally activated the Apple Watch feature.  Lastly, I activated the remote wipe feature. 

 I quickly found the drive within Finder, selected it, opened the window, and transferred several BSA Merit Badge Workbook files into the drive. I was pleased with the speed of the transfer and the ease of the drag/drop utility.  I used the BlackMagicdesign speed test and found the device speeds similar to other USB-A flash drives (Write: 155.8Mb/s, Read: 118.1 MB/s).  Once the seven files were loaded (17.5 MB), I selected the eject button from the Finder window, ejected the drive, and reinstalled the USB-A cap. 

I drove to our local Office Depot and inserted the drive into the copier machine.  I selected Files as an option on their copier, and then opened the datAshur BT app on my phone.  The App immediately registered the presence of the drive, and I found that I could easily access the drive files through the copier machine.  I printed the scouting files, ejected the drive, recapped it, and pocketed the device.  

I tested the Apple Watch login feature and found the setup worked fairly well.  I navigated to the watch App, selected the DatAshur icon, and entered the numeric password.  The icon changed from red lock to green unlock, and I could open the device using the UGREEN USB-C Docking station.  Even though the Apple Watch login was convenient, I still preferred the ease of the 2FA iPhone 14 Pro login technique. 

I tested the Apple Watch login feature and found the setup easy to navigate.  I opened the watch App, selected the DatAshur icon, and entered the numeric password.  The icon changed from red lock to green unlock, and I could open the device using the UGREEN USB-C Docking station.  Even though the Apple Watch login was convenient, I still preferred the ease of the 2FA iPhone 14 Pro login technique. 

The reliable, secure data transfer and the ability to remote wipe, Apple Watch integration, face login, 2FA, etc, were all valuable features.  If you look at the device’s price, you may initially think it is too high for a jump drive.  If you are interested in a primary, low-feature jump drive, you can buy a single Cruzer 64 GB for $8.51 or a 10-pack of 64 GB USB-A 3.0 SanDisk Cruzer for $74.53, which was one of the better deals found with a reputable name (cheaper is not always better).  However, the ~$120 price for the 64GB datAsur BT (~$116 32GB or ~$158 128GB) is on par with similar devices like the Kingston IronKey Vault.  The features may well be worth the cost of data protection.

For more information, visit istorage-uk.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

As technology advances, so does our dependence on it. With so much of our lives stored in digital files, from family photos to tax records, the importance of data backup cannot be overstated. That’s why World Backup Day was created – to help remind us all of the necessity of having a reliable backup plan for our digital lives.

Why is Data Backup Important?

In today’s digital world, data is the lifeblood of any business. Data is used to inform and drive decision-making, track customer behavior and interactions, and store important information about products and services. Losing access to this data can be catastrophic for a business, leading to lost revenue, decreased productivity, and even legal troubles. That’s why it’s so important to have a robust data backup system in place.

A good backup system ensures that your critical data remains accessible at all times, even in the face of unexpected events like hardware failures or natural disasters. By creating multiple copies of your data in secure locations both on-site and off-site, you can minimize the risk of losing valuable information. Additionally, having backups allows businesses to recover more quickly from unexpected downtime caused by software issues or network outages.

Benefits of Regular Backups

Regular backups are an essential component of any digital storage system. With the increased reliance on digital data, it has become increasingly important to ensure that valuable information is protected from corruption and data loss. Backups can help you recover lost or corrupted data quickly and easily, minimizing downtime and preventing potential losses.

One of the most significant benefits of regular backups is that they provide peace of mind. You don’t have to worry about losing your precious files because you know that they are safely backed up. This means that you can focus on your work without worrying about losing important documents, photos, or other files.

Another advantage of regular backups is that they can save time in case something goes wrong with your computer. Instead of spending hours trying to recover lost data or fix a corrupted file, you can simply restore a recent backup and get back to work right away.

Different Types of Backups

When it comes to data management, backups are an essential tool for ensuring the safety and security of important information. Backups are essentially copies of data that can be used to restore lost or corrupted files. There are three main types of backups that individuals and businesses use to protect their data: full, incremental, and differential.

Full backups are the most comprehensive type of backup, as they make an exact copy of all data on a system. This includes everything from files and folders to operating systems and application settings. Because full backups contain so much information, they tend to take longer than other types of backups.

Incremental backups only backup changes made since the last backup was performed. This means that if a full backup was done last week and an incremental backup is being performed today, only the changes made in the past week will be backed up.

Differential backups can be performed on a regular basis, typically daily or weekly, depending on the frequency of changes made to business data. Because only new or modified files are backed up during each cycle, it reduces storage requirements and speeds up recovery times in case of data loss or corruption. Additionally, differential backups are simple to manage and require fewer resources than other methods like incremental backups.

One potential drawback of differential backups is that they can consume significant amounts of storage space over time if not properly managed.

How to Create a Backup Plan

A backup plan can save you from unforeseen circumstances and help you cope with unexpected changes. In this article, we will discuss some simple steps that you can take to create an effective backup plan. The first step in creating a digital backup plan is to identify the critical data that needs protection. This may include financial records, client information, personal photos and videos, and other sensitive files. Once you have identified these items, consider where they are currently stored and how they could potentially be lost or damaged.

Next, create a primary copy of your data to store on your internal hard drive or server. From here, you can follow one of the most reliable backup strategies — the 3-2-1 backup rule. In simple terms, this strategy involves creating three copies of your data on two different storage media with one copy stored off-site or in the cloud, using a service such as Backblaze. The idea behind this strategy is to ensure that even if one storage device fails or gets corrupted, you still have at least two other backups as insurance against complete data loss.

Common Backup Questions

1. Why do I need to back up my data? The answer is simple- any device can fail at any time without warning. If you don’t have a backup copy of your files, you risk losing everything in case of hardware failure or accidental deletion. Backing up your files can help ensure that you still have access to them even if something goes wrong with your computer.
2. How often should I back up my files? The answer depends on several factors, such as the type of data you’re storing and how frequently it changes. If you use your computer for work and store critical data like financial records or customer information, then it’s recommended that you back up your files daily. This ensures that if anything goes wrong with your system, you won’t lose any crucial information. For personal users who don’t store sensitive data, backing up once a week or even once a month might suffice.
3. What Kinds of Data Should I Back Up? First and foremost, you should back up any irreplaceable files or documents. This includes things like family photos, legal documents, and financial records. Losing these types of files can be devastating, so it’s important to make sure they’re protected with backups. Additionally, if you work from home or run a business, it’s essential to back up any work-related files that are critical to your operations. It’s also a good idea to consider backing up your entire computer system. This means creating a full image backup that captures all of the data on your computer at once.
4. Where Should I Store My Backup? There are a variety of options available, each with their own pros and cons. Some people prefer physical backups, such as external hard drives or USB sticks, while others choose cloud-based solutions like Dropbox or Google Drive. There are many HDD options, but one of our favorites for backups is the MyBook Backup Hard Drive from Western Digital. It provides solid, stable data storage and it’s a very reliable device. Physical backups offer the advantage of being accessible even without an internet connection. Additionally, they tend to be relatively inexpensive and easy to use – simply plug in your external hard drive and start copying files over. However, physical backups are vulnerable to theft or damage from natural disasters like floods or fires. Cloud-based solutions offer a different set of advantages and disadvantages. They provide automatic backup capabilities that can run in the background without any additional effort on your part.
5. How to Restore Backup Files? Whether it’s due to a hard drive failure or accidental deletion, restoring backup files can be a daunting task. The first step towards restoring your backup files is to locate them on your storage device. Your backups will either be stored on an external hard drive or cloud storage service like Google Drive or Dropbox. Once you’ve found your backups, transfer them back to the original location on your computer. If you’re dealing with a large number of files, it’s best to create a new folder and move all the restored data into it.

Conclusion: Taking Action

World Backup Day is an important reminder to take the necessary steps to protect our valuable digital data. With a few simple steps, we can ensure our data is secure and accessible for years to come. We should all take the time to back up our vital data, as well as remind our friends, family, and colleagues of the importance of backing up their data too.

Visit WorldBackupDay.com to take the pledge and get information on the importance of data backups.

Secure Your Sensitive Data Anywhere with diskAshur M2 SSD

As the digital age continues to progress, the need for secure data storage is becoming increasingly important. With the introduction of hardware-encrypted solid state drives (SSD), users now have access to powerful yet secure data storage solutions. Hardware-encrypted SSDs provide an added layer of security and peace of mind that traditional spinning disk hard drives simply can’t match. By encrypting all data written to the drive, hardware-encrypted SSDs help protect your sensitive information from malicious third parties and hackers. The diskAshur M2 Hardware Encrypted SSD is the ideal option for anyone wanting an easy-to-use, secure, portable hard drive.

About diskAshur M2 Hardware Encrypted SSD

The iStorage diskAshur M2 Hardware Encrypted SSD is a high-performance storage solution designed with security in mind. It features robust hardware encryption that keeps your data safe from unauthorized access, ensuring that your sensitive information remains confidential. The diskAshur M2 is compatible with a range of operating systems and interfaces, including USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB Type-C, making it a versatile choice for professionals who require a portable, encrypted storage solution. Whether you’re a business owner, creative professional, or security-conscious individual, the iStorage diskAshur M2 provides peace of mind that your data is protected at all times.

Main Features

• Easy to use
• FIPS 140-3 Level 3 compliant
• Rugged, shockproof & crushproof
• IP68 certified Water & Dust resistant
• Ultra-portable and lightweight
• Independent User & Admin PINs
• Ultra-fast transfer speeds
• One-time User recovery PIN
• Common Criteria EAL5+ (Hardware Certified) secure microprocessor
• Read-only (write protect) Dual mode
• OS & Platform independent
• Brute Force protection
• USB Type A + C cables and carry case included
• Bootable
• Auto-Lock
• Self-destruct
• Drive reset
• Whitelisting on networks

Pricing & Availability

The diskAshur M2 is available for purchase through iStorage-uk.com and third-party retail partners such as Amazon. Available capacities 120GB, 240GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. The prices start at $142.00. The version I got was the 1TB and its list price is $275.

User Experience

The diskAshur M2 was well packaged inside an iStorage retail box. The outside of the box has a very nice image of the product along with some highlights about the product’s details (i.e. slim & sleek design, AES-XTS 256-big hardware encryption, etc.). When you open the outer box, you’ll find an inner box, which is designed to protect the contents inside. There is some additional cardboard packaging that helps to cushion the contents. The SSD comes packaged in a travel case (semi-hard shell) which is wrapped in bubble wrap.

In addition to the diskAshur M2, users will find two cables — 1 x USB-C to USB 3.0 and 1 x USB-A to USB 3.0 — Windows disconnect patch information, and the quick start guide. The quick start guide is multilingual and features seven different languages. The SSD has a protective sleeve that is lives inside. There is a silicone gasket around the edge of the SSD that helps provide a tight seal with the sleeve. This also provides water/dust resistance (the device is rated with IP68 certification).

One of the first things I noticed about the SSD was that its main i/o was a USB 3.0 Micro B connector. The specs state that the SSD has USB 3.2 data transfer speeds of up to 370 MB/s read & write speeds.

The first use of the SSD requires the user to set up a pin number. The instructions mention that the pin needs to be 7-15 digits. It cannot be sequential and cannot contain all repeating numbers. Setting the pin and using the pin is an easy process — as long as you follow the guidelines about the pin number. To get started, the user presses and holds the lock button and 1 until the LED indicators turn to green and blue with the green blinking. This puts the SSD into the mode to accept a new pin number.

Once you enter it, press the lock button and then enter it again with the lock button confirming the change. Once the pin is set, you only have to press the lock key once, which should make the green and blue LEDs blink together. When that happens, you enter the pin and press the lock key to accept the entry. The hard drive will then appear as an external drive on your computer.

When you get the SSD unlocked the first time, you will find a couple of files on the hard drive. One is the full user manual for the device and the other is a folder for the Windows Disconnect Patch, which is only needed if you are using a Windows machine. My main computer is a 2020 MacBook Air with an M1 processor so that isn’t something I was worried about.

In order to test the validity of the data transfer speeds, I ran three different tests:

1. AJA System Test Lite → This app is designed to provide accurate and detailed evaluations of disk speed/drive performance in reference to video recording and playback activity. I set the perimeters to:
   • Resolution → 4090×3112 4K Full
   • Test File Size → 16GB
   • Codec Type → ProRes
   The test result was 281 MB/s WRITE, 308 MB/s READ.
2. Blackmagic Speed Test → This tool is used to quickly assess disk performance and how it will perform with various video codecs. The output of this test is a quick read/write speed based on a specific test load size. I used the 5GB Stress Test level and the test result was 220.4 MB/s WRITE, 318.1 MB/s READ.
3. Drag-n-Drop Test → For this test, I select a group of files or a folder from my computer to copy over to the selected drive/disk. I used a file that was 3.03GB in size and contained mixed media. The transfer only took 10.84 seconds. That calculates to a transfer rate of 2,242.4 MB/s.

So, even though I didn’t get the exact 370 MB/s data speeds that were advertised, I am still pleased with the results I did get. It’s important to note that the way you connect the SSD to your computer has an effect on the transfer rate. My setup includes a docking station (Kensington SD5600T Hybrid Dock) and I plugged the diskAshur M2 into the USB-C port on the front of the dock. It is possible that I lost some speed due to the various connections I used to connect to the computer.

One of the issues I ran into while running these tests was that the SSD would automatically lock when it sat idle for too long. This is a safety function of the device, but I do wish there was an option to change the duration of the auto lock. The testing process didn’t take too long — only about 10 minutes or so. The SSD did get a bit warmed up, but not hot to the touch.

Conclusion

The iStorage diskAshur M2 Hardware Encrypted SSD is a great investment for anyone looking to add an extra level of security to their data. Its state-of-the-art hardware encryption ensures data stored on the drive remains secure, even if it falls into the wrong hands. It also offers quick setup and intuitive operation with its keypad and LCD display. Furthermore, it is highly durable and shock resistant for added peace of mind.

For more information, visit istorage-uk.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Synology DS1821+ offers high-capacity storage and reliable data protection for all users.

Ever since I started working from home (mid-2020), the need for mass data storage has been greater than ever. In the past, I’ve worked off of individual portable hard drives and even had smaller RAID systems available for personal use. But as soon as working from home became a full-time venture for me, I knew something more advanced was a necessity and I started looking at Network Attached Storage.

Network Attached Storage (NAS) is the ideal solution for users looking to store and access data quickly and securely. With NAS, users are able to access their data from any device on their home or office network, allowing them to securely store and access large amounts of data without having to worry about it being lost or stolen. In addition, NAS offers features such as built-in data protection, data security, and robust performance, making it an ideal choice for those who need reliable and secure storage for their data.

I used to think about NAS options as ‘too large’ for my needs but having a system that is capable of redundant backups and data protection is worth its weight in gold. There are many options available and several high-end brands of NAS units. I decided to go with Synology because of my past experiences with their systems and their DS1821+ Disk Station ended up being the ideal solution.

About

The Synology DS1821+ is an ideal storage option for personal or small business use. Its 8 drive bays provide massive space of up to 56TB while its expandable design allows for additional drives to be added as your storage needs increase. It’s designed for scalability and performance with its primary audience being IT enthusiasts and SMB customers.

The DS1821+ is a business-grade backup solution that comes with advanced features such as built-in data protection, data security, and robust performance. This makes it an ideal choice for those looking for reliable and secure storage for their data.

Main Features

• CPU → AMD Ryzen™ Quad-core 2.2 GHz
• Cache Acceleration → Turbocharge HDD arrays without occupying drive bays using dual M.2 2280 slots for NVMe SSD Cache
• Performance → 113K 4K random read IOPS. 177% higher 4K random read IOPS and 76% faster sequential write speeds compared to its predecessor$^1$.
• Scalability → Expand up to 18 drives with two DX517 expansion units (sold separately)
• Includes Everything to Protect Your Data → Back up critical data from public clouds, PCs, servers, VMs, and Synology NAS with Synology Active Backup suite, Hyper Backup, and Snapshot Replication
• Ready for 10/25GbE → Supports 10GbE SFP+/RJ-45 and 25GbE SFP28 NICs to instantly increase network bandwidth based on your infrastructure
• Ultimate File Management and Sharing → File Station offers fast & secure web-based management with drag-and-drop operations. Advanced search & filtering tools make it easy to organize & share files. Compatible with AFP, FTP, iSCSI, NFS, SMB, & WebDAV protocols.
• Fully Certified Storage Virtualization Solutions → Synology iSCSI storage supports virtualization, including VMware vSphere 6 & VAAI integration, Windows ODX, and OpenStack Cinder support for block-based storage. All features enhance work efficiency and optimize data transfer rate.
• Ultimate Backup Solution → DS1821+ offers durable storage technologies including Active Backup for Business, Hyper Backup, Synology Drive, and Active Backup for Microsoft 365/Google Workspace.
• A Fully Functional Server System → The DS1821+ comes complete with software modules that allow users to design their own shared server environment. Some of the modules include Central Management System, Synology MailPlus, Synology High Availability, Security, Synology Drive, and Surveillance Station.

Technical Specifications

The technical specifications — the detailed list of the components, features, and capabilities of the DS1821+ — are available at the end of this article. The information provided includes Hardware Specs, General Specs, and Package and Application Specs (File Server & Synchronization, iSCSI Storage & Virtualization, Data Protection & Backup Solution, Productivity & Collaboration, Multimedia, Surveillance, All-in-One Server, and Others).

Click Here to Read More

User Experience

Even though there are many different options for the setup of the DS1821+, we set it up as a simple NAS system. The unboxing process went as you might expect. The Disk Station comes in a nondescript cardboard box and the only cables that come with it are its power cable and an Ethernet cable. A set of storage bay keys is also included as each of the drive bays locks.

I really enjoy the physical aesthetic of this storage unit. It’s sleek and simple. There are some status LEDs across the top of the unit along with the power button. I really love that the power button is located on the front of the system because it’s very easily accessible. There is also a USB-A port on the front that can be used for expansion.

One of the accessories that can be added on to this system is a 10 Gbps Ethernet Adapter (E10G18-T1). We opted to include this add-on since our internet service and equipment can provide that network speed. I really enjoy how easy Synology makes it for people who are not familiar with hardware installation to complete accessory add-ons like this adapter card and like the cache SSDs, which I will talk about shortly.

In order to install the 10 Gbps Ethernet Adapter, you have to remove the external chassis cover. Once you expose the inside, you will see an expansion slot on the left side. The back of the unit has an opening that you slide the card through and then it locks into place on the expansion slot (as shown in the images). Once the adapter is in place, you secure it with a small screw, replace the unit’s cover, and it’s ready to go.

As far as the installation of the SSDs goes, you had to remove all the drive bays to reveal the card slots. There is a small lever/clasp on each slot that holds the SSD securely in place. If you’ve ever installed SSDs before, this is the exact same process. The slots are just a little awkward to get to.

Once both of those elements are in place, it’s time to install the hard drives. This is another thing that Synology makes painless. The drive bays are primarily made with hard plastic. The end pieces snap off the sides and once you have the hard drive laid in the tray, you can snap those back into place and they lock the hard drive into the tray. The drive bay slides back into the Disk Station’s case and then you close and lock the bay’s door.

At this point, you will want to connect the Disk Station to your network using an Ethernet connection. Then, connect the power cable to a power source and turn the Synology on. Once it is finished booting up, you will go to find.synology.com to finish the setup.

You will have to install the DiskStation Manager onto the system during this step. The web assistant will walk you through the steps. It is recommended that Chrome or Firefox be used for the setup. The hard drives will be initialized during this step, too, so any previous data on them will be deleted.

Once the DSM installation was completed, it was time to allocate space to storage pools and define volumes for the system to work as our main network storage option and archive system. We opted to use the following settings for our storage pool.

The data storage takes some time to optimize. I believe it took our system at least 24 hours to finish its formatting process. The process happens as a background task. The next step was to create users and assign user groups. This allowed us to have separate, private storage folders. We also created a shared folder between us.

So far, this system has been incredibly stable for us. We have a total capacity of 54.5 TB and have only used 84GB of that space. In my opinion, the greatest benefit of a system like this is the fact that you don’t have to worry about running out of space. While it’s not 100% future-proof, we could continue expanding it for a while by replacing the hard drives.

Conclusion

The Synology DS1821+ Disk Station is a great system that can be customized to fit your specific needs. Because it’s designed for scalability and performance, it is ideal for personal or small business use. This is an amazing system and I would recommend it to anyone looking to expand their storage capabilities.

For more information, visit synology.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

1. Performance figures obtained through internal testing by Synology. Actual performance may vary depending on the testing environment, usage, and configuration. Comparisons are done against the DS1819+ under specific testing conditions.

2. DS1821+ supports up to two Synology DX517 expansion units, sold separately.

Hardware

General DSM specification 

Packages and Applications 

File Server & Synchronization

iSCSI Storage & Virtualization

Data Protection & Backup Solution

Productivity & Collaboration

Multimedia

Surveillance

All-in-One Server

Others

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on updating my digital storage systems. In addition to my computer’s hard drive, I have a local backup on my NAS device and then a remote backup through Backblaze.

I believe that backup systems are an essential part of data organization – especially when you are curating content for a website. That’s why I’ve always been so careful to keep my systems updated and in top working order. One of the ways to do that is to upgrade hard drives when possible.

In addition to the backup systems I mentioned, I also have a LaCie 6Big Thunderbolt 3 RAID device. This system is connected directly to my MacBook Pro and I use it as a working media drive for photo and video editing. When I got it a couple of years ago, the only option that was available for me was the version that had 12TB drives(2TB x 6) in it. This model isn’t even offered through LaCie anymore and the smallest capacity you can purchase is one with 24TB (4TB x 6).

The hard drives that came with the LaCie were the IronWolf Pro from Seagate. These are good hard drives and comparable to the Western Digital Red Pro drives. The hard drives have performed admirably but I decided to change them out for the WD Red Pro NAS hard drives because they have a faster cache and I was able to upgrade the capacity to 48TB (8TB x 6) at the same time.

About WD Red Pro NAS Hard Drive

When you choose a hard drive, you want to make sure you get the right type for its intended purpose. Western Digital (WD) has several different types of internal (3.5-inch) hard drives. They are each named with a different color to indicate what they are best used for.

Blue: WD Blue internal hard drives deliver reliability for office and web applications. They are ideal for use as primary drives in desktop PCs and for office applications.

Gold: WD Gold HDD are specifically designed for use in enterprise-class data centers and storage systems.

Purple: WD Purple Pro drives are designed for advanced AI-enabled recorders, video analytics servers, and deep learning solutions requiring additional capacity, performance, and workload capability. WD Purple is available as Surveillance and Pro Smart Video hard drives.

Red: WD Red NAS hard drives are built within a NAS unit to store, archive, and share data. WD Red HDDs are available as standard, Plus, and Pro models.

Black: WD Black HDD have been designed for using with gaming PCs.

Since I wanted to add to a backup system, I selected the Red Pro hard drives (Model: WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0). So, how are they different from other drives? Here are some details from Western Digital.

Compatibility: Unlike desktop drives, these drives are specifically tested for compatibility with NAS systems for optimum performance.

Reliability: The always-on environment of a NAS or RAID is a hot one, and desktop drives aren’t typically designed and tested under those conditions like WD Red Pro drives are.

Error Recovery Controls: WD Red ™ Pro NAS hard drives are specifically designed with RAID error recovery control to help reduce failures within the NAS system.

Noise and Vibration Protection: Designed to operate solo, desktop drives typically offer little or no protection from the noise and vibration present in a multi-drive system. WD Red Pro drives are designed to thrive in multi-bay NAS system environments.

Main Features from WD

• Exclusive NASware 3.0 Technology: WD’s exclusive advanced firmware technology, NASware 3.0, enables seamless integration, robust data protection, and optimal performance for NAS systems operating under heavy demand. Built into every WD Red Pro hard drive, NASware 3.0’s advanced technology improves storage performance by increasing compatibility, integration, upgradeability, and reliability.
• Built for Optimum NAS Compatibility: WD RedTM Pro drives with NASware technology take the guesswork out of selecting a drive. Optimized for NAS systems, our unique algorithm balances performance and reliability in NAS and RAID environments. Simply put, a WD Red Pro drive is one of the most compatible drives available for NAS enclosures. But don’t take our word for it. WD Red Pro drives are a reflection of extensive NAS partner technology engagement and compatibility testing.
• Larger NAS Bay Shock Protection: WD Red Pro drives are equipped with a multi-axis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shock events and dynamic fly height technology which adjusts each read-write function to compensate and protect the data. This combination of technology further protects the drives in larger 24-bay NAS environments and helps increase hard drive reliability.
• 3D Active Balance Plus: Our enhanced dual-plane balance control technology significantly improves the overall drive performance and reliability. Hard drives that are not properly balanced may cause excessive vibration and noise in a multi-drive system, reduce the hard drive life span, and degrade the performance over time.
• Error Recovery Prevention: Built specifically for RAID and NAS environments, WD RedTM Pro drives come equipped with error recovery controls as part of NASware 3.0 technology to help reduce drive fallout in RAID applications.
• Extended Drive Testing: A NAS system that has up to 24 bays is very demanding on a hard drive with added vibration and heat. This is why every WD RedTM Pro drive is shipped with extended thermal cycle burn-in testing to help ensure each drive is tested for extended reliable operation.

Full Specifications

Pricing & Availability

The WD Red Pro NAS Hard Drives are available in a wide variety of capacities from 2TB up to 22TB. They are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee and come supported with a 5-year limited warranty. The hard drives range in price from $99.99 up to $599.99 each. See the full pricing table below. These prices are current as of this article’s publishing. The WD Red Pro NAS Hard Drives are available from westerndigital.com, Best Buy, Amazon, B&H Photo, and other authorized retailers.

Proper Maintenance & Installation of the WD Red Pro HDDs

The WD Red Pro hard drives were packaged in anti-static, moisture barrier bags. This is common for hard drive transport as it keeps the device’s internal components protected while they are in transit. I waited to take them out of their protective packaging until I had all the previous drives removed from the LaCie unit. LaCie made the transfer quite easy as there were only four screws that needed to be removed before I could remove the IronWolf HDDs.

As I mentioned, the LaCie had been in use for a couple of years at this point and I’m embarrassed to say that I had never completed proper cleaning maintenance on it. There isn’t really a set amount of defined time about how often you should perform cleaning maintenance on your hard drive systems and it really depends on the environment the device is kept in.

If you have a server farm, chances are you are keeping your hard drive storage in a clean room where there is very little people traffic or other activities. If, however, you are keeping your NAS in a room that has standard activity — for example, an office — more dust will likely accumulate. My recommendation would be to do regular maintenance at the same time you evaluate your backup system — maybe on World Backup Day. That would ensure you are doing it at least once a year.

If you are completing regular cleaning of the room (dusting, vacuuming, etc.) I would recommend at least checking the internal case of the NAS at that point. Regular cleaning of your hard drive can help prolong the life of your system. So, it’s important to catch dust collection early.

With that said, when I opened the case of the LaCie 6Big, I found a lot of dust bunnies. I carefully removed the hard drive trays so that dust didn’t get blown all over the place and as I removed each of the drives from their trays, I used canned air to blow the dust off of them.

I would not recommend using any type of wet cloth to clean the dust off of an HDD. They are particularly sensitive to moisture and even a slightly damp cloth could drop water where you don’t want it. Use a dry cloth, canned air (or an air blower if you have one), or even a vacuum to pull the dust away from the HDDs.

Once I was satisfied that the hard drive trays and the LaCie unit itself were sufficiently dust-free, I started the process of installing the WD Red Pro hard drives. The first step was to remove them from their bag. If you don’t have a static-free environment or an anti-static mat, then try to remove any possible sources of static collection.

In my case, I primarily used the desktop surface rather than the wool desk mat that was on the desk. I also tried to limit my movements while I was working with the HDDs. My desk chair sits on top of a plastic chair mat so that was better than if the chair was directly on top of the carpeted floor in my office.

I tried to make sure all the items I needed were ready to go so that the amount of time from when I took the HDDs out of their protective bags was minimized. I had all the drive trays emptied and my small screwdriver available. I lined up the WD Red Pro HDD with the screw holes in the drive tray and then started securing the HDD with the screws. The entire process took about 5 minutes per tray since I was being cautious and didn’t want to chance stripping any of the screws if they didn’t align just right.

After each of the trays was filled with a new WD Red Pro HDD, I placed them into each of the drive bays on the LaCie. With this particular hard drive device, the drive tray has a latch that locks into place when you seat it correctly into the drive bay. So you know right away if it’s not right.

Even though each type of storage chassis is designed differently, many of them have a similar mechanism and you’ll know if something is wrong. Once all the drives were in place, I powered the LaCie 6Big up. My MacBook Pro recognized it and it started the process of formatting the new hard drives into the RAID setup.

WD Red Pro Hard Drive Performance

When measuring a hard drive’s performance, I usually take a few things into account. First, I look at how well they behave under normal, daily operations. Do they cause any speed issues? Is there any problem with transferring data back and forth? Have there been any drive failures or errors? Fortunately, the answer to all of those questions is, “No,” with the WD Red Pro drives.

Not only have I used them for daily media transferring as I edit, but they have also been used to store another NAS backup on it. I’ve not discovered any read/write errors with them and they have been working as they should. The drives are not spinning and actively writing data 100% of the time, but the LaCie system does become active as soon as my MacBook Pro is awake. It will stay online until the MacBook Pro is shut down or goes to sleep.

The next thing I look at is benchmark tests. I usually run two as a standard – the Blackmagic Disk Speedtest and the AJA System Test Lite. Both tests have macOS apps that can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store. Both of these tests provide similar data about the drives you are testing. They are meant to show the read/write speed of the drives under different types of stress tests.

The 8TB WD Red Pro HDD are rated with a transfer rate of 235 MB/s. The Blackmagic Speed test showed a result of 26.4 MB/s WRITE and 308.6 MB/s READ. The AJA System Test Lite showed a result of 535 MB/s WRITE and 286 MB/s READ. These tests were run one right after the other so I am not sure why they are so wildly different from one another.

The next test that I ran was a simple transfer test. This is a what I consider a ‘real-world’ test as it consists of timing how long it takes a file or set of files to transfer from one source to another. I transferred a folder that was 4.68 GB in size from the MacBook Pro to the LaCie. The two devices were connected through Thunderbolt 3. The transfer took 24.51 seconds to complete. That translates to a transfer rate of around 187.2 MB/s, which is about 21% slower than the top transfer rate listed for this hard drive.

Final Thoughts

For many years, we have fought drive failures in our NAS devices. A few years ago, we were able to start using WD Red Pro drives in one of them. Those hard drives are still in use and going strong. Even though there are many options for NAS hard drives, I think I would only recommend the WD Red Pro for long-term, constant use. They stand up to hard, daily use and are well worth the investment.

For more information, visit wd.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

Solid State Flash Drive provides fast, durable portable storage for the professional on the go.

We can all use more portable storage. This is a fact that I’ve come to realize over the years — especially as a remote worker. One of the most convenient types of portable storage is the thumb drive. I’ve lived through the advent of flash drives and seen them evolve over the years. I continue to be amazed about how large the capacities have gotten. In fact, I’m still in shock that I can have a pint-sized thumb drive with 1TB of storage — the same capacity as my portable SSD.

Thumb drives are usually made with flash storage but they can sometimes use solid state drives. Both technologies take advantage of the fact that there are no moving parts in either while most SSDs will use flash memory, not all flash memory devices are considered SSDs.

A solid-state flash drive is a great way to store your data and keep it safe. They are very fast and have a longer lifespan than traditional flash drives. They are also more durable, making them the perfect choice for people who travel a lot or who use their flash drives regularly.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.2 Solid State Flash Drive is the first SS thumb drive I’ve had the pleasure of using. It’s been extremely responsive and does seem to be incredibly durable.

Details

The SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.2 Solid State Flash Drive is designed for people who need to move large files quickly. With it, users can transfer full-length 4K movies in about 15 seconds (1. Based on 4K video transfer (4GB) with USB 3.2 Gen 1 or USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes, and other factors).

The flash drive comes with RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software offer.

Specs

Pricing & Availability

This particular flash drive first became available in October 2020. It is available in four capacities: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Since I have the 1TB version, the pricing I’ve included below is for that capacity.

• westerndigital.com: 1TB = $169.99
• amazon.com: 1TB = $149.99 -46%

Testing

When I test out any storage devices I always use three different methods:

1. Blackmagic Disk Speed Test
2. AJA System Test Lite
3. Real-time Drag-and-Drop Timed Test

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test

This is a good all-around test that helps users to determine their disk performance. In addition to providing a read/write speed, Blackmagic Disk Speed Test also shows what the disk performance is for working with high-quality video. The SanDisk Extreme Pro had a write speed of 218.4 Mbps and a read speed of 420.6 Mbps. The write speed was about 43% lower than the spec performance of 380 Mbps, but the read speed was exactly where I anticipated it to be at 420 Mbps.

AJA System Test Lite: This is another utility test I run to test hard drive performance. This app will run the same type of stress test on the hard drive as the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, but you can change the type of stress test to fine-tune it so that you are emulating different types of video files. I usually set the test with the following parameters:

• Resolution: 4096×3112 4K-Full
• Test File Size: 64GB
• Codec Type: 16bit RGBA

With these settings, the test showed a data transfer speed of 171 Mbps write and 383 Mbps read. These results were lower than the spec speeds and a bit slower than the Blackmagic test, too.

Drag-n-Drop Test: This test is a real-world test that I run to see how quickly files transfer in real-time. I will select a folder to copy over to the hard drive and time how long it takes with a stopwatch. Then I will divide the file size by the time elapsed during the transfer. This gives us an idea of a real-world data transfer rate. The file I used was 11.56 GB in size and it took 4 minutes and 9 seconds to transfer. That calculates to a transfer rate of 46.4 Mbps.

Conclusion

The SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.2 Solid State Flash Drive is a great option for portable storage. I love knowing that this type of storage can keep larger files safe and make it easier to transfer them from place to place. It’s a little more expensive than other storage options, but depending on your situation, this might be worth the investment since it’s so easy to take from place to place.

For more information, visit westerndigital.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

JetDrive Lite keeps you from playing the hard drive shuffle game when you need more storage space.

One of the greatest concerns everyone always has is the amount of storage space they have on their computer. I know that it stresses me out. I’ve run into too many ‘out of space’ warnings in my life and of course, it’s usually right when you are in the middle of a big project. There have been countless times that I’ve had to play the hard drive shuffle to figure out what I can delete to free up some space.

Since it usually happens at the worst time, I rush through the process and I’m sure I’ve deleted things I wish I hadn’t. This is the reason I love the JetDrive from Transcend. This tiny piece of flash storage makes a big difference when it comes to total storage capacity on a laptop. I’ve had the opportunity to use one in the past and when Transcend announced the release of the 1TB JetDrive Lite 330, I jumped at the opportunity to add it to my system.

Let me back up for a second to paint the bigger picture. Last summer, I purchased a 2020 M1 MacBook Air. At the time, I didn’t have a laptop because I had traded in my 2018 MacBook Pro when I ordered an M1 MacMini. Shortly after I bought the MacBook Air, Apple announced the launch of the M1 MacBook Pros.

I upgraded to a 2021 MacBook Pro with M1 Max. I upgraded the storage to 4TB when I ordered it because I didn’t want to run the chance of running out of room since I work with large uncompressed video and photo files. With the purchase of this laptop, I welcomed the return of the SD card slot on my portable computer.

While this makes portable workflows for a photographer much easier, it also made it possible for me to add the Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 into my system – which gave me an additional 1TB of storage. It might be overkill, but I definitely have peace of mind because of it.

About Transcend

Transcend was founded in 1988 and its headquarters are in Taipei, Taiwan. The company’s main focus is to create digital storage and there are now 13 offices worldwide. Transcend designs, developers, manufacturers, and markets all of their products. Providing professional service is one of the company’s main tenets and they strive to adapt quickly to the market’s changing needs.

Transcend has over 2,000 products including memory models, flash memory cards, and USB flash drives. The goal with the wide variety of products is to satisfy any potential need a customer might have for storage. Transcend is dedicated to quality and implements the Total Quality Control concept throughout the company. It was the first memory module manufacturer in Taiwan — and the second in the world—to receive ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and QC080000 approval. According to the information found on Transcend’s website:

Every Transcend part produced is individually tested using their sophisticated testing equipment and customized testing software. Production staff undergoes intensive training to ensure that all products meet the company’s rigorous quality standards.

One of the things I really appreciate about Transcend is its dedication to creating upgrade solutions specifically for Apple products. There is an entire page on their site highlighting the items they offer for Mac users. The JetDrive Lite product line is part of that page.

About JetDrive Lite

The JetDrive Lite was originally released in 2014 and was specifically designed to work with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models at the time. At the time, two capacities were offered — 64GB and 128GB. In April of this year, Transcend announced the JetDrive Lite 330 — the newest product to join the lineup.

Currently, there are four different JetDrive Lite cards:

• JetDrive Lite 130 – Support MacBook Air 13″ Late 2010~2017
• JetDrive Lite 330 – Support MacBook Pro 14″ & 16″ 2021 and MacBook Pro (Retina)13″ Late 2012~Early 2015
• JetDrive Lite 350 – Support MacBook Pro (Retina)15″ Mid 2012~Early 2013
• JetDrive Lite 360 – Support MacBook Pro (Retina)15″ Late 2013~Mid 2015

Main Features

• Designed specifically for Mac laptops
• Tailor-made to sit flush against the side of a MacBook Pro
• Up to 1TB of storage
• Ability to store RAW images, 4K videos, music, and more
• Features read speeds up to 95 Mbps and write speeds up to 75 Mbps
• Works with Transcend’s RecoverRx software (free) to recover lost data
• Manufactured with COB (chip-on-board) technology
• Water-resistant
• Dust-resistant
• Shock-resistant
• Five-year limited warranty

JetDrive Lite vs. SD Card

The JetDrive Lite looks a lot like an SD card, but it’s actually considered to be an expansion card. According to Transcend, there are differences between the two pieces of media but aside from their physical forms, it’s not clear what the technological differences are. Transcend has a web page that is meant to set the JetDrive Lite apart from SD cards, but it only says this:

• JetDrive Lite (JDL) is NOT an SD card.
• JDL can sit flush and seamless in the compatible MacBook models
• JDL uses MLC flash chips instead

The last bullet is the best clue, but SD cards will utilize MLC flash chips as well. Since Transcend did not provide enough information on their website to define exactly what type of card the JetDrive Lite is, I did a little additional investigating.

The first clue about the JetDrive Lite’s identity was its speed rating. An SD card is assigned a Speed Class that dictates what type of media it is best suited for. This class is broken into three types of speed indications on the SD card’s label:

• C – Speed Class
• U – UHS Speed Class
• V – Video Speed Class

The letter of each class is shown with a number that indicates the minimum write speed. For example, a card with a V90 on it has a minimum write speed of 90 Mbps. The UHS speed class has a bus interface that indicates a theoretical maximum read and write speed. Therefore the bus speed refers to the theoretical maximum transfer speed of the card.

Since the JetDrive Lite has read speeds up to 95 Mbps and write speeds up to 75 Mbps, that leads me to believe that its UHS rating is a I, which has a maximum transfer speed up to 104 Mbps. The second clue about the JetDrive Lite’s card type was revealed when I looked at the physical number of pins on the back of the card.

It has a single row of connector pins which clearly defines it as a UHS-I class card. UHS-II cards have a second row of connector pins included. The configuration of the pins also points to the JetDrive Lite being an SD card. It has a standard SD card pin layout as shown in the included illustration.

Finally, I used a utility app that sdcard.org provides to show what type of card the system reads it as. The JetDrive Lite showed up as an SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) format. I ran AJA System Test Lite on the JetDrive Lite, too, and it was showing a minimum write speed of around 70-72 Mbps. This was only based off of where the test started its read of the drive. Based on that, I am estimating that the JetDrive Lite could have a video speed class of V60 and is more than likely a Class 10 card.

So, even though Transcend states that the JetDrive Lite is not an SD card (and I’m not disputing that), it is recognized by the system as an SDXC card and is most closely related to an SDXC U1 | C10 | V60 card.

According to sdcard.org, “digital data storage needs tend to be larger and require faster performance in a number of applications, such as smartphones, digital cameras, video recording, surveillance systems, etc.” The resource also refers to SDXC III cards to be the most ideal for moving large files between a card and its host device.

So I’m surprised that Transcend hasn’t adapted these cards to that technology so that it is better suited for large data transfer since the purpose of the JetDrive Lite is to act primarily as file storage.

User Experience & Testing

The JetDrive Lite 330 comes in a small box. I appreciate this because I feel like small media like this sometimes has extravagant packaging that is just too much for what it’s holding. This seems to be just right. It’s good for retail shelves and shipping alike. Plus, the packaging is not hard to open.

Setting up the JetDrive Lite is super easy. There is no special software or driver that has to be installed. You simply unpackage the card, slide it into its slot, and wait for it to mount to your desktop. It should appear just like an SD card does. After it mounts, you just use the card like any type of attached storage.

Transcend suggests using it as a TimeMachine backup option, but I prefer to use it for standard backups. I have a NAS device for archive purposes, so the JetDrive Lite is really just acting as a literal expansion of my laptop’s hard drive in case I need it.

The JetDrive Lite is rated with a 95 Mbps Write and 75 Mbps Read speed. I found this a little confusing since I have an SD card features read/write speeds up to 300 Mbps/260 Mbps respectively. So, I wonder why since the media types are so close to the same product.

To test the read/write speeds, I used Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. I set the load to 5MB and let the test run. I wanted to compare JetDrive’s results to a similar SD card, but I didn’t have any SDXC UHC-I cards available. So, I used a Micro SD card that is an SDXC UHS-I. I also wanted to show the difference between the UHS-I and UHS-II card speeds. So, I also ran a SanDisk Extreme PRO card through the same tests. The results are listed below.

Final Thoughts

As you can see by the results, the JetDrive Lite got very close to its published speed specs. I’ve been very happy with the JetDrive Lite’s performance thus far and it’s proven to be a solid storage option in the past. I love the idea of using robust, lifeproof media like expansion/SD cards to maximize your storage options – especially when they are virtually invisible.

The card is easy to install, easy to use, and easy to store if you don’t keep it on your computer 100% of the time. I do hope to see the technology in the cards upgraded in the future so that they are at least meeting the same specs as a UHS-II SD card. The 1TB JetDrive Lite is currently being sold for $189.99. That seems pricy, but it is priced competitively with SDXC UHS-I cards of the same capacity.

The JetDrive Lite is a good investment and option for easily expanded storage on a Mac Laptop.

For more information, visit us.transcend-info.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Flash card enhances the gaming experience.

If there is one accessory I can never seem to have enough of, it’s storage options. I love having a variety of SD cards, flash drives, external hard drives, and even microSD cards on hand in case I need them for any reason. One of the things I’ve been amazed about is how some flash cards – like the XLR8 Gaming microSDXC Flash Card from PNY – are built to work best with gaming devices. I was ecstatic to be able to add one to our arsenal of storage.

DETAILS

The PNY XLR8 Gaming microSDXC Flash Card comes in three different capacities – 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. It is a class 10, U3, V30 flash card and is compatible with mobile devices and portable gaming consoles. It has a sequential read speed up to 100MB/s and a sequential write speed of 90MB/s. The card features A2 app performance and can run games directly from the microSD card. The flash card is compatible with mobile devices and portable gaming devices – like the Nintendo Switch.

USER EXPERIENCE

The XLR8 Gaming microSDXC Flash Card was packaged in a pretty standard memory card wrapper. It was mainly a cardboard backing, but the flash card itself was raised up in a plastic window. I wish there was actually a better, more useful way to package flash cards, but realistically, they are so small that any other way of packaging it probably wouldn’t be practical.

The front of the package outlines all the main details of the flash card and the back has a lot of fine print in multiple languages. The main colors of the package are black and red while the flash card is white with red and black lettering. To get into the package, I used a small pocket knife to cut open the plastic.

After puncturing the plastic, the card slips right out and you can insert it into your device. Because this flash card is designed to work specifically with gaming devices, I inserted it into our Nintendo Switch and was impressed with how quickly games loaded and saved with it instead of the previous card I had included.

In addition to basic performance testing, I ran some other benchmark tests using my MacBook Air to check the data transfer speed of the flash card. Those tests include Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, AJA System Test Lite, and a real-time drag-and-drop speed test. I plugged the card into my Kensington Thunderbolt Dock, which was connected to my computer using a Thunderbolt 3 cable. The card appeared on my desktop as a mounted drive with the label “untitled.”

The System Profiler also detected the card and showed that it was formatted as exFAT and had 511.95 GB of available space. After confirming that the card was connected properly to my computer, I ran the Blackmagic Speed Test and AJA System Test Lite. After both of those tests concluded, I did a drag-and-drop test. I transferred a folder with 3.1GB of files and timed how long it took to transfer that folder with the stopwatch function on my iPhone. I have included a table below of the test results.

CONCLUSION

While the speeds weren’t quite up to spec with the ‘official’ details, the XLR8 Gaming microSDXC Flash Card still performed admirably when playing games. I didn’t have any issue accessing saved games and I think it’s a solid option for using with portable gaming devices.

For more information, visit pny.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

The past couple of years have changed how the world works and now more than ever before, entire workforces are tied to their computers. This ends up poses a lot of challenges – especially for IT managers who look out for the safety and security of the data they manage. It’s World Backup Day once again and it’s a good time to rethink or start your backup strategy.

What is World Backup Day?

World Backup Day is a social movement designed to help people remember to create a backup strategy for themselves or their business. The day was started in 2011 by Ismail Jadun, a digital consultant, who saw a post on Reddit about a user who lost their hard drive. That user said that they wished someone had reminded them to make a backup. Jadun then thought having a global day for everyone to be reminded to make a backup of their data was a good idea. He chose March 31 because it’s the day before April Fool’s Day – and only a fool would forget to backup their data.

The concept spread quickly through social media and now WorldBackupDay.com is a place for people to learn the importance of backups as well as take the March 31st pledge to create a backup. The pledge reads, “I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on World Backup Day, March 31st.”

Before you can create a backup, you must first define what that is. According to WorldBackupDay.com, a backup is defined as “…a copy of all your important files — for example, your family photos, home videos, documents, and emails. Instead of storing it all in one place (like your computer or smartphone), you keep a copy of everything somewhere safe.” World Backup Day urges people to create at least one backup on March 31st.

Types of Backups

While a backup is simply a copy of your data, it’s important to note that there are different types of backups. The most common types of backups are listed below. Many of these should be included within an overall backup strategy that you can start today on World Backup Day.

Full: This type of backup is a complete copy of an entire system from a specific point in time. A disk image of your computer’s hard drive would be an example of a Full backup.

Incremental: This is a more common type of backup method because it is simply a copy of data that has changed since a specific point in time. This is a step taken after a full backup is completed. Apple’s Time Machine goes through this process. It will first make a full backup of the data you request and then it will copy changes to that data over time. Several applications will complete this same type of backup process.

Differential: A differential backup saves data that has changed since the last full backup was made. This is different from an incremental backup because the incremental will save data that has been created or changed since the most recent backup of any type.

Mirror: A mirror backup is similar to a full backup in that you copy your source data. The difference here is that you don’t have specific file versions recorded. That means that data that was deleted since your previous mirror backup will also be included. This is not the most reliable backup type since deletions or modifications of the source data will also be present in the mirror backup.

There is one other type of backup that is referred to as unstructured**.** This method is unorganized and is typically just a repository of data dumps onto various media types. Unstructured backups may be made up of a stack of tapes, DVD-Rs, or external HDDs. I used to work for a company that managed data in this way because storing digital data was a new concept and we didn’t have any other options at the time.

What is the 3-2-1 Rule Method for backups?

As smart as having one backup of your system is, I feel it’s more important to have a backup strategy. That involves more than one backup method and a schedule to follow. World Backup Day is a good time to develop a strategy if you haven’t yet. One of the more popular backup strategy methods is referred to as the 3-2-1 Rule.

This method is defined as creating 3 copies of the data (primary and two backups), using 2 different storage media, and making 1 offsite copy. This is typically recognized as the safest possible option for securing digital data because it creates redundancy. It is more complicated than many people want to deal with, but businesses should adopt a strategy like this to ensure they can always access important files.

• 3 Copies of Data: This breaks down to be the original iteration of the data, which is usually what is on your computer’s hard drive, and then two additional backup copies that are kept separate from the original.
• 2 Different Storage Media Types: This is important because different media types store differently. For example, a mechanical HDD is going to wear out faster than a SSD is going to because it has moving parts.
• 1 Offsite Backup: This can be a couple of different options. One of the two backup copies on a physical media could be stored in a separate geographical location from your computer – a bank safety deposit box or a friend’s house, for example. The most modern method for an offsite backup is cloud-based storage, such as Backblaze, who is also a sponsor of World Backup Day.

Types of Backup Media

Backup media comes in many different forms these days and World Backup Day is a natural time to review them. The most popular media types are external hard drives – mechanical or solid-state. These are very easy and usually very affordable to provide to users along with their computer system. Solid State Drives (SSDs) are much more portable than Mechanical Hard Drives (HDD). HDDs have moving parts and data is being etched into the platters on the hard drive. Movements, while this process is ongoing, can damage the HDD and risk your data not being copied properly. There are many HDD options, but one of our favorites for backups is the MyBook Backup Hard Drive from Western Digital. It provides solid, stable data storage and it’s a very reliable device.

SSDs on the other hand are much more durable as they do not contain any moving parts. SSDs have a huge throughput and can transfer data up to 6Gbps. Higher-capacity SSDs can be more expensive than HDDs so they are better for smaller data volumes. Western Digital and SanDisk both offer great SSD options. SanDisk has more rugged SSDs while WD has the WD Discovery software as an option that helps users connect all their WD drives. It’s a nice ecosystem that WD has built and the SSD is a very reliable device.

Another type of backup media is cloud storage, which is most commonly used as an offsite backup method. There are many different cloud storage solutions out there and you want to consider how much you trust the provider to maintain privacy as well as data integrity. We recommend Backblaze as a cloud storage solution because they offer affordable, stable backup options for personal as well as business uses. The company also offers a 15-day free trial without any commitment.

Network Attached Storage devices, or NAS, are yet one more option for backup media. These devices are typically used for several systems on the same network as a server. This consists of a case that holds several HDDs or SSDs along with an operating system to control how data is organized. NAS devices are often arranged as a RAID (redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks) which provides data redundancy if a hard drive fails. One of the systems we recommend is from Synology. Their DiskStation series of NAS systems are set up to be customized per the users’ preferences.

When you determine what storage media you want to employ, make sure you consider the cost and security of your data.

Final Thoughts

Creating a backup strategy is not only important, but it’s an essential part of working with computers. On this World Backup Day, don’t just make a single backup – decide on how you want to organize your entire strategy. There are many options to go with, but if you start with the 3-2-1 concept and customize it to your specific needs, you will be on the right track. The website ready.gov also has some great information on IT Disaster Recover planning.

Visit WorldBackupDay.com to take the pledge and get information on the importance of data backups.

MyBook Backup hard drive is a safe, reliable option for daily backups.

What’s your backup strategy? This is a question that I’ve been struggling with for years. I used to work for my dad’s video production company and when everything switched from analog to digital media, we found ourselves scurrying for backup solutions. The video files we were working with quickly began slurping up our internal storage.

We began buying internal hard drives and using them to back up our data. We were thrilled when Western Digital released their MyBook line of products because it made regular backups much easier. It also made storing the drives much safer. We literally had the internal hard drives stacked on top of one another inside cabinet drawers.

We knew it wasn’t a safe or smart way to keep our data backups, but it was the only option we had 10+ years ago. Today, there are a lot of different backup solutions to take advantage of. WD still makes their MyBooks, but now they are available in much larger capacities than they were back then.

Design & Details

The WD MyBook is a backup solution that is designed to back up photos, videos, music, and documents. The hard drive has built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption with password protection (using the WD downloadable software).

The MyBook backup device meets the demanding requirements for durability, shock tolerance, and long-term reliability. The hard drive comes with a 3-year warranty. The device is easy to use out of the box and it comes pre-loaded with the WD software utilities.

SPECS

• Capacity: 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 12TB, 14TB, 16TB, 18TB
• Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 1
• Formatted exFAT for out-of-the-box compatibility with Windows and Mac
• Compatible with Windows 10+ and macOS 11+. May require reformatting for other operating systems
• Dimensions: 5.48″ x 1.93″ x 6.72″

In the Box

• MyBook Backup Hard drive
• SuperSpeed USB-A cable (5Gbps)
• AC adapter
• Software for device management

Unboxing & First Impressions

The box of the hard drive I received was white and orange. I know that in the past, WD has color-coded their boxes depending on the capacity and product line of the device housed inside. So, I can’t say whether or not all the MyBooks have the same packaging. Inside the box, you’ll find the hard drive surrounded by plastic bookends, which keeps the drive from shifting around in the box while in transit.

The MyBook Backup hard drive is a little larger than a 3.5-inch internal hard drive. The reason for this is because what is housed inside the case is a mechanical hard drive. This is important to note because while the MyBook is technically portable, you want to be cautious about how you move it because of the type of hard drive inside the case.

One of the first things I noticed about the hard drive was the presence of the USB 3.0 port. The specs state that it’s a USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is essentially the same as USB 3.0 – just a newer name for it. USB 3.0 first started appearing as a connection option on devices in 2008.

While the cable type provides a solid connection it is an older technology and not as fast as other USB options. That said, utilizing this older technology makes it possible for this larger capacity hard drive to be more affordable. USB 3.0 tops out at 5Gbps data transfer. USB 3.2 Gen 2, which utilizes USB-C as a connector, can top data transfer speeds of 20Gbps. If I had received this hard drive a few years ago, I would understand the reasoning for continuing to utilize the USB 3.0 port over USB-C, but today, USB-C is considered mainstream. According to the date listed on Amazon, this model MyBook was first offered in October 2016, but the copyright date on the box indicates 2020 as the version year.

In addition to the USB 3.0 cable, the MyBook Backup hard drive comes with its own AC power adapter and cable. It is not bus-powered like many SSD portable hard drives are. Since this hard drive comes with two separate sets of cables, it would be nice if it had some sort of case or maybe a way to attach the cables to the case itself. That way you never get them mixed up with other devices.

While I don’t mind that the MyBook backup device has external power needs, I don’t like the style of cable that comes with it. It’s a power brick that is oriented left to right. That means it has to sit sideways on a power outlet or a power strip, it potentially covers two outlets. I would have much preferred a standard power cord.

After unpacking the hard drive, I plugged the AC adapter into power and plugged the USB cable into the hard drive and then into my dock. I’m currently using the Kensington SD5600T Thunderbolt 3 docking station to connect peripherals to my 2021 M1 MacBook Air. The USB port on the front of the dock (where I plugged the MyBook into) is USB-A 3.2 Gen 2. which supports up to 10Gbps data transfer.

The MyBook backup hard drive does not have any sort of lights on it to indicate that it’s plugged into power or connected to a computer. You can hear the hard drive inside whirring, but it’s not super loud.

Testing

The first step I took when testing the MyBook backup device was to open Disk Utility and verify that it was a brand new hard drive and that it was formatted as the box stated. The app showed me that the hard drive was formatted as ExFAT and has a capacity of 6TB. Only 113.2 MB was used out of the box. This is because the WD comes equipped with WD’s backup software included.

The three software packages included on the hard drive are WD Discovery, which includes WD Security, and WD Drive Utilities. These are helpful apps to have if you have no other backup software available, but they aren’t necessary for using the device. You can always download them here if you decide to format the drive.

Formatting the hard drive is exactly what I decided to do before I ran my tests. Because I plan on using this with my Apple devices, I formatted it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). After formatting, the MyBook backup device showed that 1.4GB was used, but no files were left on the hard drive after formatting it.

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test: This is always the first disk speed test I run on hard drives. It’s a good all-around test that helps users to determine their disk performance. In addition to providing a read/write speed, Blackmagic Disk Speed Test also shows what the disk performance is for working with high-quality video. The test provided scores of 184.3 MB/s WRITE and 186.3 MB/s READ. This is barely faster than a 1Gbps transfer rate.

AJA System Test Lite: This is the second utility test I run to test hard drive performance. This app will run the same type of stress test on the hard drive as the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, but you can change the type of stress test to fine-tune it so that you are emulating different types of video files. I usually set the test with the following parameters:

• Resolution: 4096×3112 4K-Full
• Test File Size: 64GB
• Codec Type: 16bit RGBA

With these settings, the test showed a data transfer speed of 181 MB/s WRITE and 183 MB/s READ. I usually find these two performance tests are in line with one another. So, I wasn’t surprised to see this was the result.

Drag-n-Drop Test: This test is a real-world test that I run to see how quickly files transfer in real-time. I will select a folder to copy over to the hard drive and time how long it takes with a stopwatch. Then I will divide the file size by the time elapsed during the transfer. This gives us an idea of a real-world data transfer rate. The file I used was 2.74 GB in size and it took 16 seconds to transfer. This calculates to a transfer rate of 171.25 MB/s.

I was very impressed at how cool the hard drive stayed. Even after all the stress tests, the hard drive was cool and I didn’t notice it whirring too much either.

Lessons Learned

The WD MyBook backup device is a very reliable backup solution for most situations. At this point, I don’t know if I would recommend it as a daily-driver hard drive – meaning something that you are actively using throughout the day. Years ago, before USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 speeds were attainable by consumers, USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds were enough to work from, but now, if you are running a video workflow, you need something faster than the MyBook.

So, who is this drive good for? It’s a good backup option. By that I mean you can use it to run daily backups to have a secure option for storing your data long-term. The USB 3.0 connection is solid and it does a good job transferring data securely and safely, but it’s just not very quick these days. If you are a Mac user, I would easily recommend this as a good option for a TimeMachine backup device.

One of the reasons this MyBook Backup hard drive is a little on the slower side is because of the hard drive housed inside. I haven’t cracked open the external case to find out for sure, but there were many sources online that stated the hard drive is a WD Red with a 5400 RPM spin. That means it’s not going to be very fast, but it will be reliable for backups. WD Red drives are built for use in NAS systems and are meant for writing and rewriting constantly.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The MyBook Backup hard drive is a reliable option as a dedicated backup device. That is what it was designed for and as long as it’s utilized that way, I think users would have good luck with the hard drive. The MyBook is affordable and it works with most systems. This is an ideal option to use for recurring backups and with today being World Backup Day, it’s a great time to pick one up.

For more details, visit Western Digital, Facebook, and Twitter.

DockCase provides a one-of-a-kind SSD storage option with this smart case.

Storage is always at a premium when you are working with digital clutter for a living. Sometimes that’s how I classify myself – a digital clutter wrangler. With that in mind, I try to keep extra external drives close at hand and one of the easiest ways to do that is to add drives to enclosures. I happened to have an extra NVMe SSD laying around from an old laptop that went by the wayside, but I needed an enclosure to make it a workable storage option. The best device for the job was the DockCase Smart SSD Enclosure. 

DETAILS

DockCase was founded in 2016 by a team of engineers and designers who wanted to USB-C easier to use for consumers. Since August 2017, they have successfully launched and run three Kickstarter campaigns to get their products off the ground. This time around, the DockCase Smart SSD Enclosure is the product on the table. The campaign started on March 1, 2022, and while it still has 27 days to go (at the time of writing this article), the campaign already has 279 backers and has surpassed its $5,000 goal by more than six times. 

The DockCase Smart SSD Enclosure is designed to provide safe, reliable protection for large amounts of data. It features Power Loss Protection (PLP), smart SSD health info detection, and dual-heat dissipation. PLP is built-in to reduce the risk of data loss when a drive is unexpectedly disconnected from power. It uses onboard supercapacitors to sustain power to the SSD long enough for data to be written to Flash memory. The main features of the DockCase enclosure are:

• Hardware power loss protection – The DockCase enclosure provides around 10 seconds of writing time after power failure.
• SSD health detection – DockCase can detect and display the SSD health status after power-on, disk life, disk power-on times, and remaining capacity at a glance. 
• SSD info display – Exclusive D-Key control can switch between different pages to check SSD detailed info and select multiple functions.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps) – Transfer massive files within seconds with the incredible speed of USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (up to 10Gbps, 1050MB/s, actual data rates may vary depending on operating environment and other factors, such as chosen interface and disk capacity).
• Supports M.2 NVMe/SATA SSD – B&M Key M.2 (NVMe/SATA) or M Key M.2 (NVMe)
• Compatible with 4 sizes SSD including 22 x 80, 22 x 60, 22 x 42, and 22 x 30. 
• Sleek and portable – The enclosure features an integrated design of aluminum alloy and tempered glass making it sleek, durable, and convenient. The fins cover prevents slips when held, the slim body easily slides in your pocket to enjoy maximized portability.
• Dual heat dissipation – DockCase RTL 9210B control chip is equipped with temperature control which can be up to 10 degrees lower than other chips, reducing heat generation from the source. Additionally, the fins are covered with graphite thermal pads which increases the heat dissipation area and blows away the heat. 
• Upgradeable firmware – This means the enclosure can be continuously optimized to improve the stability of your work.

SPECS

• Model: DSWC1P-10
• Power Loss Protection: 10 sec
• Screen: 1.33” 240 x 240 IPS-LCD
• Upstream Port: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps)
• Power Requirements: DC 5V=3.0A+0.2A
• SSD Type: M Key M.2 (NVMe) or B&M Key M.2 (NVMe/SATA)
• SSD Length: 2230/2242/2260/2280
• SSD Max Capacity: 2TB
• Operating System: Windows 7/8.1/10/11, macOS 10.6 or later, iPad OS 12.0.1 or later, Linux, Android, PlayStation 5, ChromeOS, or Harmony
• Firmware: Upgradeable
• Cable: USB 3.2 Gen 2; USB-C to USB-C/A Data Cable
• Size: 127 x 39 x 14 mm
• Material: Aluminum alloy + tempered glass
• Installation Method: screen fixation

USER EXPERIENCE

The enclosure comes in plain packaging. The box is white with the DockCase logo on the front. The name of the product is stamped just under the logo in small print. The back of the box has some information on the product along with a sticker that calls out the model-specific info. The interior packaging was more than sufficient to keep the enclosure safe during transport. I also really like that an extra screw was included because those tiny screws can easily be lost. 

The packaging being plain is just an observation and not a criticism. It’s important to remember that at the time of completing this review, the product was still being funded through Kickstarter. So, even though this enclosure is production-ready, mass production of the product is still to come.

The installation of the SSD is very easy and self-explanatory if you have installed SSDs in the past. The instructions don’t describe the process, but there is really only one way the SSD can be installed correctly into the slot. The Kickstarter page does include a short video that demonstrates how to install the SSD in the enclosure, but it would be nice if this were also included in the user manual. 

As far as form goes, I was blown away by the style of the enclosure. It feels really good and does not get very warm – even after being connected to a computer for several hours. The case is very sturdy and it’s really easy to carry around. I wish that a carrying case was provided since the cable is separate from the enclosure, but that’s not a deal-breaker for me. The display is really easy to read and I love that it’s color-coded. 

I didn’t have any issues with the drive connecting to my computer (MacBook Air via Thunderbolt 3 dock). I did have to format the SSD once it connected to my computer, but that was only because it had come out of a computer and was read-only at the time. Formatting only took a few seconds and then it was ready for testing. 

I completed three different tests – Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, AJA Speed Test Lite, and a real-time drag-n-drop test. All three of the tests were mind-blowing to me because of how fast the drive transferred data. The Blackmagic test provided a result of 871.6 MB/s WRITE and 900.1 MB/s READ timing. The AJA test (4K Full, 64GB, 16bit RGBA) ended with a result of 751 MB/s WRITE and 787 MB/s READ timing. 

The drag-n-drop test consisted of me dragging a folder with some video files on it to the attached SSD and then timing how long the transfer took in real-time. I used the iPhone’s stopwatch as the timer. The folder I used was 3.1 GB in size (3,100 MB). It took approximately  3.97 seconds to transfer. That ended up being a transfer rate of 780.9 MB/s, which is remarkably fast. 

CONCLUSION

The DockCase Smart SSD Enclosure lives up to its name. It’s easy to use, provides valuable resources for hard drive health and maintenance, and is easily portable. As of today, you can still back the item on Kickstarter and be able to try the enclosure for yourself. An SSD is not included, but the features the case provides are worth it. 

For more information, visit dockcase.com, Facebook, and Twitter. 

As a professional photographer, I’m always on the lookout for high-quality media cards. They can be hard to come by sometimes. I remember when I first got my newest camera, I needed to upgrade my card because my older ones could not keep up with the new camera specs. The camera store actually only had one type of SD card that would work for me. So, when I heard about OWC’s pro-level media cards, I jumped at the chance to use them. 

DETAILS

The OWC Atlas S Pro SDXC UHS-II V90 Media Card is a professional-grade SD card designed for photographers and videographers alike. It boasts up to 10X higher endurance than its competitors and read/write speeds up to 276/290 MB/s respectively. The card is protected by OWC’s 5-year limited warranty and it comes in four different capacities – 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The full list of features is provided below. 

FEATURES

• Pro speed: Up to 276MB/s write and 290MB/s read real-world speeds for shooting huge photos, burst photo sequences, and recording up to 8K video
• Advanced: Uses advanced pseudo-Single-Level Cell (pSLC) flash memory to deliver 10X higher durability than ordinary SD cards and blazing-fast speed across the entire card capacity so massive still files and 8K video will write and download fast 
  Efficient: Fast read speeds let you offload data to the computer for immediate file access and quicker post-production 
• Tough: Impact, bend, shock, UV ray, and x-ray resistant 
• Compatible: Fully compatible with a wide variety of DSLR, mirrorless, 360-degree, VR, and cinema cameras
• Flexible: Backwards compatible with UHS-I SD devices and readers
• Worry-free: Up to 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty

USER EXPERIENCE

The media card comes in a simple OWC-branded sleeve. I’m actually a pretty big fan of OWC packaging because it’s usually pretty minimal and it always looks good. This sleeve is great for retail shelves because it stands out really well. It’s all black with some cosmic blue images on it. There is a bit of flavor text on it that states: Professional grade performance with premium quality reliability for photographers and videographers. Since I am a photographer who sometimes shoots video, this card seemed like an ideal choice for me. 

My main camera is a Canon EOS R5. I shoot in RAW exclusively and when I shoot video, I capture footage in 4K. Since this card is rated to deliver smooth performance with up to 8K video and burst photo modes, I knew I was in good hands. I actually had the opportunity to shoot a video inside a medical facility recently. I can’t divulge the subject matter of that footage just yet because it hasn’t been released, but we shot continuous footage for nearly 60 minutes. This card was one of my primary cards on the shoot and it did a great job. 

I did run some additional tests on the card including the Blackmagic Speed Disk Test and AJA System Test Lite. The Blackmagic Speed test had a result of 240.8 MB/s WRITE and 256.0 MB/s READ. That was only 14% and 12% lower than the real-world testing speeds that OWC provides on the front of their packaging for the media card. 

The AJA System Test Lite was a bit more straining on the card and the speeds slowed down. That test showed 186 MB/s WRITE and 253 MB/s READ. That was approximately 33% and 13% slowed than the reported speeds from OWC. I believe this is because the AJA test allows you to set actual perimeters for testing. I set the test to stress the media card with full 4K resolution with a 16GB file size with ProRes codec. I noticed that the specs for the real-world testing that OWC provided included the following:

“…based on testing OWC Atlas S Pro cards in an OWC 14 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock connected to a MacBook Pro 16,1 with macOS 10.16, 2.4GHz Core i9 processor, and 32GB RAM running AJA 16.0.1 System Test (4K-Full resolution, 64GB file size, 16bit RGBA codec, single-file test).” 

So, I ran the test again using a MacBook Air (M1, 2020) with 16GB of memory with macOS Monterey 12.1 (this is the same computer used for the first test, too.) and the same perimeters OWC used. The results were much closer to the published specs (248/269 MB/s Read/Write). The result was only 11% and 8% slower than OWC’s testing. This discrepancy could simply be because the exact same computer and card reader were not used to complete the test. 

CONCLUSION

Overall, I’ve been very happy with the performance of the Atlas S Pro SDXC media card. It’s an impressive option for capturing premium quality video and photos. Since the card comes in different capacities, the value is really remarkable and I would recommend it has a strong media option for any professional-level content creator. 

For more information, visit macsales.com, Facebook or Twitter.

Secure your data with keypad-driven hardware encrypted data storage device.

There has never been a more pressing time to ensure your data is safe than now. With people working remotely – some with sensitive data-keeping hard drives secure is essential for good business. Secure Data is a great company that creates great options for data security including the SecureDrive KP Portable Encrypted Data Storage device. It is available with an HDD and an SSD option for affordability and versatility with your working systems.

DETAILS

The SecureDrive KP data storage device is a hardware-encrypted external portable drive with a built-in keypad. The award-winning device is designed and assembled in the USA and it works with any OS or device. The hard drive comes with a 1-year license for DriveSecurity Antivirus powered by ESET. It also comes with a USB 3.0 cable, USB-C cable, carrying case, and a quick start guide. The HD features XTS-AES 256-bit encryption. Its built-in encryption programming includes brute-force, anti-hacking protection, and admin/user modes. 

• Capacity: 250 GB – 20 TB
• Size: HDD – 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB; SSD – 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, 16TB, 20TB
• User Authentication: Ergonomically designed 10+1 keypad
• Security Validation: FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated
• Encryption: Real-time, military-grade XTS-AES 256-bit full-disk hardware encryption
• Data transfer speed: Reads up to 355 MB per second; writes up to 333 MB per second
• Interface: USB 3.0/3.1 gen1/3.2 gen1
• Physical Protection: Protected with epoxy compound to prevent physical access to the device through tampering.
• Complete Drive Reset (Safe Erase): Erases all data after 10 consecutive, incorrect PIN entry attempts
• Immune to Bad USB: Yes; firmware updates not allowed
• Roles/Permissions: 1 Admin, 1 User
• Read Only Mode: Yes
• Inactivity Auto-lock: Predefined times between 1 and 60 minutes
• OS Compatibility: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Chrome, Thin Clients, Embedded Systems, VMware, Citrix (no software or drivers needed)
• Regulatory Approvals: RoHs, FCC, CE, FIPS 140-2 Level 3
• Warranty: 2-year limited (HDD), 3-year limited (SSD)

USER EXPERIENCE

The hard drive comes in a Secure Data branded box. It has an outer sleeve with a reinforced cardboard box. The exterior sleeve has an image of the data storage device on it and the back describes the features of the device. When you open the box, you will find the hard drive enclosed in its own zippered case. The case has a semi-hard shell, but it has a smooth, soft covering. The inside of the case has a mesh storage compartment where the cables are stored. There is a divider between the mesh compartment and the hard drive. The quick start guide is stored in the pocket on this divider. The data storage device is housed on its own side and it’s held in place by an elastic band. I really like this method of storage for this type of hard drive. I’ve had encrypted drives before and I hate having to find a way to keep the cables, manual, and drive together. So, I’m glad that Secure Data included this case with the kit. 

As described above, the hard drive comes in several different capacities. I have the 1TB version. To use the hard drive, you simply plug the hard drive into your computer, enter the pin number, and then use the data storage device. I really like the cable that came along with the hard drive. It’s a braided cable with a USB 3.0 end that plugs into the data storage device and a USB-C cable that plugs into your computer. When you plug the data storage device into your computer, the red lock will light up to show that power is connected to the drive. In order to unlock the drive for the first time, you have to press the lock button and then enter the default PIN number that is located in the quick start guide. When the lock accepts the code, the blue LED will light up along with the Green lock LED. This indicates that the drive is ready for data. 

It is recommended that you change the PIN number to a new code once you activate the drive. The requirement is 7-15 digits and they cannot be all the same number. The instructions for changing the code are as follows: 

1. Press the lock icon and then the User PIN. If it’s the first time you have changed the code, you will have to use the default code. 
2. Once you enter the user code, you press the lock icon twice. After you see the green lock LED light up, then you press the lock icon twice again. 
3. The blue LED should light up if the sequence is completed correctly. You can then enter a new User PIN and press the lock icon twice to accept the code. You will need to re-enter the new PIN again and press the lock icon one more time. The red and green lock LEDs will light up if the process was completed and accepted. 

This is the process outlined in the Quick Start Guide. There are a lot of additional options included in the full user manual that can be downloaded from the Secure Drive website or found on the hard drive. It is possible to set an Admin password that sort of acts as an override option for the hard drive’s functions like setting the drive to be read-only. You can also reset the entire hard drive. This process will delete all the data stored on the drive including the PIN numbers and the encryption. The process for creating a new PIN number after a drive reset is different than the original setup. 

The process for setting a new user PIN isn’t difficult, but it did take me a couple of tries to get the sequence correct. One of the things I like about this particular drive is that it does not automatically lock you out if it sits idle. You can, however, set a lockout time using the Admin function, but it’s not set by default. In the past, that feature has been an annoyance to me because it can interrupt larger data transfers. 

In addition to the encryption features of the hard drive, I ran the SecureDrive KP data storage through a series of performance tests – Blackmagic  Disk Speed Test, AJA System Test Lite, and a real-world drag/drop data transfer test. The results of all these tests are listed below. 

• Blackmagic Disk Speed Test: Write 294.9 MB/s, Read 317.8 MB/s
• AJA System Test Lite: Write 267 MB/s, Read 311 MB/s
• Drag/Drop Data Transfer Test: Transferred a 3.1 GB file from the computer to the hard drive. The transfer took 21 seconds. This translated to a transfer rate of 147.6 MB/s. 

The hard drive was getting its maximum possible data transfer speed as it was connected via USB-C to my MacBook Air. The system report from my MacBook Air showed the hard drive was connected with a speed up to 5 GB/s – the maximum speed allowed to USB 3.1 Gen 1 connections. 

CONCLUSION

The SecureDrive KP data storage device is a great option for storing encrypted data. It’s a solid piece of hardware that is easy to carry around. The programming aspect of the device is easy to understand and execute with a little practice. Depending on the capacity of the drive, the pricing is cost-effective. 

For more information, visit securedrive.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

G-Drive Portable hard drive is relentless under pressure.

Portable hard drives are a great accessory to be able to add to your daily carry-all package. They ensure that you never have to worry about running out of storage space on your working computer and you know you have a backup should your computer fail. The one thing I tend to worry about is a portable hard drive’s fragility. Fortunately, there are high-quality portable hard drives available that are designed to be rugged as well as portable like the SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD. 

DETAILS

The G-Drive ArmorATD portable hard drive is an all-terrain drive with shock, rain, dust, and crush resistance up to 1000 lbs. It’s designed to work hard in difficult environments. The case of the hard drive is made with anodized aluminum so that it’s guaranteed to be rugged. The device is designed to work specifically with macOS out of the box and can be reformatted to work with Windows machines. The hard drive is available with up to 5TB of storage and features USB 3.1 transfer rates up to 140 MB/s. The hard drive is backed with a 3-year limited warranty. The hard drive inside is a 2.5-inch form factor and uses USB-C as its connector. The hard drive is Time Machine compatible and compatible with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3 interfaces. The package includes G-Drive ArmorATD, USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A cable, and a quick start guide.

SPECS

• Interface: SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 1) 
• Connector: USB Type-C 
• Drive: (1) 2.5” hard drive 
• Data Transfer Rate: 1TB, 2TB: Up to 140MB/s read and 130 MB/s write 4TB: Up to 135MB/s read 125 MB/s write
  5TB: Up to 135MB/s read 125 MB/s write 
• Operating Temperature: 41°-95° F (5°-35°C) 
• Size: 1TB, 2TB: 5.12” x 3.43” x 0.83” / 130mm x 87mm x 21mm 4TB, 5TB: 5.20” x 3.46” x 1.18” / 132mm x 88mm x 30mm 
• Weight: 1TB, 2TB: 0.51 lbs / 0.23 kg 4TB, 5TB: 0.77 lbs / 0.35 kg 
• Operating Systems: macOS 10.12+ (Time Machine Compatible) Windows® 10+ (Via Reformat) 

USER EXPERIENCE

The hard drive has a standard retail package. The image on the front of the box features the ArmorATD as well as special details about the product. The back of the box shows a side view of the hard drive with certain parts labeled. The main features (USB-C, Anodized Aluminum enclosure, and pro-grade durability) are shown in a chart that also features several different languages. When you open the box, you will find the hard drive encased in a plastic tray. Beneath the device is a quick start guide, a safety/warranty guide, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-C to USB-A cable. The hard drive has a rubber/silicone wrap around it that is removable. The quick start guide is illustrated and really just demonstrates how to get it connected to your computer. The hard drive itself is very sturdy. The USB-C port is on the backside of the device and the G-Drive logo is imprinted on the top face of the hard drive. 

Operating the hard drive is pretty self-explanatory. You simply plug the USB-C cable into the hard drive, which is hidden behind a rubber flap, and then plug the other end of the cable into your computer (or dock). I was using the USB-C to USB-C cable to connect the ArmorATD to my MacBook Pro. The HD appeared immediately on my desktop as a little hard drive icon. When I opened up the icon, it showed an empty finder window meaning that there was no pre-installed software on the hard drive. I have seen several kinds of hard drives and many of them include their own software, which, in my opinion, is just bloat for the hard drive. Therefore, I was happy to see a 100% blank device. 

To test the drive’s performance, I ran a variety of utility apps to assess it. The first thing I did was review the capacity of the HD by opening the Disk Utility app and looking at the capacity bar. The app indicated that there was 852.9MB used and 2TB free. Since the HD’s capacity is supposed to be 2TB, I was surprised to see that there was a full 2TB free. I like that it seems as though SanDisk planned for the minute amount of drive space that would be taken up by the device’s development so that it didn’t affect the actual capacity of the drive. 

I also ran the hard drive through the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and AJA System Test Lite. The Blackmagic Disk Speed Test showed a Read/Write speed of 124.0 MB/s and 120.9 MB/s. And the AJA System Test Lite results showed a similar result. I chose a resolution of 4K-Full with a 16GB test file size and ProRes (HQ) codec. I ended up with a result of 125 MB/s read and 123 MB/s write speed. Finally, I did a real-world speed test. That includes dropping a larger file onto the hard drive and timing how long it takes to transfer over. I chose a file that was 2.2GB in size. It took 20.13 seconds to transfer over. That equaled a charging rate of 0.11GB/s (or 110MB/s). I thought these speeds were a little below average so I pulled up my System Profiler and remembered that the USB-C ports on the MBP were USB 3.1 and that they could provide transfer speed up to 5 Gb/s, which is the ArmorATD’s top transfer speed. The specs of the hard drive indicate only a slightly higher data transfer rate than what my tests revealed. I do wonder why this drive isn’t offered with USB 3.2 Gen 2 technology rather than the USB 3.1. 

Something else I found interesting was that the description of the hard drive talks about capturing footage and protecting it until you are able to get back to a studio. While I believe the hardware itself is capable of providing physical protection to the drive, I find the thought of transferring video files off to the hard drive with USB 3.1 speeds a little unlikely. We’ve tested out other SanDisk SSDs (SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD) before and it featured USB 3.1 Gen 2 technology. That hard drive was able to transfer data with a rate of 525.4 MB/s. Given that the ArmorATD is a professional-level hard drive, I wish that more modern technology had been used for the data transfer. That said, the specs are in line with other rugged USB-C portable hard drives. 

CONCLUSION

The ArmorATD portable hard drive is the complete package. It’s tough and it is available in larger capacities than some of its counterparts. The hard drive stays cool while in use. Even after all the tests I ran, the device stayed cool to the touch. I love the HD’s versatility and ease of use. The ArmorATD is portable and durable and it can be used for extra storage in any situation. It’s a very valuable storage device. 

For more information, visit westerndigital.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

Convenient, portable SSD storage in a compact portable tough case.

Earlier this year I decided to upgrade my main workstation computer from a 2018 MacBook Pro to an M1 Mac mini. This was quite a culture shock to me because I opted to trade my MBP in for credit toward the Mac mini. That meant I wouldn’t have a laptop for the first time in more than a decade. I have a 12-inch iPad Pro which works great for a lot of tasks, but for me, it’s not a full-time laptop replacement.

For several months, I was fine operating off of just the Mac mini – until we took a long road trip and I wanted to be able to edit photos while we were out of town. So, I picked up an M1 MacBook Air. Since Apple upgraded the specs on both the Mac mini and MacBook Air, both machines were more than capable of running the system the way I needed it to be run. The only thing I didn’t have with the MacBook Air was enough storage.

Fortunately, in late September, OWC announced the release of the Envoy Pro Elektron – a portable mini SSD that is designed to work with Apple’s mobile devices like the iPad mini, iPad, iPad Pro, and iPhone 13. Because of its compact size, I also felt it would work great with my MacBook Air. 

DETAILS 

The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is the fastest, toughest, mini-sized, universal, portable SSD available. It features speeds up to 1011MB/s (2x faster than other portable SSDs) and USB-C connectivity. The device is rugged. It has an IP67 rating and is considered dust-proof, waterproof, and crushproof.

The MSRP starts at $99 for the 240GB size and is available in four different capacities – 240GB, 480GB, 1.0TB, 2.0TB. The hard drive works with advanced NVMe technology to deliver superior performance with built-in OWC reliability. The drive has a status LED built into the case for at-a-glance activity status and power notification. The hard drive is bootable so users have the option to install an OS or work with alternate OSes.

The case is built with aircraft-grade aluminum for silent, throttle-free, breakneck performance. It also helps to dissipate heat. The hard drive comes with a USB-C cable that features a USB-A adapter for universal connectivity between devices. The Envoy Pro Elektron also comes with a 3-year OWC limited warranty. 

USER EXPERIENCE

The Envoy Pro Elektron SSD comes in a small, dark box. The colors are synonymous with OWC (dark blue, grays, and black) and there is an image of the device on the front. I rather appreciate this type of packaging because it is clear what is inside the box. The capacity is identified on the front of the box by a sticker.

I’m guessing that all the Elektron models have the same box, but are differentiated using this capacity sticker. When you open the box, you find the hard drive, which is TINY, inside a small plastic sleeve and surrounded by thick foam. Beneath the hard drive is the USB-C cable with a USB-A adapter and the quick start guide. There is also a card that says, “OWC Drive Guide Formatting Utility.” This card has instructions on it for how to format the hard drive the first time you use it and lets the user know that there it’s a formatting utility on the hard drive itself. 

When you first plug the drive in, an icon appears on your desktop that reads, “OWC Setup.” When you double click the icon, the drive’s finder window opens and you can see the drive guide for the Mac and one for Windows. There is also a “ReadMe” file. I decided to look at the specs of the drive using the Disk Utility on the Mac before I formatted it.

I was curious if you had to use the OWC Setup or if you could format it through other means. As it turns out the formatting option is available for the Elektron while the OWC Setup is still on it, but it shows the total capacity of the hard drive is 8.59GB and not 1TB.

So, I figured the software on the SSD was blocking the full capacity of the drive and therefore, I didn’t attempt formatting the hard drive through the Disk Utility. The OWC Setup doesn’t take but a few clicks to get through and then the drive is completely unlocked with 960GB (just under 1TB) available for use. 

When I test the performance of hard drives, I run two utility apps – Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and AJA System Test Lite. Both testing options showed a write speed of around 823MB/s. The Blackmagic test had a result of 831MB/s for the read speed while AJA had a result of 773MB/s. As a real-world performance test, I transferred a file folder that was holding 1.71GB of files from my computer over to the Elektron. The transfer only took 7.23 seconds. That ends up being a transfer rate of 0.23GB/s. During these tests, the hard drive was a little warm to the touch, but not hot. 

CONCLUSION

The Envoy Pro Elektron SSD is the perfect companion for mobile devices and even laptops. I’ve been beyond thrilled to have this little drive by my side while I travel. It works great and it can literally fit anywhere. It’s very convenient storage in a super tough package. 

For more information, visit OWC, Facebook, or Twitter.

Reliable data storage for DSLR cameras.

Aside from my camera, the most valuable piece of equipment I carry with me into a job is my memory card. The card needs to be compatible with the type of camera you are using as well as the type of media you are shooting. Above all else, the card needs to be reliable. For years now, I’ve relied on SanDisk to provide me with solid storage options when I capture photos. I’ve never had one of their cards fail on me to the point where I couldn’t retrieve data from it. I have had one instance where the physical card broke, but, as I said, I was still able to retrieve the data and SanDisk replaced it right away. Needless to say, when I decided to upgrade my SD card, I got the Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Card from SanDisk. It’s been a regular rock star for me and worked seamlessly into my standard workflow. 

DETAILS

The Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Card is built for maximum performance for faster workflow and burst shooting. The card is designed to allow users to capture cinema-quality 4K/8K video thanks to the V90 and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) ratings.  The card features extremely fast transfer speeds (up to 300 MB/s) as well as fast write speeds up to 260 MB/s. It can handle rapid shots and RAW + JPEG capture. The card comes in three different capacities: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The card is backward compatible with SDHC/SDXC supported host devices. The card measures 2.17mm x 23.91mm x 31.92mm. The card is shockproof, temperature-proof, waterproof, and X-ray proof and the card comes with a RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software offer. 

USER EXPERIENCE

The Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Card is a standard size SD card. It comes in a simple SanDisk box. The case of the card is plastic and aside from the label on the card, it doesn’t appear to be any different from other SD cards. The card seems sturdy enough. While its specs state that it’s shockproof, it is not unbreakable. The card is well built, but could still be broken if forced into or out of a card reader, card slot, or even a card case. If you are respectful with your card though, it should last a long time. 

Because this is a digital storage device, I ran it through a standard series of tests. The results are listed below. 

Test A: Transferred a folder of media (JPG files and some MOV files) from a 13-inch 2016 MacBook Pro to the card. The file size of the test file was 2.14GB. The transfer completed in 2 minutes and 27 seconds (147 seconds). Transfer rate 14.5 MB/s. 

Test B: Ran Blackmagic Disc Speed Test using 13-inch 2016 MacBook Pro. The result was 201.5 MB/s WRITE and 262.7 MB/s READ. 

Test C: Ran AJA System Test Lite using 13-inch 2016 MacBook Pro. Used the 4096 x 3112 4K Full resolution, ProRes (HQ) codec with the 16GB test file size. The result was 202 MB/s WRITE and 270 MB/s READ. 

After running the tests, I discovered the write speed that the Blackmagic Disc Speed Test and the AJA System Test was on point with the specs provided by SanDisk. The specs also state that the card should have a transfer rate up to 300 MB/s, but I didn’t get that with the test file I used. It is possible that the speeds for the transfer were slowed while testing by the docking station connection (Thunderbolt 3), but since the disk speed tests ended up being in the correct range and it was the exact same interface, I’m not really sure what could have caused the slow down.

CONCLUSION

I’ve been very impressed by the overall perfomance of the Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Card. It’s easy to use and efficient with data storage. Even though the data transfer test I ran seemed to be below spec, I don’t fault the media for that as I believe it was likely caused by the interface used. SanDisk cards are trustworthy. I’ve never had any truly fail on me. They are budget-friendly and defintely reliable for data storage.

For more information, visit westerndigital.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

A unique way to back-up your mobile devices.

When it comes to digital storage, I’m a firm believer in always having a backup option. That couldn’t be more true than it is for my mobile devices – namely my iPhone and iPad. While all my devices have limited onboard storage, I’m particularly concerned about my mobile device storage because I’m always using them and my phone in particular is my primary camera when I’m out and about. So one of the ways I try to manage the storage on my phone and tablet is to utilize devices like the iXpand Flash Drive Luxe.

DETAILS

The iXpand Flash Drive Luxe is a standard flash drive that is specifically designed to work with mobile devices. With it, users can easily move files between an iPhone and USB Type-C Android device or iPad Pro and automatically backup their photos and videos using the iXpand app. The flash drive has two connectors – Lightning and USB-C. Not only is this a great way to move files between an iPhone, iPad, and an Android-based device, but it’s also great for moving files between a mobile device and MacBook Pro. The flash drive features USB 3.0 as a high-speed connection and users can also password-protect their files. The iXpand Flash Drive Luxe features a swivel design with an all-metal casing that helps to protect both connectors when it’s not in use. 

Full Specifications

• Capacity: 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB
• Interface: USB 3.1 Gen 1
• Connector: Lightning, USB-C
• Dimensions: 1.97” x 0.61” x 0.34” 
• Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Mac OS X v10.9 or higher. 
• Warranty: 2 years

USER EXPERIENCE

The flash drive comes in a standard cardboard-backed plastic capsule package. I personally find these types of packages annoying because I can never seem to get the item out without completely destroying the package. That said, I understand why they are utilized and I actually appreciate the minimalist nature of them. Once I got the flash drive out of the package, I was surprised at how easy the swivel mechanism worked. I also really liked that SanDisk included a cap to be used to cover the end of the flash drive that wasn’t in use. Even those these caps get lost quite easily, I still like that it was included. 

To use the flash drive with a mobile device, you first have to download the iXpand app. Once you do, you simply plug your flash drive into your mobile device and follow the on-screen prompts to get the drive connected. You can only select photos, videos, and contacts to transfer to the flash drive, but if you plug it into your computer, you have the option of storing other documents on it. In fact, the flash drive shows up on your computer as a standard external hard drive. The drive is formatted as exFAT according to both the packaging and Disk Utility on my computer. 

When I test out external hard drives (including flash drives), I typically run a couple of different field tests. The first is a speed test using the app Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. This can only be done from my MacBook Pro. So, I plugged the flash drive into my computer and selected it as the target drive for Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. The flash drive ended up having a write speed of 33.3 MB/s and 88.1 MB/s read speed. This is actually quite a bit faster than the iXpand Flash Drive Go also from SanDisk. The next test I did was a real-time transfer test from the iPhone to the flash drive. During this test, I copied 42 video files from the phone to the flash drive. The process took 4 minutes and 30 seconds (or 270 seconds) and the total file size was 3.77 GB (or 3,770 MB). This means the transfer rate for the files was approximately 13.96 MB/s. This is just about the same transfer rate as the iXpand Flash Drive Go, which used the same port and software to copy files.

CONCLUSION

The iXpand Flash Drive Luxe is a great option for maximizing your storage space on your mobile devices. I’ve worked with several iXpand devices in the past and this just might be my favorite. It’s sleek and the swivel function is very smooth. With a retail price starting at $39.99 (64GB version – at the time of publishing), I think this is a solid investment for backup storage.

For more information, visit westerndigital.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Secure to the core.

Data security is a very popular subject matter these days. It seems like there isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t hear about some sort of data breach. Even though you might think your information is secure because it’s only stored on your home computer, you should think again. DataLocker specializes in creating encryption solutions for your most valuable information. In fact, DataLocker holds more than 15 patents on encryption technologies that are used throughout the industry. I’ve had the privilege of working with DataLocker devices before and I’m excited to look at their DL4 FE Encrypted Drive.

DETAILS

The DL4 FE is a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certified portable hard drive. It’s built around AES 256-bit cryptographic hardware architecture that can intelligently change its security posture based on its location, how it’s being used, and the type of data being stored on it. The device is TAA compliant and is available in larger capacities (up to 15.3 TB). In addition to the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification, the hard drive also employs admin policies and user data recovery. If a user forgets their password, an admin can unlock it with their admin password. There is nothing to install with this hard drive — all encryption, administration, and authentication is performed on the unit itself. Brute force password protection is included as well as SilentKill, which allows users to destroy stored data by entering a specific code. The DL4 FE also has access to some managed features through SafeConsole. Those features include remote detonation, onboard anti-malware, audit capabilities, and data geofencing. 

SPECS

USER EXPERIENCE

The hard drive comes in t a silver box with a security seal on it. The security seal has the name of the product stamped on it but it’s not found anywhere else on the box. This was a little off-putting to me because it made it hard to figure out what product was in the box. If this was on a retail shelf somewhere, it would have been looked over by consumers. On the inside of the box, you’ll find the hard drive, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable, and a small zippered pouch for storage. There is a QR code inside the box that takes you to the DataLocker website. On the product page for the DL4 FE, you will find the user manual and datasheet. 

Set-up is fairly simple. You plug the drive into your computer and after the drive performs its self-test you will be prompted to create a password. The screen is a touchscreen, but not like a smartphone. You have to use a stylus or the tip of your finger to ensure there is firm contact with the screen. Once the password has been entered correctly, you have connected normally or using the ‘read-only’ mode. You can also access the settings on the drive by tapping on the gear icon. 

One of the things I like about this hard drive is that after you enter the password, it functions as a standard hard drive would. There is no need for additional software. Given that it operates like a standard hard drive after you access it, I performed a few speed tests on it. I ran two utility tests – Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and AJA System Test Lite – as well as completed a real-world drag and drop speed test. The results are listed in the table below. The speeds I recorded from the utility tests actually exceed the expectations set forth in the drive’s specs while the real-world drag and drop test (140 MB/s transfer speed) was a little slower than expected. 

The touchscreen seems to be very responsive. I was concerned about that at first, but I haven’t had many issues with missed keystrokes. The only thing that ends up being tricky for the user is that the keypad is constantly shifting. This is part of the security features of the drive – and it’s actually a pretty cool feature – but it took me by surprise when I went to unlock the drive the second time and the letters and numbers weren’t where I expected them to be. 

CONCLUSION

I love all the features of this secured hard drive. It is quite a bit heavier than other portable hard drives in its class, but that’s understandable given the additional security features of the drive. One of my favorite aspects of this product is the fact that you don’t have to have additional software in order to operate it. All the encryption is built into the hard drive so you don’t have to worry about bloat-ware being added to your computer in order to work with the hard drive. That also means you can use it with any computer – not just the one where software is loaded. The only drawback to this hard drive is its price. The 1TB model comes in just over $400. That’s a hefty price tag for a hard drive this size (other non-encrypted SSDs are closer to $125), but you are paying for the built-in encryption technology and your peace of mind. The functions of this hard drive make it worth the investment.

For more information, visit datalocker.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

About a month ago, one of our direct-attached storage devices began showing signs of failure. It would automatically shut down with no warning and files were disappearing at random. This stutter in our backup system caused us to rethink the entire plan we had in place. We replaced the DAS and decided it was time to upgrade our NAS, too. We’ve had a Synology DS1019+ for a couple of years, but weren’t using it for general archives. We were trying to use it more as our own personal cloud storage but realized that using it as a true NAS device made more sense. So, we added a fifth hard drive to the 5-bay system and welcomed a 14TB WD Red Pro 3.5” NAS HDD to the storage pool of the Synology. 

DETAILS

The WD Red Pro HDD is designed for medium to large-scale businesses and can be used in up to 24-bay NAS systems. These magnificent drives are engineered to handle high-intensity workloads and can run consistently for 24 hours a day. WD states that these drives are ideal for archiving, sharing, and for use in RAID arrays. Every WD Red Pro drive has built-in NASware 3.0, which is Western Digital’s firmware technology that assists with integration, data protection, and performance. Error Recovery Protection is also apart of NASware 3.0 to help reduce drive fallout in RAID applications.  WD Red Pro drives are one of the most compatible drives for NAS enclosures. They are equipped with a multi-axis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shock events so that it can adjust read-write functions to protect the data on the drive and significantly increase the lifespan of the drive. Red Pro drives also feature dual-plane balance control that improves the drive’s performance and reliability. Red Pro drives come with a 5-year warranty and are available in a variety of capacities from 2TB up to 18TB. For the purposes of this review, we will be referring to the 14TB capacity.

USER EXPERIENCE

 As far as real-world testing goes, I’ve been using this 14TB HDD exclusively inside my Synology DS1019+. As I mentioned above, it is a 5-bay system, but until this WD Red Pro drive arrived, we only have 4 bays filled. Installing the hard drive is very easy. Each drive bay on the DS1019+ has a self-locking rail system that pops into the screw holes of the hard drive. So, all I had to do was unlock the drive bay, pull out the HDD tray, and snap the rails into the sides of it. Then, I slid the entire assembly back into the bay. I actually did this while the Synology was still on. I was surprised to find that the system recognized the HDD without the need for restarting it first. Synology provides a drive expansion guide on synology.com along with their explanation of what Synology Hybrid RAID is. Once you add the drive to your storage pool, the system goes through a process to expand the pool. This can take a very long time – days even. For my disk expansion process, it took approximately 49 hours to complete. 

I’ve been through many different types of hard drive tests and there is usually a standard set of tests I run these products through. I usually use Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, AJA System Test Lite, and I will also complete a real-time data transfer test. Based on the previous testing of NAS systems I have conducted, I was aware that the Blackmagic and AJA tests would still be valid tests as long as you connect your computer through an Ethernet cable. One thing to note, these tests will base results on the speed of your network connection since that is how you are connecting to the hard drive. With that in mind, both the Blackmagic and AJA tests provided a similar result – Blackmagic Read/Write 101/109 MB/s and AJA Read/Write 100/110 MB/s. The following screenshots demonstrate the overall health of the hard drives and the system as a whole. These were taken before the expansion of the system was complete.

In addition to those tests, I also ran the utility LAN_Speed Test to double-check the speed of the network connection. According to the software’s product page, “LAN Speed Test was designed from the ground up to be a simple but powerful tool for measuring file transfer, hard drive, USB Drive, and Local Area Network (LAN) speeds (wired & wireless).” The screenshot below shows the test results. This test was conducted while my computer was connected to our local WiFi network.

Finally, I also completed a data transfer test. For this test, I transferred a file from my MacBook Pro to the NAS device while connected to our WiFi network. At the time that this test was conducted, the internet speed test showed that our network speed was 469.89 Mbps (download) and 20.31 Mbps (upload). I transferred a file that was 1.86 GB in size. The transfer rate ended up being 0.93 GB/m (930 Mb/s) or 0.02 GB/s (20 Mb/s). Even though the hard drive has a spec of 255MB/s as a transfer rate, that rate is going to be affected by the speed of your local area network speeds since that is how you are connecting to your NAS device. I’ve been happy with these test results and do find them consistent with other NAS data transfer tests I’ve done in the past.

CONCLUSION

Western Digital has a very rich, trustworthy history of creating products that are consistently high-quality and high-performing. Since the Synology NAS device that I used for testing in this review has been in operation for more than 2 years with the same WD Red Pro hard drives that I am highlighting in this review without any failures is encouraging. The hard drives have helped to create a robust backup system that should serve us for many years to come. Even though the expense of these hard drives might turn some people away from them, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these for any NAS device.

For more details, visit Western Digital, Facebook, and Twitter.

In the past 12 months, our world moved from a physical one into a digital plane. We all found ourselves confined to our homes and unable to return to the workplace until it was deemed ‘safe enough.’ This moment in human existence caused all employers to think ‘outside the box’ and find ways for their employees to retain their jobs while working from home. Because many of us were forced to use our personal equipment for this endeavor, it’s more important – now more than ever before – to emphasize World Backup Day as a time to backup your digital files. 

March 31 is designated “World Backup Day” to help people remember to protect their digital documents. It’s the day before April Fools Day to help remind people to save their precious data and to “not be a fool.” The event originally began as ‘World Backup Month’ and was started by hard drive company Maxtor, which was later purchased by Seagate. One of the easiest ways to observe World Backup Day is to invest in an extra hard drive that is set aside for your personal backup activities. We’ve broken down some of the best options we’ve found for backups and outlined the features below. 

WD_Black P50

This specialized hard drive is designed for use with gaming systems – specifically the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. This SSD can reach speeds up to 2000 MB/s and helps to decrease load times for gaming. The hard drive uses a SuperSpeed USB interface and has an extremely durable external case that is shock-resistant and ideal for portability. In our real-world testing environments, the SSD performed admirably and ended up with an average Read/Write speed of 851.3/827.8 MB/s across the four speed tests that were completed. With a real-time data transfer test, the WD_Black P50 had a transfer rate of 291.2 MB/s. This hard drive is a very capable, easy-to-use hard drive that has a unique purpose and function. It’s very efficient with data transfer and trustworthy. This is ideal for gamers to use as a backup drive.

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SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go

At some point in time, every smartphone user runs out of space on their phone. The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go is perfect for backing up these devices. It’s a portable USB memory drive for iPhone users to store photos, videos, and other files directly off of the phone. One end of the flash drive has a Lightning connector and the other has USB 3.0. This remarkable little device can be used either as a backup for the phone or as a shuttle between the smartphone and the computer. The iXpand Drive app is the only tool needed for users to take advantage of the automatic backup interface. As far as real-world tests go, I ran the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and a data transfer test. The Blackmagic test returned a read/write speed of 87.8/16.6 MB/s. The data transfer test showed the flash drive could move 0.83 GB in one second. The iXpand Flash Drive Go is a good investment for people who use their iPhones for lots of video and photo capturing. This little flash drive really makes life a lot easier. 

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WD My Passport SSD

This SSD is designed similarly to the WD_Black P50, but it’s more for all-around use than gaming. It’s meant to be compact, portable, and fast. It connects to computers using USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen-2) and can reach read speeds up to 1050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1000 MB/s. The hard drive features 256-bit AES hardware encryption and it’s secured in a metal case that has drop resistance up to 6.5 feet. This hard drive can be used with Apple Time Machine, but users also have the option to take advantage of the simple backup software included with the hard drive. The My Passport did a good job of providing efficient data transfer rates and had an average read/write speed of 786.9/850.1 MB/s. I’ve always been a fan of Western Digital products and this tiny SSD is a great addition to my hard drive collection. It’s perfect for quick backup needs.

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WD Red Pro NAS HDD

This hard drive is recommended for pro-level NAS users. It’s specifically designed to work within a NAS device – especially larger 24-bay systems. These hard drives are engineered to handle increased workloads and it features advanced technology within NASware 3.0. These HDDs are offered in a variety of sizes from 2TB to 18TB. Based on my real-world experiences with the WD Red Pro NAS HDDs, I prefer to only use these hard drives in my NAS devices. They are top-notch drives and even though they are an investment money-wise, they are incredibly reliable. The WD Red Pro drives have been consistent in their performance and they are very easy to work with. 

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Take the time this World Backup Day to evaluate your backup system and create a workflow that will work best for you. It might be a single hard drive or perhaps cloud-based storage would work better for your situation. No matter what system you design for yourself, make sure you have a plan. It will save you the stress of losing data when you least expect it. 

For more details, visit WorldBackUpDay, Facebook, and Twitter.