The reason why you’ll have to think carefully when purchasing the best external hard drive is that you’ll want something that can securely and reliably store your important documents, while also quickly and easily expands storage space of your PC,laptops…
When you buy the best external hard drive for your needs, there are a few things to consider. For example, you want to make sure that you have a drive that offers high data transfer rates.
The main decisive factors when it comes to data transfer speed is the connection that the drive uses, and whether it is a standard hard drive or a solid-state drive (SSD). Many external hard drives use 2.0 USB connections, but for higher speeds you will want USB 3.0 or ideally the new USB Type-C connection. You will need to make sure that your PC or laptop also has a C-type USB port.
You’ll also have to think about how much storage space you need. The best external hard drives offer a range of features. We recommend 500GB to start as it gives you plenty of room to store your files without costing you a lot of money.
However, for large files, such as high-resolution photos and videos, you may want to consider purchasing a larger drive, with external hard drives that provide terabytes (TB) of storage space.
Buying the best external hard drive for your needs implies figuring out how much space is needed. You don’t want to buy an external hard drive that is too small, and end up running out of space, but neither you really want to pay for the storage odds that you’ll never need.
Still, the best external hard drives are also reliable and robust, so you can securely store your data without any worries. The best outdoor units will also be light enough to carry in your bag, with great capabilities so you can keep your data safe when traveling.
While many USB flash drives and external hard drives come with their own encryption software to help protect the data in case the physical drive is stolen, very few go to the iStorage lengths to protect the information and files.
The iStorage diskAshur DT comes with a 256-bit AES military grade hardware encryption, which makes it impossible for people to view and access their data without a password. In addition, the iStorage diskAshur DT, as with the USB memory IStorage datAshur and the external hard drive iStorage DiskGenie, comes with a built-in physical PIN Pad.
So before anyone can even access the folder in Windows or other operating system, they have to write a PIN number from six to sixteen digits. It may seem a bit exaggerated if you’re just storing MP3S and photos, but if you have professional or personal data that could be very valuable to thieves, then this extra level of protection can really bring peace of mind.
Its value for small businesses increases with the inclusion of the administrator function that allows you to set up an administrator PIN code and 10 user PIN codes.
The unit itself is enclosed in an incredibly sturdy (and quite heavy) shell, with a hole for a Kensington lock to attach, to secure it.
The 3.0 USB interface is incredibly welcome, as the extra speed of the 3.0 USB makes transferring large files fast and painless.
Available in 1TB (£179), 2TB (£199) and 3TB (£279) sizes, the iStorage diskAshur DT is certainly more expensive than other external hard drives, but the additional security features and excellent build quality make this a great Investment if you are concerned about the safety of your important data. photo:iStorage
