Transferring Digital Image Files - College Computer System

For this method of transferring data and backing up files I decided to transfer photos from my private college drive onto the public college drive so that the photographs were accessibly to other people within my class. 

Transferring Digital Image Files - External Hard Drive

External Hard Drive
For this method of transferring data I wanted to back up my photo files on my personal external hard drive from my college storage drive. This is so I could work on the files at home and could also ensure I had another copy of the files in case of any possible loss.

USB Stick

USB sticks seem the most popular form of data storage as they allow for a large amount of storage in a small pen sized device. USB sizes can range and the better the device are usually the most reliable. The security of USB devices are again like CD ROM's are anyone is able to take the device and access the files and in comparison to devices such as an external hard drive there is no second feature that includes back up to an online data cloud system. Furthermore, USB devices are also known to malfunction when not ejected from the computer at use resulting the loss of data due to the flow of the data from the USB to the computer being broken unexpectedly. 

The hardware and software needed to access to data files from a USB are simple as you only need a strong USB port, these ports are available on both PC and MAC computers meaning the accessibility of the files are readily available. 

USB sticks are known for having a lack of connectivity between the device and the computer accessing the files, this is because USB ports on computers can be damaged over time and can no longer read the files. This can bring great difficulty to the user accessing the files as you would have to source a computer that would actually feature a USB port that was stable enough to transfer the date onto. This is because USB's do not have a strong enough connection for the user to safely work on the files store on the device. 

USB sticks are extremely portable as they are so small, they are light which means they are easy to carry around with large amounts of photography kit and not add any extra weight. 

USB's are alike to CD ROMs where they have a smaller limit of storage compared the external hard drives. When purchasing a USB stick there are numerous sizes available that increase in price with the amount of storage featured. The cost of USB sticks can begin small but as the size of the storage increases so does the price massively, it does however come down to the user as it can be easier paying more for increased storage than paying less and running out after a short period of time. 

CD ROM

Another method of data storage available is the use of CD ROM to place photographs onto, the use of CD ROMs can be useful as they can be labelled individually allowing for more organisation. The security of CD ROMs aren't very strong as anyone is able to take your CD ROM and access the files on a computer.

The hardware and software needed to access the files from a CD ROM are found on a PC easily, however when trying to access the files on a MAC an external CD drive must be used as MACs do not feature a CD drive like PCs. This adds a difficulty to accessing the files as you must be able to access the CD drive which might not be possible at the time.

Connectivity for CD ROMs are very good as they are placed within a CD reader which then transfers the files onto the computer system and allow you the view the files. This means that there is a strong connection between the computer and the data storage device meaning you can transfer data easily without the worry of the connection becoming weak and resulting in a loss of data.

The portability of CD ROMs are very good as they are so small and thin, they are light to transport round. They are also can be stored within a multi CD case which would allow for better organisation as you can write on the CDs key information meaning you know which CD stores what files.

CD's are very limited to the amount of data they can store, on a typical CD 4.7GB is available for storage. This limited amount does not however effect the scalability of the device as CD's have a strong enough connection to cope with vast amounts of added data up to the device's maximum amount.

The cost of CD's are relatively cheap to purchase and are featured on most electronically websites. Below is a general cost of a large pack of CD's.

College Computer System

Another method of data storage is using the Middlesbrough College computer system, this system is free to students currently studying. The data can be stored on your personal drive which has an allowance of 5GB, but however there are all also public drives which have much more space but don't have the security of the private drive.

When placing data on your own person drive the security is very strong due to the files being password protected and an IT looking after the whole of the college computer system daily to ensure no faults and no data is lost. However, when placing data onto the public drive there is no security against other users as files placed onto the public drive are accessible to anyone within the college.

The hardware and software used for this form of data storage is basically the own college computers which are readily available in numerous locations of the college. Within college data can be accessed on both PC and MAC hardwares which can be useful having the ability to access files on both can be a disadvantages as most PCs within the college do not feature the same softwares as MACs; such as the Adobe programmes.
Connectivity is never an issue using this form of data storage as files on your own personal drive and the public drive are stored within each computers system meaning that logging in with your details will bring up the files in your own file space. This means you don't need to use any form of USB device, you can simply work on the files within your own account.

Private Account

Public Drive

The portability of the college computer system is a major disadvantage for this form of data storage, as you are only able to access the data within the college. There is an option to access your files from home using Blackboard. however this system is not as advanced as the stable system within the college and brings great difficulty logging in and finding the files with ease.

The scalability of the college computer system is very strong as the system is designed and built to be able to handle mass amounts of work within the college from numerous users at once. I have never found the system to run slowly in regards to accessing college files and backing up data before as the college have a dedicated IT team of technicians that work constantly to ensure the system runs effectively and can handle the amount of data stored.

To use the college system to store data is completely free as students are given a unique login at the beginning of the course year allowing them access to their college account to store files and work on different softwares.