The USB Drive and Cloud Computing have their own advantages and disadvantages. Even the inventor of the USB drive Dov Moran is of the opinion that USB drives are a “dying technology” and that cloud computing will replace his unique product in the near future. However, this statement is open to argument.
It would be interesting to go into the different aspects of the topic, in some detail.
Cost
When you buy a USB drive you own it outright. No other expenses are involved. Besides, a USB drive provides you with a wide variety of storage options, from a low 4GB to a whopping 1 TB with the introduction of USB 3.0. This is not the case with cloud computing. To access data in the range of 1 TB, Google will charge you $50 per month. This makes cloud computing rather expensive.
Internet Connection
With a USB drive, you don’t need any internet connection, and all you have to do it is to plug it into the USB port in your device. Besides, it is portable and you can carry it with you wherever you go. But you cannot increase the storage space, and to do this you have to delete files to get more room. Although cloud computing offers you comparatively large storage space, you must have an internet connection to avail yourself of the service and that means a monthly fee to the internet provider as well. However, you can order more cloud storage space as your business grows.
Privacy
Anyone can access the data from a USB drive, as it doesn’t need any kind of set up process. On the contrary, cloud computing needs to be set up with a unique personal ID and password. In this way, all the information stored can be accessed by you alone.