Pen drives are the portable USB device with flash memory to store or transfer audio, video and data files from hard disc of one computer to another. As the name suggests the device resembles a pen or pencil in its shape and size and its memory is built in drive. These data storage devices are equipped with a large amount of memory space.

Generally considered as the improved version of older floppy or recent compact disc, pen drives with smallest memory space can also store a large amount of data. Any common type of files that can be loaded into a floppy or CD can be transferred to a pen drive. Apart from that pen drive are able to house photos, spreadsheets, word documents, music tracks, movie clips, etc. The pen drives are simple to use. One end of the pen drive is designed to connect to the USB connector of the desktop or the laptop to get the pen drive activated.

The files are easily dragged and dropped into the memory and can be forwarded for further use. The function of the pen drives depends on the operating system available. Pen drives prove to be an easy and practical way of transmission of data if the laptop or desktop is constructed with an USB port and the operating system is compatible. The data and information are stored in the memory of a pen drive in the form of an array. Memory chip is the backbone of pen drives which enables multiple read write and reliability.

IBM for the first time introduced the device with flash memory in the year 1998 and it got instant acceptability. Earlier pen drives were available with 8 MB storage capacity. These days the pen drives are being developed with 32GB, 64 GB and even 80 GB storage space. However, the pen drives with high storage space are not that popular for their high price. But the days are not far when pen drives with terabytes will be common in use.

The previous generation of pen drive is the thumb drive. They were also named as the flash drives, the chip sticks and the USB keys. But the core technology is same with every form. In comparison to its previous generation, the pen drives now come with greater and advanced features and are the multi-utility flash memory.

Now the advanced version of pen drives is available with in built cards that enables transferring data from the cards of a mobile phones or camera without the help of a computer. This forms a useful device as the data can be transferred to this larger storage space easily from equipments with smaller memory capacity.

Pen drives are one of the products of the faster changing technology. They are constantly changing in their shapes, sizes and storage capacity. The pen drives also differ in there features. Some pen drives come with in built rechargeable batteries and they get charged when the pen drive is connected to the USB port of the computer.

Almost all pen drives are developed with the built in sound recorder. They even give the provision of MP3 playback using a earphone but lack the clarity of sound. Some pen drives come with mini LCD displays that help in browsing the MP3 songs stored in them.

The technology of pen drives are changing just as the mobile phones and now the pen drives are available with micro sized one pixel cameras. Sooner the market is going to find pen drives with LCD based view finders.

The latest version of the pen drive is gaining popularity and almost every computer user today is found with one of some capacity or other.

You can have access to portuguese articles about pen drives from page Pen_Drive

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil

Information security has been getting an increased amount of attention lately. This term refers to protecting information systems and the data they contain from use, damage and disclosure by unauthorized people. Other terms you might see used for this behavior are digital security, computer security and information assurance. All of these fields have the common goal of protecting information availability, confidentiality and integrity. Since many bodies have amassed a lot of confidential information about products, employees, research, customers and other subjects, information security is important. Institutions as variable as private business, government bodies, corporations and the military all need to make use of this important means of protection. Much of this important information is now stored, collected and processed on computers. It’s also transmitted across networks, putting it in jeopardy more often. If financial information about the finances or customers of a business falls into a competitor’s hands or those of a criminal, a lot of damage could be done. Law suits, lost business, and even bankruptcy could be a result of failed informational security. That’s because protecting the confidential information of clients and others is a legal, ethical and business requirement. Information security can have a big effect on personal privacy, too.

Today, it is possible to get into information security careers through online programs. There are many different specializations available, including security testing, auditing information systems, securing databases and applications, network security, digital forensics and many others.

There are even professional disciplines for this growing and useful field. The Information Networking Institute at Carnegie Mellon University is dedicated to information security, computer security and information assurance, and there are a number of professional organizations out there. Experienced personnel in penetration testing, digital forensics investigation, and network security auditing have become much more in demand than in the past. The increased demand has fueled the existence of a number of different specialty companies, providing much needed services. Security consultants are common.

While some form of information security has been around since the first days of writing, the need for it has greatly increased with our greater reliance on computer technology. Every day, each one of us probably puts personal information at risk. Whether we’re signing up for a newsletter online, receiving treatment at a hospital, or making a transfer at a bank, these activities all involve the transmission of information that could be a problem if it fell into the wrong hands. That’s what digital security is so important - it’s vital to most of our everyday transactions. New methods are found every day to breach security, and new methods are constantly being developed. There are various ways to authenticate, encrypt, and otherwise protect important information being handled by organizations, and new ones are being added all the time.

The bulk of information is now stored, collected and processed on computers. It’s also transmitted across networks, putting it in jeopardy more often. If financial information about the finances or customers of a business falls into a competitor’s hands or those of a criminal, a lot of damage could be done. Law suits, lost business, and even bankruptcy could be a result of failed informational security. That’s because protecting the confidential information of clients and others is a legal, ethical and business requirement. Information security can have a big effect on personal privacy, too.

Online file hosting enables people to do a lot of different things with their large files. In recent years, people have used this type of storage to store files for many different types of applications. It is meant to house static content for retrieval by a certain party or group. You can make it available on the internet or via FTP. Regardless of what you do with it, online file storage has a lot of different uses. What is it good for and how do you use it?

There are many different companies that offer online file storage. They usually charge you a set fee that includes all of the necessary costs. Shareware authors like to use this to distribute their programs across the internet. If they make it available via one of these services, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can access it. This allows many different people to get their hands on what they need.

Another use for online file storage is by individual users. Let’s say that you had some very important files on your computer. The files housed some secret information that you didn’t want to ever be seen by someone else. You knew that if your computer was destroyed or malfunctioned, you could lose the files forever. This would be catastrophic for your business or your personal life. One option that you now have is the use of online storage. You can backup these files through a secure network. No one else will be able to access the files except you.

You don’t have to worry about your files being lost if you have them in online storage. No one can access them unless you want them too and they will still be there if your computer crashes. You will be able to go online from anywhere and access them. When you get your computer back up or get a new one you will be able to download your files to your new computer. This is a much better solution than trying to back up your files with an external hard drive or other such means. Many providers charge by the size of the file or files you want to store on the site. If you have a lot of files to store it will cost more money. You will also likely be charged for the bandwidth you or other users consume when you download or upload to and from the site.

They have to charge you a fee otherwise they could not continue to provide this service as they have to pay extra fees for more storage and bandwidth use. Some websites will have the necessary tools for you to use their services. Other companies may not have these tools on their site so you may have to use additional software. You can easily learn to use this type of software, but if you have any problems the site will give you plenty of help to solve whatever problem you may have. Online file storage can save you a lot of trouble. If you have files you need to put in a safe place, look into using online storage.

Choosing the right Data Recovery company is vital to ensure your data has the maximum chance of being successfully restored.

The company you choose need to have a fully focused team of professionals 100% committed to your data requirements, often some lessor recovery companies will simply have access to some software that they occasionally use if a job comes up.

Data recovery and file restoration should be the main focus of their day to day activities and not a task that they undertake every once in a while when they get a job in, you can indeed find that the recovery is nothing more than a shell and could even be a secondary service offered by a computer repairer or web designer for example.

If the company you choose do not focus on recovery full time then you may bump into capacity problems, so a good question to ask is how many dedicated staff do they have or even can they do server recovery if required.

They should be up to date with the latest hard drive technology and Raid recovery techniques and if top tier will also conduct their own research and development.

A very good question to ask to test the water is does the company have its own call out service for raid recovery or server recovery emergencies.If they say no you may want to choose some one else.

Most professional data recovery will have proper labs facilities not just a back office with a bench. The data recovery lab is often the heart and sole of the operation.

In the event of your drive needing to be stripped down you need to know who is actually handling your data and is it secure? Having to send your drive to another country for assessment should not be a requirement in this day and age.

Suffering a data loss has been known to make a business go under but no matter how urgent the situation do your self and your business a favor and make sure you are giving your data to a company that has the best capability to get it back for you.

Fire damage, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other destructive events can mean the end of thousands of important files. Losing a small amount of information due to a power outage can be an annoyance. Losing the data for an entire organization is a disaster.

Having a good data center disaster recovery plan in place can mean the difference between success and failure. That’s because safeguarding information is a data center’s number one job. If that information is lost for any reason, the data center has failed in its main objective. A disaster recovery plan is necessary for success.

Losing Data Costs Time and Money
Losing data to a disastrous event is not only an inconvenience, it costs money. That’s because recovering vital business information, if possible at all, can be time consuming and expensive.

Each day that passes between the data loss and the recovery of that data means lost business hours, less chance of successful recovery, and more expensive recovery. A successful disaster recovery plan can help save you money.

In addition, for some data centers, lost data can be time-sensitive. Waiting a week for that information can make it useless. Even waiting a day can be too long. That’s why it’s important to have a disaster recovery plan in place that allows you to recover data from the moment of the disaster.

How Important is Your Data?
If the data center is down, the rest of the business may not be able to function properly. In fact, some studies have shown that computer outages of more than ten days can cause permanent financial damage to a company. Within 5 years, half of those businesses have closed their doors.

Your information is vital to your business, and that’s why a data recovery plan is simply common sense. Recovery from a disaster needs to be straight-forward, and it can mean the difference between a short-term inconvenience and the end of your organization.

Implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan
The first step toward reducing the impact of a disaster is to obtain a disaster recovery planning guide and disaster recovery templates. After investing in these items, the strategy for recovery needs to be planned in detail. Having a vague idea of your recovery plan is not going to save you from data loss.

Like any precautionary measure, the upfront planning for disaster recovery can seem like a waste of valuable company time and resources. However, your organization will be grateful that it is prepared if disaster does strike.

A proper disaster recovery plan should also include an assessment of risk and the impact of a loss of information. This allows the company to prioritize data center operations, an important step in recovering business viability.

An additional integral component to any plan for business continuity should be rigorous and regular testing. Disaster recovery plans should be tested and reviewed on a regular basis. This ensures that the plan is ready for a true emergency situation.

Safeguard the Future Success of Your Organization
Problems with hardware or software often strike when usage is at its highest point. That usually means a very busy time for the organization. Peak usage times, while some of the most vulnerable, are also the last time you want your data center to have a crisis.

It is important not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the seeming reliability of your systems. Modern technology runs perfectly right up until the time it doesn’t. You don’t want that time to be the downfall of your business. Implement a disaster recovery plan, and safeguard both your data and the future success of your organization.

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This tiny little device seems to be the companion of every one today. This can be seen with a student, doctor, engineer, executive, film star, business man, journalist or any one that you can think of. This thumb sized device has very successfully replaced a floppy and to some extent the CD. What is it that makes a pen drive so indispensable?

A pen drive is a flash memory card that plugs into the computer`s USB port. This is a small and portable storage device. The memory space can range from 16MB to as much as 64GB. They can be written and rewritten almost unlimited number of times similar to a hard disk. They are very effectively used to transfer data from one machine to another.

They do not require any power, cable or drive reader. The speed of transfer of data is very quick and it is known by many names. They are also known by the brand names and some have synchronization software that keeps files updated between computers.

The memory of a pen drive is almost five times of a floppy. They are sometimes available in bulky shapes as well. The small sized ones can be carried as a key chain, as a pen hooked on to the outfit or can simply be hanged around the neck. They are very important peripherals of computers today.

Some pen drives have features that link all blue tooth devices, play MP3, WMA, and WMV, has integrated FM and voice recording functions. There is a four in one memory stick available that has built in tuner along with MP3 and WMA. Some are available with cameras and some have foldable USB plug that can be kept in the wallet.

Pen drives are a combination of old affordable technology and new research in microprocessor technology. This device is not very old and was introduced in market only in 2000 by a company in Singapore and later by IBM the same year. It soon became very popular.

They are available in any store with computer supplies. The prices may range from fifteen dollars to two hundred dollars. It is extensively used by youngsters for storage of not only data but also music. It can work as application carrying device without actually installing certain application on the hard disk. One can simply connect to the USB and start work. Lot of files can be archived on to the pen drive from hard disk while formatting or repairing it.

In a recent examination in a MBA institute all the students simply carried their thesis on a pen drive and plugged in to a lap top, which was connected to a projector just before their presentation. I was one of the panel members to judge the students and this was an amazing experience for me because even till ten to twelve years back, we were used to making slides on transparent sheets till just before our presentation. Some students even gave each of us a thumb drive with their data for our reference later.

Another interesting event that was a new experience for me was that of a student who used thumb drive effectively to market a product. He not only suggested some very innovative ideas to attract consumers and increase mind shares and create brand awareness but also handed out some very interesting graphics of the product on a pen drive. These pen drives were low on cost and had certain space for consumer`s use as well. So, each time the consumer would use it he would first see the stamp of the brand being promoted on the pen drive and then the short graphic that was loaded on it. This idea was well appreciated collectively by all.

Pen drive is a trendy peripheral that is used by one and all and is a great idea to gift individuals of all ages.

You can have access to portuguese articles about pen drives from page Pen_Drive

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil

Claims such as 15 and sometimes 20 years of data recovery experience is given as fact on their websites, but when you look closer at the incorporation data or when the website first went live you discover significantly lower time scales.

What does all of this actually mean? Why is this really important? After all if you are in the unfortunate position that you have lost data you just want it back quickly right? Well you may want to consider what the success rate of the company is, i mean how good are they at data recovery? Will they make the situation worse? Sadly there are companies out there which do not have the experience, knowledge, and equipment, their failed attempts can now either compound the recovery further, render the media unrecoverable or as in some cases we have observed maliciously and wilfully destroy the media further to stop any possible recovery attempt by another lab, yes it is shocking but this practice does happen!
Choosing the right data retrieval company is absolutely essential, if the data has any value whatsoever such as personal photographs or business data such as accounts or databases then you must select wisely.

Compare the scenario to your health, after all surely you would not take the absolute advice you discover from an Internet search then self medicate? Dangerous stuff indeed! However it happens regularly clients either try a DIY approach, a colleague or friend, to “just have a look” or select a company on a very narrow criteria such as costs alone, with the lowest figure firm winning your attention.
True, costs are extremely important, not least because of the current credit crunch the UK and wider world are going through at present, however the abiding point must surely be , can they actually do the job?

So how can you select from the plethora of options available?

Knowledge. Yes information from friends, family, colleagues, Blogs and groups will give recommendations and off course not so glowing and downright avoidance information regarding who they chose and the actual outcome of their data loss.

The usual suspects

Tell tale signs of all is not as it seems with a prospective DR firm can be they require a diagnosis fee, at first this seems very reasonable, but when they come back with “sorry your hard drive is unrecoverable” you get that awful sinking feeling you may have been duped, imagine a business model in which the company simply looks at media all day long for a modest fee, their very happy unfortunately data rarely is recovered.

Another issue is parts or spares, this is a truly legitimate area, but with a caveat, the actual cost of the parts and for what exactly? Hard drives are unique each and everyone is unique to itself this presents challenges in the sourcing of some components, we are aware that some data recovery companies are simply overcharging for parts required and can often run into hundreds of pounds when the actually part may be only 30-50 pounds, the hook point is this, We can recover your data, however we need to purchase spares, this is wholly misleading unless the company are absolutely 100% sure that the parts will recover the data, as in some instances the procedure can fail for a number of reasons, this must be outlined and explained to you so that you can make an informed decision as to proceed or not.

What data will you actually recover?

A full recoverable folder and file listing must be emailed to you before you make any final decisions, if the all important stuff is not recovered, why pay?

XYTRON LTD is a leading Data Recovery services provider in UK. It provides Hard drive recovery, as well as services for Raid data recovery, desktop data, CD DVD data, Legacy and Smart Media.

Each one of us know that every time a hard disk in our computer gets corrupt, the problem of data recovery kicks in. No matter what data or files you had stored in the hard disk, recovery then becomes a challenge. More often than not, complete recovery is hard to achieve. Almost all commercially sold PCs come with a recovery tool. With the help of few keystrokes, these tools will help you get back your hard drive to its original condition. There’s a good chance that you will get back a copy of Windows back, plus a whole lot of junk you previously removed. But the chances of recovering your old files is almost nil.

It is very important to back up your old files or data. You should never employ PC recovery tool without providing a back up for your files. These days cheap hard drives and other materials are readily available in the open market. They can be quite detrimental to your stored files. Inspite of all steps taken to protect your hard drives, there are chances of you losing the old data. So, what can be done to combat it ? It is difficult to say. There will be a slim chance of recovering everything you lost, a moderate chance of getting something back and a real chance of getting nothing back. The problem does’nt lie in the files getting erased but in its laying down. Erasing does’nt destroy your files but overwriting it does.

Every time something is overwritten in your hard drive, the chances of getting it back is virtually ruled out. If the files are in fragmented form, its recovery is very difficult. To counter this, you have to defrag your files regularly.

There are two ways how you can restore the data, incase the hard drive is unbootable. First option is to physically remove the hard drive and employ it as a secondary drive in an another PC. The second option is to use the recovery software that comes on a flash drive. The former option is best, if you are comfortable with it. In the latter option, choosing the right software is the key. There are software which are employed solely for this purpose. Some of them include Search & Recover and Active Undelete. You can use the trial version of these software and see which one can serve you better.

Bespoke Quality Management Software and Process Management Software solutions

The banking and finance industries are so competitive that every penny is pinched, counted and still expected to provide high returns. Not only is spending scrutinized, but you have to deal with stringent data security and regulatory compliance guidelines. And at the end of the day, IT has to provide the business superior performance. While speed is certainly important, reliability is critical. Users experiencing applications that hang or freeze can easily cause the loss of customers and business.

It is fairly well known that defragmented files mean faster file writes and retrievals, however, file fragmentation, if not handled, will build up to the point that reliability is jeopardized. The principle of fragmentations impact on system or application reliability is the timing-out of a requestor (e.g. the application) or service provider in collecting/reassembling fragmented data. A good overview of the affect of stress when requesting file objects comes from a Microsoft Knowledge Base article which states:

The Server service cannot process the requested network I/O items to the hard disk quickly enough to prevent the Server service from running out of resources.

The end result is a program that freezes, hangs or crashes. When noting issues of stability or reliability, disk fragmentation can be viewed as the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. The reliability of third party applications is highly dependent on the degree to which those applications can accommodate bottlenecks, such as in disk subsystems.

Fragmentation affects the servers just as much as the PCs, if not more so. Servers host data that multiple users, maybe hundreds, need access to. The hardware is more powerful, but the demands are far greater. Waiting for data is bad enough when the end users is staring at an hourglass, but it is even worse if that employee is engaged with a customer, because now the customer has to wait as well.

An International Data Corp (IDC) study of Renasant Bank interviewed James Hayes, IT Manager, who noted that Customers were always impatient when they had to wait more than a few seconds, and the tellers would note this impatience. The last thing a customer wants to hear from a teller or service representative is sorry for the wait, my computers is slow.

Automatic defragmentation keeps file access optimized, so those users get consistent peak performance, and customers get the rapid service they expect. With such heavy competition in the banking and finance industry, quality of service can be a major competitive advantage.

The days of 9-5 have long since past. Customers demand access to their finances 24 / 7 / 365. And when those customers log in they are accessing data on company servers.

Michael Materie, Director of Product Management at a company renowned for its automatic defrag solution noted an interesting phenomenon. Customers expect to be able to access their accounts any time day or night. There is no such thing as off-hours in that business. Customers do not like to log in and discover the computers are down for maintenance. That is why we evolved a technology that can take care of your server every time of the year. We understand that there is no window of time that can be relegated to computer maintenance activities like defrag.

Debby Jones is a freelance writer who is known for writing his reviews on diverse topics. His current article features on How to Improve Service Quality through Automatic Defragmentation.Visit Diskeeper.com to download Undelete 2009

Laptop and PDA security is a key concern for companies worldwide. As more and more people conduct business online, and eagerly store more sensitive information on computer hard drives, safeguarding data has become an essential issue. Certain security measures, such as secured passwords, encrypted data transfers, spam filtering, antivirus software and firewalls are all vital to protect data. Even as the number of security programs for laptops has increased, a new wave of spyware and malware has been unleashed on PDA devices.

Laptop and PDA security is a chief concern for companies worldwide. As more and more people conduct business online, and consequently store more sensitive information on computer hard drives, safeguarding data has become an essential issue. Certain security measures, such as secured passwords, encrypted data transfers, spam filtering, antivirus software and firewalls are all obligatory to protect data. Even as the number of security programs for laptops has increased, a new wave of spyware and malware has been unleashed on PDA devices.

The addition of a lock code to your phone may strike some as terribly tiresome, but it could be the single most helpful tool to prevent identity and data theft. Though a phone lock requires entering a password every time the phone is used, it is a powerful security measure. It is a vexing prospect to not only lose one’s phone, but to have all one’s personal information, phone numbers, pictures, and intimate details laid bare.

As cellphones are regularly lost, it is recommended that password not be automatically saved. This defeats the purpose of locking the phone in the first place. Indeed, it is not sensible to have passwords saved on your phone to banking websites. Ruthless thieves could easily defraud victims, pilfering their bank accounts in due course. It is recommended people with email access on their phones not open any attachments. Malware and spyware could easily infiltrate your phone and install itself.

You may not be terribly aware of self-installed spyware or malware. An important clue is a clear drop in your laptop’s processing speed. Some forms of malware actually pose as anti-virus security programs, infiltrating your computer under false pretenses. Always check your laptop’s control panel for a list of installed programs and take note any suspicious or unrecognized programs. Though freeware or shareware may be tempting, it is possible such programs are infected with malware that could steal important data and eventually destroy your hard drive.

Mobile security is becoming a more and more central component to business across the globe. Even as security measures improve, so too do the efforts of hackers and thieves. Protect yourself and defend your company. Take the time to safeguard your laptops and cellphones. A moment’s time can save a lifetime’s woe.