Product Spotlight: USB Flash Drives

In the last two decades, computers have made major leaps forward in terms of speed, convenience and portability. One of the most dramatic changes has been the invention of the USB flash drive.

Unlike earlier forms of data storage, the flash drive is purely electronic, with no moving parts. That allows it to be more durable, faster, easier to transport and use, and store far mor data than its predecessors. 

With its many advantages, it’s no wonder that the flash drive has quickly replaced the older technologies of floppy discs and CD-ROM drives. Let’s take a look at the history of this fascinating device.

Before Flash Drives: The Disc Era

In the dark ages of computerdom, (the early to mid-20th century), discs roamed the earth. The first practical data storage devices were hard disc drives (HDDs). Engineers at IBM created a method to store data on magnetic discs. The first units sold in 1957 had limited capacity, weighed about a ton and was far too expensive for all but the largest organizations (as were computers at the time.)

Over the ensuing decades, HDDs became smaller, cheaper and more reliable, enough to be fitted into portable computers. But they weren’t portable enough to transport or transfer data between machines. And their moving parts made them susceptible to damage and failures (“crashes”) with data loss.

Enter the Floppy Disc

In the early 1970s, IBM introduced the first floppy disc. They gradually increased in capacity while decreasing in both physical size and price. Over the next 25 years or so, floppy discs became the go-to way to transfer programs and data between microcomputers, including laptops.

Optical Discs

In the 1980s, optical discs emerged as an alternative storage formats. They increased storage capacity substantially, but still required bulky drives and discs that took up space.

The Flash Drive Era

While floppy discs and optical discs had their uses, and greatly improved the portability of data, they can’t match the ease and convenience of flash drives. Developed by several companies in the late 1990s, they quickly became the portable storage medium of choice.

One big reason is capacity. Modern flash drives can hold literally a million times more data than those original floppy drives, at a tiny fraction of the cost. And they do so with no moving parts to mechanically break down. They’re also easier to use, requiring nothing more than a USB port to function.

Another great advantage flash drives have over other storage media is their portability. It’s easy to add a flash drive to a keychain or lanyard and take it wherever you go. That’s not so easy with a CD-ROM.

Their lack of moving parts gives flash drives the ability to transfer data far faster than any mechanical drive can. And the fact that they’re purely electronic enables them to be equipped with stronger security features such as encryption and even biometric authentication.

Uses of USB Flash Drives

With their versatility, portability and reliability, it’s no wonder USB flash drives are used for so many things. Here are some of the most common applications they’re used for:

Data Storage and Transfer

This is the most common reason people use flash drives. Transferring documents, photos, files, videos and software is as easy as plug-and-play. 

Bootable Drives

I.T. professionals depend on flash drives as a way to create bootable devices for installing operating systems and/or troubleshooting computer problems. 

Portable Applications

If users need to access tools and files on any compatible computer without installing an app, it’s possible to use flash drives configured to run applications such as office software or web browsers directly from the drive. That eliminates the need to have or install the app on a machine.

Backup Solutions

Despite the increasing popularity of cloud storage, flash drives are a viable option for backup. Their ability to store backups offline adds security for critical or sensitive data.

Media Distribution

Electronic distribution via flash drives is a cost-effective way for organizations to distribute promotional materials, press releases, videos, instructions and software. Organizations can imprint their brand on the outside of the drive to promote brand awareness as well.

Gaming Consoles

Gaming consoles often support flash drives for storing games, updates and saved data. They can also expand the storage capacity of many consoles. Many gaming consoles support USB drives for storing games, updates, and saved data. They also serve as a means to expand the storage capacity of consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox.

Education and Training 

The portability of flash drives makes them an ideal medium for educators and trainers to share with students, employees or volunteers. They can be used to distribute classroom materials, technical data, presentations and videos.

Secure Data Handling

As we noted above, flash drives can be adapted with extra security features Businesses, government organizations and others handling sensitive data. The drives can add highly advanced encryption and other features to prevent important material from falling into the wrong hand.

Marketing With Flash Drives

Their portability and low cost make flash drives an outstanding marketing tool, especially for trade shows, conventions and conferences. You can imprint the drives with your logo and load them up with conference data, a promotional message, equipment instructions and more. And you can leave plenty of room on the drives for recipients to use them for their own data as well. 

People appreciate promotional products they can actually use, not just a simple trinket. Flash drives give them great utility in a format they can use offline and will continue to associate with your brand.

Use Your Imagination

As USB flash drives have become an ever-increasing part of our electronic world, more and more people are discovering their value, both as a data storage device and as a marketing tool. With a device this versatile, the only limit to what you can put on it is your imagination. Look around your workplace or home and there are sure to be many possible uses for these handy helpers.

If you’d like to find out more about how flash drives can benefit your organization’s marketing program, call us at (800) 423-0449 or email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.