Advantages of Media Backup
Here’s a familiar scenario that plays out almost every day at retail stores that sell tech. Someone comes in and asks, “What’s the best way to store photos? Or music? Or home movies and videos?”
Baby boomers are consolidating family photos left by their parents. Gen X’ers and millennials are trying to figure out what to do with their mixed bag of print and digital photos. Generation Z’ers are struggling with an overwhelming number of digital photos. So everyone is trying to figure out the best way to store images or back up files to keep those associated precious memories alive.
Cloud Storage
There’s an appeal about banishing the clutter of photos to the Cloud. No more clogged shelves and overflowing drawers. And certainly no worries about boxing and unboxing every time there’s a move. Furthermore, there’s usually a tempting offer out there for free storage up to X number of megabytes or gigabytes.
As convenient as off-site, Cloud-based storage sounds, it has its drawbacks:
- Many people have too many files—and too high of a resolution files—to qualify for free space
- In our photo-happy world, more and more images and videos are being shot all the time, requiring an ever-growing amount of storage space
- File organization can be difficult
- Some sites require compression, permanently erasing the high quality of the originals
- Requires Internet access (which is not free) to upload, view and download
- Could be vulnerable to hacking or loss of data due storage servers crashing or providers going out of business
Physical Media
Given the downside of Cloud storage, by the time most of those customers have walked in your store and posed questions about memory solutions, they’re willing to explore alternative options.
So this is your chance to explain the advantages of physical media:
- Under personal control, all the time
- Physical way to keep information safe
- No Internet access required
- No subscription fees
- User determines how to group files in a system that best works for them
- Easy to make selective copies for others without worries about password sharing
- Easily expandable
- Speed of copying files not hindered or slowed by Internet limitations
- Ideal for long-term archiving
- Can be labeled or easily keyed to a printed master list, so everyone knows the content
Media Matching
Find out what your customer is trying to back up, then steer them toward the appropriate media. Because these come in a wide variety of storage capacities, they can buy what best suits their needs.
- CDs, CD-R, CD-RW
- For backing up music and documents and sharing select photos or music with others
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- For backing up videos, and storing or sharing large quantities or file sizes of photos and documents
- Can also be used to burn movie files
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- For computer backup and transporting files from place to place
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- For use in digital cameras and some smartphones
- Can provide permanent digital photo storage
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- One of the fastest growing computer peripherals
- Can be solid state or disc
- Plug and play, requires no external power source and comes with backup software
- Ideal for more storage space on computers with limited space, full computer backups and archiving or interchanging large amounts of data
Accuracy matters
There are several physical media brands on the market. But when optical drive manufacturers test their products for maximum performance, Verbatim is the benchmark. Furthermore, Verbatim products deliver high-speed performance, the highest reliability and the best playback compatibility with market drives.
In fact, Verbatim was the first media company to receive ISO certification which is the de facto standard for quality management systems worldwide. This commitment to quality translates into consistent product performance and reliability.
Propriety Verbatim tech
Verbatim is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, a world leader in the chemical and computer industries. As a result, Verbatim uses a number of proprietary, core technologies unmatched by others.
- AZO recording layer on discs
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- Ultra-stable layer strongly resists UV light, withstands high laser and rotation speeds on newer drives and ensures compatibility with current storage media DVD standards
- HardCoat finish
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- Adds extra protection from scratches and fingerprints for scratch resistance
- SERL layer on rewritables
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- Allows consistent overwriting performance (up to 1,000 times) on DVD-RW and CD-RW discs without sacrificing archival life
- DVD+R DL Double Layer
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- Nearly doubles the storage space
- Consistently ranked by users and DVD manufacturers as the best DL media storage available, especially in terms of reliability and drive compatibility
- DataLifePlus discs
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- DataLifePlus is a Mitsubishi proprietary process which includes Blue Azo dye and an MCC ID code for high-quality discs with longer archival life and more resistance to UV-degradation
- Run at drives’ highest-rated speeds
- Professional grade as opposed to duplication grade
- 256-bit encryption
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- Found on professional-grade Store ‘n’ Go USB drives
- Users can create a secure area that acts like a vault for restricted data, while leaving an open area for less sensitive files
- All encrypted data is password protected and has anti-tampering features
Put to the test
In addition to using special technology, Verbatim media are subjected to rigorous quality control standards. Verbatim also provides toll-free technical support and service to enable its customers to maximize the performance of its products.
- Memory cards are rigorously tested
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- Cards (except SD, SDHC and SDXC) are tested to withstand up to 30 minutes in 1 meter of water with a 3.5% salt solution, meeting IPX7 standards
- All formats are tested to withstand drops for 16.4 feet onto a concrete surface
- All formats are tested to perform between -40°F to 186.8°F
- Limited lifetime warranty on most products
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- All CDs, DVDs and memory cards, and virtually all USB drives, come with a limited lifetime warranty; those that don’t come with a 5-year limited warranty
- Solid state drives come with a 2-year limited warranty; portable hard drives come with an industry-leading 7-year warranty
Given all the tech behind Verbatim products, why trust memory solutions to any other brand?
Permanent solution?
Nothing lasts forever. Things can happen to any form of physical media, despite a limited lifetime warranty. That’s why it’s best to tell your customers to periodically to test the backups. Then, re-back up every few years. Better yet, encourage them to use several forms of backup—especially if those files are digital transfers of slides, negatives or film home movies. As most people throw away the originals once they are digitized, a backup that’s failed means those precious images are gone forever. So, when it comes to preserving family photos, old home movies or favorite songs, feel confident in recommending Verbatim memory solutions.
To stock up on Verbatim products, be sure to visit order.petra.com.