One of the most transformative — and compact — technological breakthroughs in the past few years has been the use of solid-state drives as opposed to hard disc drives. These SSDs are slowly becoming a standard issue for new computers, as the journey to more compact storage rolls along in the tech world.
One thing is clear about this type of technology — an SSD is more than just a smaller-sized version of a hard drive. One of its biggest advantages is that it works considerably faster than an HDD. It copies files at a rate of 500 Mbps, about 5 times faster than the average hard drive.
It can also store more data than a standard hard drive and its data can last up to 200 years. It’s also energy-efficient, using less power than a computer with a hard drive and also extending the overall battery life of a mobile computing device such as a laptop.
Trouble-shooting with SSDs
The way an SSD operates is also quite different from an HDD. It uses processor controllers to read and write the data, and it can also correct errors, cache and encrypt on the fly, something that the mechanical-arm-driven hard drives cannot do without a software boost.
There are some precautions to think about with SSDs, though. Although there are estimates that they can last from seven to 10 years, there are some aspects to watch for when they are operating, in case you have purchased one that will fail faster than that estimated time.
Because they use flash memory technology, the SSD does have a limit to its read and write cycles. They also need to use capacitors and power supplies to operate, and these parts can also fail, causing the SSD not to lose its contents as much as fail to operate in the way that’s expected.
Assessing what’s best for your system
One way you can check on the life of your SSD is to use software in conjunction with it. SSD monitoring programs can show what speed is being used and if its performance is up to the capabilities of the SSD. Other types of software can be used to detect if there are system blocks, file errors or failures at start-up — all of which could denote an issue with the SSD you have purchased.
As you think about tools and technologies such as SSD to include in your current business plans, AVASO can help your company through its Integration Centers.
We can assess your data center, consult on capacity planning, migrate your legacy system to a standards-based architecture and offer managed services and support to ensure your computing meets the performance standards you want. Find out more about what we can do on our website.