5 Ways You Can Share Data

Over the past decade the number of methods for sharing data files has increased, especially with the increased use of high speed Internet connections. At one point, sharing data involved manually copying files to a disk and then walking over to another computer to copy the file again. While such methods may still exist with different removable media, there are newer ways of sharing data that doesn’t involve changing locations.

Below are five ways that you can use to share data files.

1. External Hard Drive. The stalwart of any data backup solution, and probably one of the cheapest solutions, for the storage space, that is available. A portable hard drive can plug into a USB, Firewire, or eSATA port on a computer to share data files. There are smaller portable hard drives that are easier to carry around, and can contain over one terabyte of storage space.
2. USB Flash Drive. A USB flash drive is a small, easy to carry device that you simply plug into the USB port a computer. The small size, and large storage space makes it an ideal way of sharing data. These drives have quickly replaced optical discs as a means of manually transferring files from one computer to another.
3. Social network. There is always some debate about sharing data through social networks, but regardless, it is a great, and popular, way of sharing your data. You just need to be sure that you are comfortable with sharing the data before posting it on a social network, as almost anyone will be able to view the data.
4. Online storage. This method is quickly becoming popular as being “on the cloud”. By storing your data online, you or someone else with the correct authorization, can access your data from anywhere using an Internet connection. This is a great way to share data over great distances.
5. Personal storage server. Managing a network server was once reserved for corporations, but with many people now managing local area networks in their home, using a personal storage server at home is becoming common. This server is connected to a network and can store data files from any computer connected to the network. Anyone that is connected to the same network can then access the data so the server then acts as a central repository for your data.

While there are other ways of sharing data, such as through e-mail, but the above five ways are common and easy to utilize on a daily basis.

For more information regarding data sharing and other technical discussions, please read Technically Easy.