Western Digital urges users: back up to ensure data security

The amount of storage needed for increasing amounts of data will rise ten-fold in the next five years, yet only one in three users are actively backing up their files, data from a recent Western Digital study revealed recently.

The study, conducted in August 2009, showed that only 33% of mainstream consumers backup their data to a safe central location. "The remaining users who do not back up are the ones we're targeting," said Alison Hau, product marketing manager for branded products, Western Digital.

Of those users who have bought external hard drives for personal use, backup of files (56%) still trails behind extra storage (63%) as the main reason for their purchase, a separate WD segmentation study pointed out.

This is one of the reasons why the hard drive manufacturer's recent line of external hard drives feature a SmartWare software, which makes it easy for users to back data up to an external hard drive.

"The SmartWare program enables users to easily backup their data by having a user-friendly interface that is easy to use and manage," said Hau.

The SmartWare software, Hau said, boasts of a visual interface that swiftly categorizes files into different file types for easier monitoring of data. The application, however, isn't available for older models of their external hard drives, Hau clarified.

But for users who are weary of trusting their data to an external hard drive, Hau clarified that the new line of HDDs features a stable security system "including 256-bit hardware encryption and password protection."

WD's new line of portable HDDs, led by the My Passport Essential, its flagship product, features a new form factor that is a little more frugal in physical footprint than its predecessors, measuring a mere 4.3 inches and weighing less than a pound.

WD's portable hard drives retail from as little as P4,600 to as much as P12,500, with capacities ranging from 320GB to as much as one terabyte. The hard drives come in midnight black, real red, arctic white, cool silver and pacific blue, with an optional charcoal black for the Mac edition.

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