Today’s brand-name internal and external hard drives have achieved sufficient quality and reliability that it is quite possible that they may never crash during their useful lifespan (i.e. until they become too small to hold the next generation of beefed up programs). With the advent of the trend toward reliability, many home and small-business PC users have failed to foresee a need for regular, ongoing data backup, instead thinking that their primary hard drives will continue to function properly indefinitely.

While this is less a risk than it was, say a decade ago, a simple (and inexpensive) form of insurance still remains in the form of a data backup system. And today’s generation of external data servers and external hard drives are making the backup process easier (and more multi-functioned) than ever before.

At the base level of data backup, it almost does not matter whether you purchase an external hard drive or a so-called “Personal Server.” As long as you have functional backup software to automate the process, either device should function equally as well to accomplish your backup needs. Seagate’s current generation of USB 2.0 and FireWire external drives are excellent choices for the task, employing Seagate’s legendary R&D budget towards what have become some of the best-performing, most-reliable (and now largest, at 400GB) drives on the market.

A relative newcomer to the field, SimpleTech, has entered the fray with a highly competitive product, the “SimpleDrive Deluxe,” a 250GB performer with the same USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity as most popular external drives today, achieving data transfer speeds of 480 Mb/sec and 400 Mb/sec using USB 2.0 and FireWire, respectively. The “SimpleDrive Deluxe” adds the benefit of including one of the best and easiest to use backup software packages on the market, “StorageSync Professional.” The software allows for literal one-click backups of selected files, along with advanced data encryption and file compression that can squeeze up to twice the storage from that same 250 GB drive.

In our tests, the “SimpleDrive Deluxe” was nearly idiot-proof in setup and operation, requiring a simple plug-and-play installation with our PC’s USB 2.0 interface, and a self-explanatory operation using the “StorageSync” software. Moreover, the drive is as quiet an external unit as we have tested, a welcome change in our office full of whirring fans and spinning internal noise-makers. SimpleTech has put forth a strong candidate for backup needs, beating the majors at their own game, particularly in such areas as software.

Sometimes a basic external drive is not enough, especially when one considers the rising prevalence of media files and business documents that users often wish to access while away from the home or office. Harnessing the distribution power of the Internet is the job of a personal server such as Mirra’s aptly-named “Personal Server,” a unit that does not only data backup but file-sharing both on local networks and over the Internet.

Mirra has adequately assessed present-day needs of power users in designed the functionality of its “Personal Server,” employing such features as “Automatic Continuous Backup,” which automatically places new (or newly modified) files on the external drive, allowing the files to immediately become available to external users on a local network or anywhere in the world with appropriate privileges through the Internet. Not having to think about placing files in specific locations for external use is a godsend for those who are doing a great deal of collaboration with colleagues within their company, or even friends who they wish to make available a particular photo or music file, for example.

Mirra’s “Personal Server” uses the drive as a middle-man between the local computer and the Mirra.com web-site, which is the outside location where others would access the backed-up files. Once again, the emphasis is on the word “automatic,” as even non-professionals should find the process simple and seamless in its most popular applications, such as the fore-mentioned simple file sharing and modification privileges.

Mirra’s built-in functionality comes at a price – the company’s “Personal Server” products are significantly more expensive than equivalent bare-bones external hard drives (at least $750 for the “M-250 Version 2” 250GB server, versus less than $200 for SimpleTech’s 250GB external drive). Yet, particularly in the case of serious business users, such as media companies that need to distribute media files throughout a large organization strewn throughout the world, the Mirra’s functionality pays for itself in the efficiency of employees as they easily share and modify each other’s work.

So the case for data backup is a strong one, at the very least, with an external hard drive that sits outside of your PC’s box, keeping important files safe and sound. For users with the need for additional functionality, including data sharing, synchronization of files within the office and elsewhere, and Internet accessibility, Mirra’s “Personal Server” line warrants thorough and serious consideration.

Mirra Personal Server M-250 Version 2

The Mirra M-250 Personal Server is the always-on data protection system that automatically and continuously backs up multiple networked PCs. Mirra does all the work, all the time, without the hassle of shuffling hard drives between PCs, setting up complex backup software, or burning DVDs. This all-in-one system includes the Personal Server appliance with high-capacity 120 GB drive, Mirra Backup software for each of your PCs, and free Mirra Web Services for anywhere access and secure file sharing. It’s the ideal solution for home office and small business professionals who need a simple, affordable way to protect, remotely access and share their important digital files. In addition to safeguarding against hardware failure, Mirra prevents accidental overwrites or deletions by automatically saving up to eight versions of every file. Mirra even guarantees the safety of your data with its exclusive MirraGuard Data Guarantee. If you have more than one PC, you need a Mirra.