Western Digital recently launched a study titled, ‘Understanding Data Storage Habits of PC Users’ which highlights how consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of their data and looking for effortless backup solutions. To understand more on the report and the state of data storage practice for users in India, The Gaming Reporter has an exclusive discussion with Jaganathan Chelliah, Senior Director, Marketing, India, Middle East, and TIA, at Western Digital.
The Gaming Reporter – Can you tell us about the Western Digital study titled “Understanding Data Storage Habits of PC Users,” and what were some of the key findings? How does data loss occur, and what are some of the risks associated with not having a backup solution in place?
Jaganathan Chelliah – Data consumption and creation have been on the rise and Western Digital has an extensive portfolio to cater to these rising storage demands. Understanding the consumer trends around data backup behaviour is a main priority for us. We recently conducted a study titled ‘Understanding Data Storage Habits of PC Users in India’, drawing attention to the data storage and backup habits of users in the country. The study, commissioned by Western Digital and conducted by Feedback Advisory, found that in India, only 31% of the respondents take data backups per month. As per the study, 52% of the respondents also confirmed having lost their data, at least once, in their lifetime.
The study highlights that while awareness about data backup benefits has risen over time, however, in India, only 32% take a full backup of their data. Upon delving deeper to understand the reluctance to backup and the risk of losing precious data and memories, the study reveals that respondents cited reasons such as the cost of a backup device, fear of losing the backup device, inability to find time to back up, finding it a cumbersome process, and finding it difficult to carry a backup device with them.
The study also reveals that most users have consumed up to 75% of the internal memory of their devices, such as laptops, smartphones, PC, tablets, and digital cameras. This in turn affects the performance of the device, which can lead to frustration and even a loss of productivity. To understand the kind of devices consumers, utilize, the study finds that in India, 48% of users store data on external hard drives (HDDs), 39% use portable solid-state drives (SSDs), and 36% prefer cloud services. However, in India, 66% of the respondents said that they would prefer an external HDD to back up their data in the future while 41% would prefer an external or portable SSD, underscoring the growing preference to store devices on personal portable devices. Moreover, with security being one of the key concerns, 69% of users are also willing to pay a premium for hardware encryption.
The Gaming Reporter – What are some of the common misconceptions people have about data backup, and how does the “Backup Effortlessly” campaign aim to address them?
Jaganathan Chelliah – PCs and smartphones have become a part and parcel of our daily lives and unfortunately so has data loss. However, the inertia of backing up digital content runs deep in consumers as they consider it a cumbersome job. So, this World Backup Day, we introduced an educative campaign #BackupEffortlessly to remind everyone about the importance of backing up data and offering solutions to do it effortlessly. The 360-degree, integrated, campaign aims to reiterate the need and significance of backing up and preserving content.
As part of the campaign, Western Digital has created four videos and multiple rich media formats that highlight the importance of data in various real-life scenarios and how it can be backed up effortlessly.
The Gaming Reporter – How can individuals ensure that their backup process is secure and protected from potential data breaches or hacks?
Jaganathan Chelliah – At Western Digital, we offer one of the biggest portfolios of SSDs and HDDs designed to cater to consumers’ needs while also taking care of their data security. The beauty of the new age storage devices is the fact that ‘data is in your control’. Take for example our WD My Passport SSDs and HDDs which are well-equipped to ensure the security of the data stored on them. These drives are password protected with 256-bit AES hardware encryption so that customers can protect their data by choosing a password and keeping their digital life’s contents secure.
Another added advantage of saving your data on personal drives is their sturdy and rugged form factor. Today’s latest portable storage drives are based on SSD technology like the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSDs which come with up to two meter drop protection and an IP55 rating which provides resistance in terms of shock, fall, water & dust. While these drives are purpose-built to protect from physical damage, they also come with up to 5 years of warranty across most devices, and hence, are your ideal partner for a long time to come.
With most of us relying on digital data for day-to-day tasks, managing such data has become extremely critical. The best way for customers to prevent data loss is by developing good data management habits and taking regular backups on an external drive. Moreover, if you are using Western Digital drives, our products come with an in-built software application—WD Discovery, that is designed to benefit our consumers and allows you to restore data back onto your computer. With the WD Discovery application, you can do smart modeling i.e., you can start the backup from where you left it. The app also allows you to set a recurring timeline for your backup, and it automates the backup accordingly with no intervention required from you. Moreover, it takes into account the increasing content creation on social and digital platforms and allows its users to take backup of their social media content on external drives.
The Gaming Reporter – Can you explain the different storage solutions that Western Digital offers for backing up digital content, and which one would you recommend for someone starting out?
Jaganathan Chelliah – Today there are multiple storage options that address the challenges that people stated for not backing up. For example, external hard disk drives (HDDs) are convenient and cost-effective backup storage solutions. Today there are portable HDDs with up to 5TB capacity such as the WD My Passport™ HDD. The My Passport drive comes equipped with backup software that can be set to run automatically to a schedule. This lightweight, portable device comes in a slim form factor and a range of vibrant colors, making it easy and even striking to carry around. For users who want speed for backup, solid-state devices (SSDs) should be the go-to option. Powered by NVMe™, high-performance SSDs such as the SanDisk Extreme PRO® Portable SSD V2 offer up to 2000MB/s read/write speeds in a superlight portable drive that is reliable enough to take on any adventure. This SSD offers up to two-meter drop protection and IP55 water and dust resistance. What’s more, it comes with a handy carabiner loop for securing it to a user’s belt or backpack. So, one can take this rugged device anywhere with them without worrying about misplacing or losing it.
Those who want to enhance their smartphones’ storage capacity can consider microSD™ cards. Today there are microSD cards available that offer up to 1TB storage capacity. In fact, a user can upgrade their smartphone with a 128GB microSD card from a brand such as SanDisk for about 1000 rupees. Then there are Pen Drives for mobiles such as SanDisk Ultra® Dual and iXpand™ Drives, which are available for AndroidTM and iOS smartphones. Dual Drives, such as the SanDisk Ultra® Dual Drive Go, easily move files between a USB Type-C™ smartphone, tablets, Mac, and USB Type-A computers. This allows users to take even more photos and access them across all their devices. While the iXpand Flash Drive Go moves files off an iPhone (and onto a USB Type-A computer if a user chooses), freeing up valuable space.
The Gaming Reporter – How has the rise of content creation and consumption impacted the need for data backup, and what are some of the challenges associated with managing this data?
Jaganathan Chelliah – Content creators are creating an unprecedented amount of data across all segments. For example, as per a recent Western Digital study, on average a new-age content creator creates 350GB of content in a month, and all of this captured or created content is crucial for the content creator. It is used by the creator to build their presence and fame, and in a lot of cases, associated with multiple brands. Therefore, it is imperative to store this data and secure it by backing it up. Without proper backup, these creators are prone to losing hours and hours of hard work. Western Digital understands the importance of an individual having the right storage solution and hence offers a wide product portfolio comprising a variety of SSDs and HDDs. Also, if a user wishes to save their data on a personal device, one can always opt for cloud storage or USB drives.
The Gaming Reporter – What are some of the reasons that deter people from backing up their data, and how can we encourage more people to prioritize this important task?
Jaganathan Chelliah – In today’s day and age, everyone is living and working in an extremely fast-paced environment and creating new data as they go about their day. Over the years, we have seen that the awareness about the benefits of backing up data has increased, but despite that, as per our recent study ‘Understanding Data Storage Habits of PC Users in India’, only 32% of users take a full backup of their data. In fact, almost 1 in every 2 users has lost data in the last year, and two of the most cited reasons are the high cost of backing up data, and fear of theft of their backup device, leading to the theft of confidential data. Also, 1 in every 5 users feel that data backup is a cumbersome process, and they don’t have that kind of time available at hand.
Western Digital as a brand is always encouraging users to back up their data regularly, and we have been doing this via multiple channels. Our digital campaign titled ‘Backup Effortlessly’ on World Back Up Day showed users how easy it is to take backups of their data, even when they are on the go. The campaign highlighted how backup can be done effortlessly using storage solutions such as external SSDs, external HDDs, and mobile Pen Drives from WD and SanDisk brands.
The Gaming Reporter – Can you share any success stories or case studies of people who have benefitted from backing up their digital content?
Jaganathan Chelliah – With the turn of the century, the world has rapidly adapted to clicking more photographs and making even more videos. The idea has expanded with social media sponsoring digital content as a form of collaboration, promotion, advertisement, and more. This direct amplification has added immense value to digital data. Simply put, when a creator shoots for the merchandise of a particular brand and posts the photograph on social media to promote it, in addition to being monetarily rewarded, it also amplifies their fame and following. This rationale manifests that backing up the data is of utmost importance, and it is not simply good to do, but a must-do! Without proper backup, all individuals, and institutions – would lose their plan of work in hindsight.
The Gaming Reporter – How does Western Digital differentiate itself from other storage solution brands, and what is the company’s core business?
Jaganathan Chelliah – At Western Digital, our top priority is to enable consumers and professionals to master their digital lives from anywhere in the world. We have always addressed the ever-changing market needs by providing a complete portfolio of compelling, high-quality storage solutions with customer-focused innovation, high efficiency, flexibility, and speed.
Western Digital has a very strong and broad portfolio for consumer, commercial, and enterprise market segments. On the consumer side, we have three strong brands – SanDisk, SanDisk Professional, and WD. With SanDisk, we are delivering a solution to the sole storage needs of our consumers who are using mobile phones and computers, whereas SanDisk Professional offers a range of purpose-built storage solutions for content creators who create large amounts of data that need to be saved, transferred, off-loaded, shared, and archived. With WD External storage portfolio, we offer ideal backup solutions based on both HDD and SSDs.
The Gaming Reporter – What are some of the future trends and innovations in the data storage industry, and how is Western Digital positioning itself to meet these changes?
Jaganathan Chelliah – With every passing day, the amount of data an individual is creating keeps increasing. In the upcoming times, we expect to see an increase in data backup practices among users. Given that the understanding and knowledge about the benefits of having the right storage device is spreading among users. As mentioned above, our study has found that 66% of the respondents would prefer an external HDD to back up their data in the future while 41% would prefer an external or portable SSD. Moreover, with security being one of the key concerns, 69% of users are also willing to pay a premium for hardware encryption.
Western Digital continues to innovate and introduce products and solutions to make consumers’ lives convenient. We closely monitor market trends and the needs of consumers to create innovative solutions that empower them to share their world.
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