With an increase in employees working from various places and a continued embrace of the new normal of hybrid working, it is essential that we do not overlook the importance of reliable and secure high-performance data storage solutions. In this blog post, we will discuss using M.2 NVMe SSD enclosures to equip your team with the proper storage solutions allowing them to perform at their best while working from anywhere. SSDs or Solid-State Drives have been around for several years and have almost completely replaced the platter-based HDD or Hard Disk Drives of years past. While we still refer to any solid-state storage device as an SSD; the types of SSDs on the market today can offer dramatically diverse levels of performance. For most, the optimum type of SSD is an M.2 NVMe SSD. So, what is an M.2 NVMe SSD? M.2 refers to the specifications used for an internally mounted computer expansion connector. In this case an SSD. M.2 is also the replacement for NGFF or Next Generation Form Factor and mSATA drives. NVMe, or Nonvolatile Memory Express, refers to the protocol these SSDs use to move data to and from the storage device; the “transport protocol.” NVMe SSDs take advantage of a computers PCIe interface to obtain higher throughput levels than previous versions. Glossary SSD Solid State Drive M.2 Formerly NGFF, is a specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards and associated connectors. Replaced mSATA NGFF Next Generation Form Factor NVMe Nonvolatile Memory Express mSATA Mini SATA micro connector that preceded M.2. Was used widely in laptops that required SSD storage in a small footprint PCIe PCI Express is a common motherboard expansion interface found in modern computers Now that the long acronyms are out of the way. What are the benefits of adding an M.2 NVMe SSD to your laptop bag? Like any newer storage or data transfer technology, typically the most significant benefits are speed and size. This is also true for M.2 SSDs. These SSDs are smaller than the traditional 2.5" SSDs and are considerably faster because they take advantage of your computer's PCIe interface offering increased speeds compared to SATA. When paired with a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 enclosure, maximum speeds of 10Gbps are achievable. Compared to SATA-based SSDs, users will be capped at a maximum speed of 6Gbps, no matter what type of USB-C port is used. If you have team members that work with large amounts of data, such as photographers and videographers, equipping them with NVMe SSDs and enclosures will dramatically improve the performance of their workflow when moving data from one device to another. Many of these types of workers are already using older SATA based SSDs but are finding themselves frustrated by the lack of performance these drives offer as their data needs grow due to the rise of 4K and now 8K video. So, whether you’re rolling our new storage devices or upgrading existing, an NVMe SSD is the ideal consideration. StarTech.com offers a wide variety of M.2 NVMe enclosures to consider for your next deployment. M2E1BRU31C SM2E1BMU31C M2E1BMU31C See the full selection HERE Looking for more Mobile Performance working solutions? Visit our Mobile Workforce Solutions Portal. Mobile Workforce Solutions Portal