Latest news with #BusinessDevelopment
Tahawul Tech
5 days ago
- Tahawul Tech
Toshiba outlines how best to revitalise your hard drive for a long lifespan
Rainer W. Kaese, Senior Manager Business Development Storage Products Toshiba Electronics Europe, outlines optimal operating conditions for hard drives and the best practices to help avoid device failure. Modern enterprise hard drives are highly reliable and may generally be used beyond their warranty period without any issues and no significant increase in failure rates. However, this is dependent on the drives being well-maintained and operated under optimal conditions. If not, the likelihood of failure rises considerably. But what constitutes optimal operating conditions, and what should companies be mindful of if they wish to maximise the lifespan of their hard drives? Firstly, hard drives require a stable and consistent operation, as they contain moving parts that can be damaged by movements or shocks. Systems equipped with hard drives are therefore best housed securely in a rack. Tower-format devices, which cannot be accommodated in a rack, should be placed in a location where they are not at risk of being accidentally knocked or kicked, and certainly not on a desk, where the tabletop can act as a sounding board, transmitting any vibrations directly to the devices. Furthermore, the hard drives must be securely fastened within the device. Merely placing them inside the casing can lead to minor movements of the drive due to the rapidly spinning disks inside, which may cause damage. Particularly in more affordable systems, manufacturers often use plastic clamps or bays that allow for some 'give' in the hard drives or are themselves not completely secure within the casing. In such cases, it is advisable to properly secure the hard drives and bays, for example, with small rubber pieces or use additional screws, if possible. High Temperatures Shorten Lifespan Enterprise hard drives are designed to operate at temperatures between 5°C and 60°C. However, this only means that they will function correctly within this range – at higher temperatures, the electronic and mechanical components, such as the spindle bearings, wear out more quickly. Operating at the upper end of the specified range is not ideal either, as it can lead to a higher probability of failure. The Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) listed in the datasheets refers to an average operating temperature of no more than 40°C. For most enterprise hard drives, this is 2.5 million hours, corresponding to an Annualised Failure Rate (AFR) of 0.35%. This means that out of 1,000 drives, three to four are expected to fail over the course of a year. At temperatures above 40°C, the failure rate increases – typically by about 30% for every 5°C rise in temperature. Therefore, continuous operation of hard drives at 55°C can raise the average failure rate (AFR) to 0.76%, leading to the expected failure of seven to eight drives within a year. Overloading Increases Wear and Tear Furthermore, usage also affects the lifespan of hard drives, as they are designed for a specific operational duration and workload. In the case of desktop drives, this is typically 16 hours per day and 55 TB per year – these models are unsuitable for network-attached storage (NAS) systems and servers, where they run 24/7 and are subjected to higher workloads. On the other hand, NAS and enterprise hard drives can handle round-the-clock operation and manage 180 TB and 550 TB, respectively. It doesn't matter whether the data is being written or read. Suppose companies want to maximise the lifespan of their hard drives. In that case, they should ensure not to exceed the specified workloads, protect the drives from shocks and vibrations, and operate them consistently at no more than 40°C on average over their lifetime. Then, using them beyond the warranty period is usually not an issue – however, regular data backup becomes even more important. Image Credit: Toshiba
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New memory care unit opens in Elgin, fills a growing need
ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A new memory support unit just opened in Central Texas. This comes as the Alzheimer's Association said the disease is a growing public health crisis across the state. The Elgin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center now has its new unit for those needing that specialized care. 'If we build it, they'll come because there's just no, there's no availability.' Seth Ferguson, Regional Director of Sales and Business Development Regional Director of Sales and Business Development Seth Ferguson said available beds in Central Texas can be hard to come by. 'The company that I work for, which is Wellsential Health, we in the Austin area have four other facilities with units, or what we call an Alzheimer's or locked unit, and they're completely full,' Ferguson said. With more people moving east towards Bastrop County, Ferguson said they decided to expand part of their building. He said they already have a dozen people on their waitlist to move in. He hopes to have them in there within the next month or so. Ferguson said they're looking forward to helping more families. 'We sell peace of mind, and that's what we want them to know,' Ferguson said. 'When they bring their loved one here, and we were able to care for them, that they know when they leave, that we're going to take care of their loved one.' With more available beds comes the need for more health care workers. Through the nonprofit health care training program, Dwyer Workforce Development, Ferguson said they train Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) at the center. He said they currently have 12 CNAs in their class. After getting their license, Ferguson said they'll get to work for the company. Combatting Alzheimer's is also top-of-mind for state officials. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick made it his fifth priority this legislative session. It involves creating the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas. In a press release from last November, he wrote 'this investment will draw leading researchers and companies to Texas and require them to be based in Texas, leading to their further investment in our state.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
