USB flash drives, or memory sticks as they are sometimes referred to, are immensely popular with information workers as a portable storage device. USB flash drives have consistently followed the general IT hardware trend of increasing the size, improving the speed and constantly reducing the price of each unit. For example, a 4GB SanDisk flash drive sells for $6.45 at Amazon.com, alternatively £3.99 at Amazon.co.uk.
The increased popularity of USB flash drives is due to their ease of use and ability to connect to any PC or Mac computer. Employees never have to worry – it simply works empowering them to do back-ups, transfer files, share data and carry information around. USB flash drives have a tremendous value as they seldom break and last a long time. Some users purchase them as permanent storage devices because there is limited investment and great return in value.