Today there are many companies that utilize the benefits of a NAS (Network Attached Storage).  The NAS unit is often attached to a network that only offers file-based data storage functions to other devices on a network.  They are storage systems designed to deliver the ability to have centralized and scalable process that will stream, store and securely back-up data.

According to an article in PC Magazine, “NASes serve an important missing link in the spectrum of storage offerings. They can provide more features and capacity than DAS devices, and unlike most DAS devices, data stored on a NAS device is sharable on a network or through the Internet.”

Devices

The storage provided by NAS can be from USB drives or hard disk drives.  There are NSA devices that can be purchased with hard drive in them.  Companies often find this more cost effective than purchasing them separately.  If a company does purchase them separately they need to be careful.  Not all hard drives are designed to work with all NAS devices.

Wired and Wireless

The majority of the NAS devices used today are made with wired gigabit ethernet connectivity.  There are more advanced NAS models that provide two Gigabit ports that can be used for port trunking, which integrates the link speed of two ports.  The NAS device can be connected to a wireless router.  NAS devices that are wireless on their own are not common.

Backup

Most NAS devices are able to back-up their own settings and configurations.  This is ideal for a company that may have very particular configuration specifications.

Energy Efficient

There are NAS devices that were made to operate on reduced power consumption.  They can be turned off at a particular time and then restarted at a designated time. An NAS device can even go into hibernation when on but not being used.

Security

Most NAS devices are designed to support file encryption and some even offer a type of firewall protection.  Many NAS devices can even have physical security locks be a part of them.  All NAS devices have a method of authentication that comes with it.

If you would like to learn more about how NAS (Network Attached Storage) could be right for your business we can help. Contact us today and learn more.