Considerations when Choosing a Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Device:
Over the
last few years Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, have
become a better and more cost effective way of storing and backing up your
Data. Due to larger and cheaper Hard Drives, NAS devices are no longer a Business
only solution costing thousands of dollars. Obviously the cost of storage would
depend on the importance and amount of the DATA being stored. For home and small
business use NAS would be the best way to go, for some of the following reasons:
1. Set up
is less complicated now compared to previous devices.
2. Running
costs are lower than running a dedicated Server.
3. Hard
Drives are cheaper, allowing better and more secure storage.
4. A NAS can
be at any location on your network.
5. No need
for a PC to be running before anyone can open shared files.
6. The
ability to store and backup data in a central secure location.
7. Better security
and control over file shares and services.
Although
some points are not relevant for all NAS devices, depending on what you are
trying to achieve. Advanced features on NAS devices require a reasonable amount
of knowledge, to configure in a secure and reliable way.