Seeing as how prices are experiencing a downward spiral and capacities are soaring, the network attached storage system (NAS) have become increasingly popular option for medium and small sized businesses. So it’s important that you consider all factors and variables when it comes to assessing NAS systems for your own business. Their cost efficiency could will pave the way for substantial tractions for medium sized and small businesses that now find it apt enough to play host to multiple terabytes of data on their network which is much less expensive than the storage area network (SAN) or the regular file server. We have compiled a list of features that will help you to decide the best NAS for your business.
NAS hardware
According to Platinum Data Recovery, when you purchase a brand new NAS system, there will be some emphasis on the expected storage capacity which in turn, will be closely associated with the sheer number of supported hard disk drives i.e. HDD. It is worth noting that certain NAS options have scope for upgrading with an expansion for extra drive bays. You must also look to external storage devices with Esata or USBS ports which could be used as a short term solution or even for the purpose of backing up your information. You can also use a Raid calculator tool to measure the exact capacity tool.
Performance of the hard disk
Transferring speed over a network constitutes a very crucial function for an NAS, as observed by data recovery service provide. This is because the transfer speed is measured while uploading or even downloading large files from the device with the help of a file level protocol and wherever it’s applicable, even at a block level as well. The significance of each NAS will be subject to how it is used. For example, a good file access speed is crucial for businesses who are seeking to use NAS as a repository for storage for users, where as in the case of a decent block access speed, is befitting for those who wish to use it with servers. There are certain advanced NAS which lends support to auto-tiering that are equipped with SSD and are especially formulated for high performance. However, the exact performance cannot easily be examined.
File storage capacities
If you are looking for good file storage capacities, then there are reputed NAS brands that lend support to significant file transfer protocols namely, AFP (Mac OS), NFS, CIFS as well as FTP. The more highly equipped NAS will lend support to ISCSI for the purpose of block level storage over a local area network. Furthermore, an NAS is better able to communicate with a power supply that is uninterrupted which in turn, can alleviate the threat of disk corruption by facilitating a secured shutdown amid an extended power shortage.
The non – core capacities of an NAS
In an effort to stand out, producers of NAS will include a plethora of non-core capacities for their storage appliances. Such features could range from the ability to share an email notification once there is certain system events to the higher – end capabilities namely, Time Machine support. Other non – core capabilities will comprise of network services which are not pertaining to storage like in the case of support for Syslog server, NTP server and a print server. There are vendors who also provide mobile apps for the purpose of remote monitoring of an NAS from a tablet for a smartphone that also includes the feature of having to tweak certain easy parameters.
Security along with the user management
There are some premium NAS models in drobo data recovery, which incorporate the capabilities to encrypt the HDD data. As such, encryption is a must particularly if the systems are used in locations such as that of branch offices wherein, it is a mammoth task to secure the NAS. However, it should be worth noting that NAS will integrate a steadfast encryption hardware which will allow encryption to have a substantial effect on the write performance of the NAS. To add to this, usage of the encryption may reduce the time needed to rebuild an HDD that has already failed.