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Does your business still share and store your data through conventional methods like a thumb drive or email attachments?

If yes, do you spend a lot of time finding them when you need the data or being fearful that your company might lose these data?

Managing a large amount of data can be tedious and complex. Not only that, if you are not using the right tools and platforms, your files will be exposed to the risk of data breach and loss.

Poor data management, protection, and privacy can affect even the biggest businesses and corporations, let alone small independent companies because your data is your asset.

Hence, finding the ideal storage solution for your files is extremely crucial and NAS can be the perfect choice to improve your company’s work efficiency.

WHAT is NAS?

To be precise, NAS is a data storage device that connects and is accessed through a network instead of being directly connected to a computer. This feature provides easy access and retrieval of data as they are stored in a central location. Ultimately, it enables you and your associates or clients to access the files you need from any platform or device that is connected to the local network as well as via the Internet.

WHO is NAS suitable for?

Network attached storage is one of the best storage solutions for small businesses, creative media and production companies, firms, and corporations that use and compile tons of data for their business and clients.

WHY is NAS the ideal storage solution?

NAS’s simplicity in deployment and management makes it an ideal choice for the customer groups mentioned above. In contrast with cloud storage where data is hosted on a 3rd party vendor’s data center, storing data on your own NAS allows you to have full control and ownership of your data as it is stored in your own network.

Not only that, NAS is also scalable in terms of storage size. Of course, cloud storage is also known for the same feature, but expanding data storage on NAS costs relatively less compared to cloud storage.

This is because expanding your storage on the cloud requires you to pay a monthly subscription fee for the capacity consumed and oftentimes, the cost may be unpredictable as it fluctuates based on usage, but NAS only requires you to get an additional drive with a single payment in the beginning. However, there is no one-size-fits-all rule, so let’s continue to read on.

As we can see, a network-attached storage has various features that make it stand out among other storage solutions but every solution has its own pros and cons depending on what you are looking for.

Let’s start off with the pros:

1. Reliable

Unlike external drives, NAS can be deployed with RAID protection, which makes it reliable against hardware failure. Modern NAS supports various backup and disaster recovery methodology which enables quick recovery when disaster happens.

2.     Safe

For an organization without a dedicated storage and security team, NAS has a relatively lower risk of a data breach as compared to cloud storage. This is because you do not have to rely on third-party servers which may require a well-designed cybersecurity strategy to prevent a data breaches, cyberattack and unauthorized access.

3. Optimal cost to scale

The storage size of NAS can easily be expanded with predictable cost.

4.     Long-lasting

NAS serves as a long-term data storage solution that only requires one-off payment at the beginning which allows longer commitment. Other than that, NAS devices are more durable than an external drive that is prone to physical damage.

Now, let’s look at the cons of network-attached storage:

1.     Slower performance for database

NAS is superior for storing files and folders. As for an accounting/ERP/CRM server, direct-attached or SAN storage is still the best option.

2.     Complex for personal use

As compared to the cloud and external drive that only takes a few minutes to set up, NAS might take about 2 to 24 hours of your time while considering the complexity in setting up the device to your network router. Plus, you might need help from an expert in order for it to run smoothly. That being said, data reliability offered by a NAS may prove it worthwhile.

3.  May Require a Server Room

More advanced NAS may require a server room with 24/7 air-conditioning to function optimally, and this may increase the electrical bills. To strike a balance between power consumption and performance, getting advice from a NAS expert who is experienced with your usage case will be very helpful in choosing the right model.

In a nutshell, the practicality of a NAS truly depends on how you are planning to utilize it.

If you are looking for a long-term data storage solution for your small business or looking for the perfect device to keep and protect your creative media work, then the network attached storage is the perfect solution for you.

However, if you’re only looking for a short-term storage solution, you can give cloud storage a try before you expand.

The good news is: whatever you choose, we’ve got you covered!

Contact us for more details.