Server vs NAS: Why Buying A NAS Might Be The Right Decision

Over the last decade, the storage capacity of hard drives has grown dramatically. Today, I can go out and buy a 2TB drive for under $80. A decade ago, even 100GB was well out of sight and 50GB would have set you back about $350. The ubiquity of modern computers means that today, the ability to store vast amounts of information is vital to businesses and home users around the world. It's incredibly easy to amass large amonts of data in a very short time; digital pictures, high definition movies, audio files, 3D modelling - the list goes on and on. As computers get ever more powerful, resource-hungry and sophisticated, the demand for adequate storage also increases.

When it comes to modern business requirements, companies are often faced with two choices: a traditional server setup with a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) array, or Network Attached Storage (NAS).

So why is NAS such a strong option?

Pros

• Relatively low power consumption
• Scaleable - for more space, simply add another drive!
• Large variety available, ranging from small, single-drive devices to multi-petabyte setups
• Web interfaces for easy setup and configuration
• Many services (ie. media streaming, backups) usually provided by default
• Allows the consolidation of multiple storage devices into one easily manageable solution
• SMB/CIFS support
• Most modern NAS solutions allow the creation of multiple user accounts

Cons

• Can be costly
• Some NAS devices may have noisy fans
• Heavy usage may congest the network if not planned for

NAS certainly isn't just intended for the business market. In recent years, numerous companies have begin marketing NAS solutions to home users, offering everything from small, single-drive devices up to huge enclosures, able to store many terabytes of information. For the home user, a desktop NAS solution is a much more manageable answer to their storage issues than splashing out on a dedicated server. The small form-factor is especially suited for being placed on desks or otherwise out of sight.

When deciding to use a file server, on the other hand, a number of considerations must be made: what specification will the hardware be? Which operating system will the server run? What will be used to serve the files? What configuration must be carried out before the machine can be fully functional? Of course, certain companies many prefer this approach and like the idea of customizing their setup. Others, however, might find it overly complicated and a bit too much trouble. When fast, accessible access to files is required, a NAS is the quickest and easiest solution to deploy. Many modern NAS devices are designed to be plug-and-play, requiring very little initial setup so that even the novice computer user can get to grips with them very easily.

Storage isn't the only feature of NAS devices. Virtually all NAS manufacturers offer a huge variety of additional features with their modern NAS solutions; should you go out and purchase one today, it's more than likely that it will include some (if not all) of the following features:

• The ability to stream music, photos and video to computers or games consoles
• To access your NAS device from anywhere on the internet
• Pre-installed backup software
• Control access to your NAS through the creation of user accounts and access levels
• Encrypted network logins
• Built in print/ftp/http servers
• Download options: schedule your NAS to automatically download from the internet

And much, much more.

NAS is undeniably a serious consideration for anyone looking for more storage in either a home or business environment. The downside, as mentioned above, is that they can still be quite costly. Prices are coming down - and there are a number of cheap NAS solutions out there right now - but for serious amounts of storage, be prepared to pay a little bit more for the quality and peace of mind.