You may already have an external hard drive where you keep all your backups of files, photos and music held on your computer, but there is now an even more efficient way of managing data.
Network attached storage (NAS) is a way of centralising storage to your wireless router rather than having to connect to a particular laptop or desktop. Put simply, NAS is an external hard drive (or drives) connected to a network which enables you to share files between any computer on the network. It’s a sort of external hard drive for your whole network. Technically, it can also be seen as a server dedicated to file sharing.
Using an NAS device means that multiple users from different computers can access and share the content and files stored on the NAS, which is far more convenient than plugging in an external hard drive to each computer as and when you need something.
It’s not just about back up for files though. You can also stream media from a NAS to a games console or smartphone. NAS devices used to be for office use only, but now with so many home users having more than one computer and a large amount of photos, music and video files that they store digitally, there is a need for improved storage and file sharing at home.
There is a range of network attached storage to consider, and it’s a good idea to shop around for an NAS device that is most suitable for your home or office network. For example, you may want to choose an NAS device with online remote access, security controls, and each offer a different number of Ethernet, Wifi and USB ports.
Things to bear in mind when choosing NAS storage include:
- Is it to use at home or work?
The kind of NAS device you choose for an office will be different to one that you choose for home use. Be clear when you are searching to look for a business-strength NAS if that’s what you need.
- Size of storage capacity
You can buy different NAS devices with different storage capacities. Make sure you purchase one with a big enough storage capacity for your needs. A 160 GB capacity could store around 40,000 audio tracks or up to 200 hours of video. You can buy far bigger storage capacity than this, as some devices offer multiple terabytes of storage.
- Access while you’re away
If you’re likely to need access to your NAS device when away from home or work, make sure you get one that offers remote access.
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Mark
March 28, 2013 at 7:23 am
The company I am working for has a network attached storage system that allows all employees to access the same drive to make it easy for us to retrieve reports, statistics etc. It not only saves effort, but time and manpower too. The system also has an access-control feature to limit certain files to certain users only for sensitive data. An NAS system is a really beneficial centralised storage system for both office and home usage to ease accessibility.