subject: What Is Network Storage Device? [print this page] Every organization needs to store and protect the data in all ways, especially through network devices. As server is the main source to store the confidential data of the organization, it is important to use the network storage devices to secure the data while sharing and accessing it through internet. Network attached storage (NAS) devices enhance the storage solution to protect the companys crucial information. It is affordable and has many features to support the organization and to increase the business efficiency. NAS is essential for all IT organization to share the data to application servers and the users within the organization and has a file system to store all the files.
NAS acts as a shared volume for back up and sharing files across your network. It provides hard disk storage, software, configuring and also multi disk RAID systems. It also helps in mapping the file locations to network attached device using protocols. NAS is completely different from SAN and is less complicated storage device than SAN. NAS is the first step of storage devices like SAN, but as compared to NAS, SAN is more efficient because SAN uses different protocols and hardwares. There are many types of NAS devices available in the market, in that some are more complicated and some are easy to utilize. Generally, it is an appliance which connects to the network or Ethernet cables. It has a web interface which can configure the disks and allows the storage devices to use RAID array. Once NAS is connected to the system and it is treated like a distinctive file server. Most of the users connect to the network attached storage devices through Ethernet connection by using the TCP or IP protocols. Other types of NAS can also support SMB or NetBIOS protocols.
Usually, NAS has an advantage to share the file easily to all the users who are accessing the same network. It is the advantage of NAS to save the time as the information is centralized. Network attached storage devices can be accessed using a web browser to secure the data. Since IT industries are generating large amount of data they require storage devices, which can access and protect the data. So the developing companies of storage devices are increasing the prices as per the demand. Also NAS has many benefits to increase the growth and efficiency of the business across the world and is cost effective. NAS and SAN both are important for all organizations to store the data and to protect it. But NAS and SAN come together in one advent of the gateway as the NAS is connected to the back end storage capacity where it sits in a disk array on SAN.
