NAS (Network Attached Storage)

NAS (Network Attached Storage)

A NAS device is able to provide file-level access across the network, using NAS storage protocols such as NFS, to multiple devices and user groups.

Windows servers using the SMB protocol to share storage via the network can also be regarded as NAS.

NAS can be scaled up by adding more drives to the node or using disk arrays, and scaled out by adding performance capabilities in addition to storage capacity through adding NAS appliance nodes.

Advantages of NAS

Cost

NAS devices use regular Ethernet networks rather than the costly fiber-channel network used in SAN.

Flexible storage capacity

NAS devices can be expanded by simply adding more nodes or drives as needed. A NAS can start at a small scale with a few terabytes of storage capacity and be scaled up to a petabyte scale by adding more nodes.

Simple management

NAS devices are easily manageable as they use regular or standard protocols and file systems that most users are familiar with.

When to use NAS

Home networks: for remote employees who need to consolidate their business and work files on a secure device that can be centrally managed
• Departmental servers: for workgroups or departments in an organization that need to share files and other digital assets securely on the LAN
• Remote access: for organizations with multiple offices, branches, or remote staff who need to access the same set of data at once.
• Big Data: NAS can be used to store large volumes of unstructured data, such as IoT and video surveillance data.

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Source: LinkedIn

Credits: Mr. Tarek Lotfy’s Post