In this age of data-driven decisions and operations, the speed at which data can be accessed from any point is critical to the smooth running of any organization. Regardless of how small or large an organization is, every member of that organization should be able to access whatever information they require for their daily activities with ease and speedily.
To make this possible, a lot of companies now rely on storage servers that are linked to their networks. Everyone with the required level of clearance can then access the data they need regardless of where they may be operating. This is what is now known as NAS (Network Attached Storage). You can learn more about it here.
Factors to Consider when Choosing a NAS
There are a few important factors to be considered when making a choice of the NAS to setup in business. We will quickly look at some of the most important of these factors.
Storage Capacity
This is the first thing to consider. You must determine the storage capacity that will be sufficient for the needs of your organization. Failing to determine this, you may end up getting something that will not be sufficient or something that will be too much, resulting in wasted funds. You should have an idea of your estimated storage capacity requirement.
Setup and Ease of Use
This is another very important factor. You do not want a system that will be difficult to setup and use. If it is difficult to setup and use, it will mean getting experts at additional costs to help you do this. This is especially important for companies that do not have a dedicated IT department.
Remote Access
This is one of the major benefits that network-attached storage should offer. Cloud storage means that members of your organization with the right credentials can get access to the level of data they have been cleared to access from anywhere. All they need is access to the internet and appropriate log in details. To understand the benefits that remote access made possible by cloud storage can bring to your business, check out this article: https://www.allbusiness.com/cloud-storage-business-21059-1.html.
Performance
One major performance indicator to look for is the network transfer speed. This will determine how quickly you and others in you organization will be able to access the data they require from the server. In addition to this, you should also consider the number of people that will be using this system and ensure that what you choose will have the capacity to comfortably handle the amount of traffic it will be getting.
Security
An organization’s data is to it what blood is to a human being. This data must, therefore, be protected fully. With cloud storage and remote access, your network is open to attacks from unscrupulous individuals. You should, therefore, choose a setup that has proper security measures in place to ensure no breach occurs.
Backup and Ease of Recovery
When issues come up and your data is either lost or corrupted, your only savior will be a backup that has been kept for such an eventuality. Make sure that what you are getting includes constant backup and recovery.
Support
Obviously this is critical to the smooth running of any system. There will always arise a few issues every now and again. You need a system that comes with full and prompt support so you do not suffer avoidable downtimes.
You can get a few more information on how to choose in this article.
A Few Recommendations
Let’s look at a few specific setups that we will recommend you check out for use as your organization’s network-attached storage.
Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS218+ (Diskless)
This is a system built around a dual-core processor. It comes with 2GB DDR3L of memory which can be upgraded to 6GB if required.
This system is very fast and supports protocols such as FTP, CIFS, NFS, and AFP.
Of course with its remote access capability, its security is ensured with its EAS-NI encryption engine. It is both easy to setup and to use.
NETGEAR Ready NAS RN422 2 Bay Diskless
This is a high-performance machine that will be ideal for organizations with about 40 users or less. It is built on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and runs on 2GB of RAM.
This setup is ideal for any organization that works with large files. It is pretty easy to setup and uses and it also offers easy cloud backup.
QNAP TS-451+-2G-US 4-Bay Next Gen Personal Cloud NAS
Now, this is a system that is pretty fast. It is capable of transfer speeds of up to 205MB per second. At its core is an Intel Celeron 2.0GHz quad-core processor. If you require more processing power, you can have it upgraded to 2.4GHz.
It runs on 2GB of RAM which you can also have upgraded to as much as 8GB. With its high performance, attention is still paid to security which is provided through its AES 256-bit volume and folder encryption.
WD My Cloud PR4100 Network Attached Diskless
Now, this elevates the game with its Intel Pentium quad-core processor, 4GB DDR3L RAM, AES 256-bit volume encryption. It is diskless so you get to fit in the storage option of your choice.
This system offers multiple backup options and compatibility with a number of operating systems.
Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS218j (Diskless)
Finally, this is more or less an entry-level option for basic storage needs. It runs on a dual-core processor and comes with 513MB of RAM. It is accessible from Android, iOS and Windows apps and supports different kinds of drives.
If you are ready to make a choice, you can find one at Official The Review.
Conclusion
A network-attached storage setup can easily become the hub around which your organization’s operations run. In the current reality, this is the heart of any business because that is where the data is stored.
Do not forget to ensure that you choose something efficient, secure and easy to use. As you follow the guidelines listed in this article, you hopefully will find it very easy to choose a NAS that will really allow you to enjoy The Best of the benefits it offers.
