Recently, a new storage option was made available to small business owners who want to keep their data safe while also making it easier for their employees to share information. It may be hard for servers and cloud storage to keep up with network-attached storage devices (NAS).We walk you through the process of creating a reliable backup and recovery system that will never fail.
Firstly let us define what a network-attached storage (NAS) device is and how it operates
Network Attached Storage Backup
NAS (Network-attached Storage) is a type of computer data storage that is connected to a network at the file level. It allows different people in an organization to get to the same data. It is a simple way to share files between multiple computers that are becoming more popular in businesses in Kenya and around the world. If the NAS is made for storing and reading files, either by its hardware, software, or configuration, then it is good at this job. In simple terms, it can be called a computer made for a specific purpose. There are NAS devices that connect to the business network and have a lot of storage drivers inside of them. This means that other servers don’t have to do the job of serving files.
Functions
Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices do a lot of things in an office or organization, like:
- Serving and storing files (backup)
- File sharing between multiple computers
- Network printing (printing from a computer on the same network)
Strategies
Traditional NAS network backup
Backup agents are installed on all servers that access storage on a NAS device, and the data is sent to backup servers over the network. This type of backup is called “Network-Based.” This is what happens when you backup your computer and your computer backup your computer, which is why this is called a traditional network-based backup in this case. It is possible for backup software on different computers to make copies of the duplicate files on the same NAS device. Many things can be done better.
NAS to NAS
When a business always has two NAS devices running, this is called having two NAS devices running. In this case, one is a live working environment, and the other is an offline copy of everything that happens. There will be no lost data if the primary NAS device doesn’t work and the information isn’t backed up, so this is the best way to do it.
NAS to Cloud
Businesses can back up the data on their NAS devices online so that the company has two separate sets of data.
NAS data replication
NAS devices can also back up data. There is a single-way, automatic transfer of data from one or more sites where the data comes from to a central location. The NAS devices have a feature called “remote replication.” This means that the contents of a folder on a branch office’s NAS device can be copied to a folder on the main office’s NAS device with the same name. If you accidentally delete a file at the source, it will be copied to the target NAS device. This is important to note.
The Pro’s
- Easy to share files with.
- This means that it’s easy to use. It takes less time to store and get back data from any computer on a local area network than any other computer.
- If you want to be quiet, don’t make much noise like servers.
- They make storing things in a company’s network faster and easier than keeping them on their own.
- NAS devices have a fully functional operating system, which means that businesses can download different applications to make them more useful, like backup or disaster recovery apps.
- Allow businesses to save money because servers are more expensive than phones.
- Allows for more control over security because it is installed on-site.
The Con’s
There are some problems with NAS devices unless extra software is used.
- There’s a chance that a natural disaster or human error will happen to your business, which could cause you to lose the NAS device and all of its data.
- Because users need an operating system installed to backup their data, they can’t do it independently. They’ll have to do it through the operating system.
- Offer less storage space than Cloud storage. NAS devices have hard drives that, if more storage is needed, users will have to change the hard drives.
In the past, NAS devices were used to store, share, and back up files. These days, the features of NAS are getting more complicated. There are NAS devices that can be used to store and play music and movies and print and send emails. Some NAS devices are made to meet the needs of small businesses. They can be used to send emails or store small amounts of data.