Why Using NAS Drives Is an Excellent Idea for Businesses
Information is one of the most crucial assets for every business. Without instant and easy access to data, businesses would not be able to give customers the proper level of service. Poor customer service, no team collaboration and loss of data are all problems which occur when a business does not care to store and manage its work files. Therefore, as soon as you start establishing your own business, you’ll face the utterly important task of choosing a data storage method.
Currently, the most popular data storage method are NAS drives. Many enterprises and small businesses in different industries have opted for this kind of storage simply because it’s a practical, low cost and scalable solution. A Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a device that connects to your wireless router and allows you to store and retrieve data from multiple computers, printers and other devices simultaneously. In other words, NAS offers convenient centralised storage. With this kind of storage, collaboration is made more efficient because it allows several workers to work on the same project at the same time.
A NAS is like having a private cloud in your office. However, it’s a safer storage solution and gives you complete control, as opposed to cloud options like Dropbox or Google Drive. Instead of exposing your vulnerable data to cloud storage providers, with NAS drives all your information remains safely between the walls of your business. However, accessing the data is not restricted to computers on your home network only. Many NAS devices now offer remote access options that allow you to access your data from anywhere in the world.
There are a few requirements a NAS drive should fulfil in order to be of use to your business. It needs to be easy to set up and configure for computer backups, include an email server, offer web hosting, software and hardware encryption and an SSL certificate for additional security.
As far as purchasing and maintenance costs go, it’s a lot cheaper then using a hard drive. A home office with basic data storage needs can do just fine with an entry-level NAS device for as little as 150 dollars. For a NAS that caters to extensive data libraries, a large number of users, heavy-loaded applications or data streaming, you could be looking at around the 600 dollar mark. Still, it’s a relatively cheap investment considering the amount of time and energy it can save you. If you have no idea how big of a NAS your business needs, the best way to figure it out is to calculate the entire storage of your devices and then double it.
