Each day humanity creates quintillions of bytes of data. Whether it’s a spreadsheet or a video of your dog you’re sharing with a friend, every piece of data needs to be stored somewhere.
The rise of cloud storage means that your data can be safely stored on the servers of a billion dollar company for a low fee (or free) but having an on-premises data storage solution is still a great idea. Not only do you have complete control over the cost, performance and maintenance, you can also configure your storage in the manner you see fit.
One way to manage your storage effectively and efficiently is with the help of network attached storage. Despite the name, this isn’t just a drive connected to your network but an intelligent means of backing up your data and perhaps even a bit more.
What is network attached storage or NAS?
Unlike an external hard drive, network attached storage devices are powered by a CPU and a dedicated operating system in order to make storage smarter. The other benefit is that data stored on a NAS can be accessed by multiple devices at once. This makes a NAS ideal for a media server or a way to backup data. Depending on the NAS you choose, backups can be synchronised so that you can simply do your work and rest easy that your data is secured.
Home, SOHO, SME office – which NAS should you choose?
One of the leading names in NAS, Synology, offers storage solutions that range from rack mounted units to slim single drive configurations.
Synology offers a range of NAS devices within its DiskStation range.
The XS+/XS series is built for high demand business environments with drive bays of 16 and 36 drives. Built with a dedicated 10 gigabit ethernet port, the XS+/XS series is designed to keep your business running.
For SMEs, the Plus Series offers the ability to start small and scale as your business grows. Ranging from the dual bay DS220+, SMEs can get acquainted with Synology’s industry leading ecosystem. Then, when your needs demand it, the DS2422+ has space for up to 24 drives.
With so many folks now working from home, Synology’ Value series is designed to not only meet your storage needs but be kind to your budget as well. Sporting quad-core CPUs and built for energy efficiency, the Value series gives the small home office user everything they need.
Finally, for the home user that wants to backup photos, videos and create their own media server, the Synology J series provides. With Synology’s easy to use interface and incredible online support, the J series will keep your precious memories and important documents safe and sound.
Choose your storage drives first
Storage is no longer the job of bulky 3.5inch hard disk drives thanks to the price of solid state storage. Not only is SSD storage more reliable, it’s faster as well. Choosing your storage medium first is incredibly important as it will help inform what features you need from a NAS. Will you be using ultra fast drives in a RAID configuration? Make sure your Synology NAS supports those features. To that end, the Synology NAS Selector is an incredible tool that can help you find the right device to suite your needs.
Look to the future
When shopping for a NAS, remember to keep the amount of data you or your company generates front of mind. You should not only account for your current needs, but also those that may arise in future. To that end, it doesn’t hurt to have empty NAS drive bays that can be populated with drives in future so try to shop for a Synology NAS with 8 bays if you currently only need two to account for the growth in your data usage or needs.
Synology has crafting incredible technology for over two decades. Protecting your data is at the core of Synology’s mission. Find out more about Synology NAS here.
[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]
