Network-attached storage (NAS) devices are quickly becoming an essential part of many homes and businesses. As our digital lives continue to expand, the ability to store and access data easily and securely is more important than ever. But what exactly are the benefits of having a NAS? Here we’ll explore the top reasons you might want to consider getting one.
What is a NAS?
A NAS or network-attached storage device is a specialized computer that is connected to your network, allowing you to store and access files. It contains one or more hard drives that are arranged in an array for data protection and performance. The NAS operates independently of your other devices and runs its own operating system optimized for storage and backup. You can access and manage the files on your NAS from any device on your network.
Centralized Storage
One of the biggest advantages of a NAS is that it provides centralized storage for all your devices. Rather than having files spread out over multiple computers, external hard drives, and cloud accounts, a NAS consolidates everything in one place on your local network. This makes it much easier to organize and find files when you need them.
Centralized storage also enables easy sharing of files between users and devices on the network. Multiple people can access the same files on the NAS at once without having to copy data back and forth manually. Most NAS devices have features like user access controls, permissions, and quotas to manage shared access.
Accessibility
Having all your data in a central NAS location allows you to access it from anywhere, on any device. As long as you’re on the local network, you can easily connect to your NAS to reach your files through a web browser, mobile app, network share, or mapped network drive. This gives you flexibility in how and where you interact with your data.
NAS devices often include remote access options as well. This allows you to login to your NAS over the internet when away from home so you can still view or transfer files as needed. Features like mobile apps make accessing your NAS data on the go quick and easy.
More Storage Space
One of the main reasons home users get a NAS is simply to have more storage capacity. NAS devices allow you to add multiple large capacity hard drives and aggregate the storage into a single volume. A 4 or 6 bay NAS with high capacity drives can provide tens of terabytes of storage space. This gives you room to grow and ensures you won’t run out of space for all your family photos, videos, music libraries, and important documents.
Businesses also need scalable storage to accommodate growing data needs. A business NAS can be expanded with additional drives or upgraded to larger drives as storage demands increase. Expanding the storage on a NAS is much simpler than upgrading capacity on multiple computers and external drives.
Automated Backups
Another major benefit of networked storage is automated backups. Manually backing up files is time consuming and easy to forget. A NAS removes this burden through scheduled backup jobs to either external drives or cloud storage.
The NAS operating system handles all the details of performing backups based on the schedule and rules you set. Having your files continually backed up provides crucial protection against data loss in case drives in the NAS fail. Backups allow you to easily recover or restore lost files and get back up and running quickly in a disaster.
Data Redundancy
Storing your critical data on a single drive has risks. If that lone drive fails, you could lose your files forever. NAS devices allow you to configure arrays of drives with redundancy to protect against drive failures.
Two common redundancy options are:
- RAID 1 (mirroring) – Writes data to two drives simultaneously so if one fails, the other still has the data.
- RAID 5 – Stripes data across multiple drives and uses distributed parity information to recover data if a drive is lost.
These RAID configurations ensure your data remains intact and continuously accessible even if a drive fails. The failed drive can simply be replaced and rebuilt in the RAID array. The redundancy of a NAS provides an important level of protection for your irreplaceable files.
Performance
While convenience and data protection are big selling points, a NAS can also provide performance benefits compared to external consumer drives. Features like link aggregation, caching, SSD read/write caching pools, and multi-core processors allow NAS devices to deliver much faster file transfer speeds. This improved performance enables you to work with stored files more efficiently.
The fast and reliable connectivity of network-attached storage is especially useful when multiple users are concurrently accessing the same data. A high-performance NAS minimizes lag and bottlenecks when collaborating on projects.
Media Server and Streaming
Many NAS devices can act as multimedia servers to stream your stored music, photos, and videos. Media server software built into the NAS operating system lets you easily find and play media files on TVs, media players, gaming consoles, and mobile devices around your home. This provides convenient whole-home access to your libraries of entertainment content.
With a NAS handling all the media storage and streaming, you can reduce reliance on subscription services. You can also avoid needing multiple computers powered on to reach your files. Everything is handled by one compact, dedicated NAS appliance.
Apps and Add-Ons
A major advantage of NAS systems is their expandability through installable applications. Many NAS operating systems allow you to add apps and services to create a customized solution tailored for your needs. Apps are available for numerous use cases like:
- File synchronization
- Automated downloading
- Home automation
- Backing up mobile devices
- Virtual machines and containers
- Website hosting
- Surveillance recording
- Email servers
- Databases
- Web browsers
- Office productivity software
These apps transform a basic file storage device into a versatile server to handle many computing tasks. With the apps optimized for NAS hardware, you can offload workloads onto your NAS rather than taxing your main computers.
Security
Data protection also involves keeping your files secure. Fortunately, NAS systems provide strong safeguards:
- Encrypted data transfer – Connections to access data are encrypted
- Encrypted volumes – Whole storage volumes can be encrypted
- Access controls – Set user permissions for folders and files
- VPN support – Allow remote connections via a virtual private network
- Firewall – Block unwanted Internet connections to the NAS
- Alert notifications – Get emails or mobile alerts about security events
These measures ensure your sensitive data remains protected from prying eyes. The network isolation and dedicated operating system of a NAS also provide inherent security advantages over typical computers.
Energy Efficiency
A NAS can also help you save on electricity costs compared to a general-purpose desktop computer. The hardware is designed specifically for low-power always-on operation rather than maximum performance. Features like disk spin-down, sleep modes, and scheduled shutdown help minimize power draw when not in active use.
Having your files centralized on a NAS allows you to turn off extra computers you may have kept powered on just to access the data. The low energy use of NAS hardware is much more economical over the long term, especially when running 24/7.
Types of NAS Devices
If you’re thinking about getting a NAS, it helps to understand the different device types and form factors available:
- Standalone NAS – Specialized computer in an enclosure just for storage. Available in both desktop and rackmount models.
- NAS server – Server hardware with pre-installed NAS operating system. More advanced capabilities for business use.
- DIY NAS – Build your own NAS by installing NAS software on commodity PC hardware.
- Portable NAS – Small enclosures with battery that allow easy relocation or remote access.
Within these types you’ll find a wide range of NAS solutions suited for personal, home office, or enterprise use. Consider how much storage you need, your budget, and what features are must-haves to narrow your options.
NAS Operating Systems
The software, or operating system (OS), that runs on a NAS hardware impacts available features and performance. Most NAS vendors have their own customized OS to optimize capabilities. Some popular NAS operating systems include:
- QNAP QTS – Rich apps and ease of use.
- Synology DSM – User-friendly with extensive packages.
- Asustor ADM – Polished OS with app focus.
- NETGEAR ReadyNAS – Flexible X-RAID expansion and read/write caching.
- FreeNAS – Open source software for DIY NAS builds.
Evaluate OS capabilities like storage management, shared access, redundancy, backups, media streaming, apps, ease of admin and use, to find software aligned with your goals.
NAS Drive Considerations
The physical hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid state drives (SSDs) installed in your NAS determine available storage capacity. Key factors to consider for NAS drives include:
- Drive format – Most NAS use 3.5″ HDDs, though 2.5″ HDDs or SSDs are options for caching or all-SSD storage.
- Drive capacity – Higher capacity drives reduce the number of drives needed.
- Drive interface – Faster SATA or SAS interfaces improve performance.
- Error correction – RAID can provide data redundancy if drives fail.
Today’s large 8TB, 10TB, 12TB, or higher capacity NAS-optimized HDDs allow massive storage without needing a huge number of physical drives. Larger spindle and cache sizes boost performance with these big drives as well.
Business / Enterprise NAS Benefits
For businesses, NAS provides essential benefits beyond basic file storage and backup:
- Improved productivity – Employees can access critical files and collaborate faster.
- IT efficiency – Centralized storage eases remote management and takes load off other servers.
- Scalability – Expanding storage is straightforward as needs grow.
- Disaster recovery – Critical business data is protected through redundancy and backup.
- Virtualization support – Many NAS integrate with virtualization for shared storage.
- Cost savings – Consolidating storage to a NAS can reduce hardware expenses.
Robust business-oriented NAS systems allow companies to leverage the same data availability, protection, and flexibility benefits that personal users enjoy. The improved productivity and capabilities ultimately result in increased bottom line profitability.
Conclusion
Network-attached storage solutions deliver a wide array of benefits that appeal to a broad range of users. The convenience and versatility of NAS make it an increasingly popular investment. Key strengths of NAS include:
- Centralized, consolidated storage
- Accessibility from many devices
- Ability to scale up storage easily
- Automated backups and redundancy
- Better performance than external drives
- Media server capabilities
- Extendable through apps
- Enhanced data protection and security
- Low power consumption
With capabilities that enhance productivity, simplify administration, keep data safe, and allow future expansion, it’s clear that NAS solutions have evolved into an indispensable tool for personal and professional users alike. As our reliance on digital data continues to accelerate, the benefits of network-attached storage will only become more pronounced. NAS removes storage bottlenecks and provides peace of mind by ensuring all your irreplaceable files are conveniently accessible and well-protected.