Big DataNews & Analysis

Six Things SMBs Should Know Before Buying NAS Devices

SMB

All small and medium businesses have bigger aspirations. Whether a business is a sole proprietor proving financial service or a retail store that employs five or six people, what is important for all businesses is the data captured or generated. This data can give important numbers or metrics which can help in streamlining the business and projecting better business plans.

Since this data is of high importance it needs to be secure and accessible from anywhere, anytime. Not having centralized data for access many times companies may not offer their customers with the expected level of service. Bad customer service, sales loss or team collaboration issues are an example which can happen when data is not available. Another important issue is the potential loss of financial benefits if the customer cannot wait for the data outage to be corrected. Apart from these, small-medium businesses also face different storage related needs like increased data storage cost, ease of operation in absence of technical staff and scalability of storage without burdening the budget. There are many places in which the need for more data storage has become an important factor in running SMB organizations.

They need more online storage space to archive their emails. Likewise, the requirements of storage space of the database also need to be promoted. These are examples of ways to maximize data piling for small business organizations that need to be looked after.

So what are the most cost-efficient, secure and simple storage solutions that provide SMBs access to data on any device? These days, wherever you turn, there is news about businesses migrating to the cloud or running software and systems remotely via the Internet. Cloud backup is a great possibility to provide additional redundancy and security for those businesses that need to confirm their data. There are some business methods for backing up data, and one can use several strategies to confirm files as needed.

Cloud backup is an excellent alternative to providing additional redundancy and security for businesses who want to ensure their important data is available. In the simple term Cloud backup is a standard archive solution that retrieves information and data that can be tampered with or removed. This device prevents information from losing information after failing or checking on theft. When it comes to important information, it is important for businesses to ensure that their data is safe and backed up.

Therefore, business needs a backup solution that provides maximum ease of use and compatibility across all the mediums and platforms that need and use. Network attached system (NAS) system offers SMBs excellent and backup capabilities which are affordable and easy to use.

Here’s what to look for when shopping for small-medium business NAS.

The NAS Storage or Network Attached Storage is an essential path for Small Medium business to share and recover information. There are numerous reasons why NAS devices are considered more reliable for SMB storage use.

1. Ease of use

The NAS devices are very simple to use and you can install them without requiring any external assistance. When selecting a NAS you should consider the NAS operating system’s overall design and operation, making sure that the interface is one that you will want to use again and again.

2. Capacity

When selecting a NAS to create your own personal cloud storage space, the storage capacity you need is a very important point to consider. Depending on how many employees you have and how much data you are creating, you will want a NAS device that holds a large amount of data so one should go for, which features online capacity expansion which allows growing the storage capacity of the system as your needs increase

3. Disk

When selecting a NAS you should take into account the amount of storage space that you need and the RAID level that you wish to use. When creating a RAID 1 volume, a NAS with at least 2 drive bays is required so devices which provide online capacity expansion and online RAID migration helps users to effortlessly meet future expansion needs. Because disks are more expensive, they typically offer longer warranties than desktop drives do, so you are protected for a longer period of time if things go wrong with your drive.

4. Security

As a NAS is normally connected to the Internet, you will need to take note of the type of security mechanisms that your prospective device offers. The type of security mechanisms to look for includes secure connections, data encryption, firewall, and antivirus.

5. Speed & Power Consumption

Nothing is worse than a transfer that seems too long. You would like to check the speed of reading your NAS devices. A good NAS device will do slightly more than 100 Mbps per second and some can run on the Turbo up to 120 Mbps. Most NAS devices will run above 80 Mbps. A NAS primarily provides service continuously; therefore, a stable and energy efficient device should be one of the important points to consider especially for businesses. While buying NAS devices, especially if you want to keep your energy costs low, you want a NAS device that makes it easy to use different types of power control mechanisms that allow users to save sufficient amounts of electricity gives.

6. Service

After choosing the appropriate NAS for your budget and needs, you will have to consider the product warranty and quality of post-sale service. Does NAS contain detailed user manuals and tutorials? Are there regular firmware updates with new features? Are there many channels for technical support? Does technical support staff provide timely and supportive support? Be sure to select a NAS which provides service with all these features.

NAS is a wonderful machine that is right for any person who wants to store large amounts of data and wants to be able to access it from anywhere. If you are tilted to your home computer and only access files from there, you can see setting up RAID arrays instead of the NAS, but with small and medium-sized organizations, people who are often running when working, will love the flexibility and speed a NAS offers. 

Leave a Response