As an individual or an organization, one of the most important decisions that affect your work is how you store your data and files. Deciding on Data storage comes with a lot of consideration.
This, therefore, brings us to the 2 most debated types of non-local data storage:
Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Cloud Storage.
What is Network Attached Storage (NAS)?
Network Attached Storage refers to a local network, think of it as a drive on a machine in your private network. What NAS does is that it connects through ethernet to your router to a network switch and allows multiple computers to connect at the same time. It’s a perfect combination of the features of a local hard drive and cloud storage.
Network Attached Storage are more or less mini-servers, like the NAS devices used by businesses and enterprises, with its combined effect of memory and space for hard drive storage whereby you own the drive on which your data is stored and connected to a local network so that it can be accessed remotely either through connected computers, wireless devices or even on the go.
What then is Cloud Storage?
Cloud storage refers to storage somewhere online, on the internet. A storage service by some provider (e.g Google Drive, Dropbox, AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage). It involves storing your data on virtual servers that are generally hosted, maintained, and operated by third parties. Think of it as renting a virtual storage on the service provider’s infrastructure – pay-as-you-go storage.
Network Attached Storage (NAS) VS Cloud Storage
After much ado about definitions, you are most likely wondering how to decide which one to choose between the Network-attached storage vs cloud. We’ll point out a couple of areas for you to consider in your decision-making:
Sharing
Sharing on NAS and Cloud storage is quite similar, as it depends on whether you are collaborating with other people. With the cloud, you are sharing and collaborating on a Folder level using a link-sharing system, but with the NAS you have a variety of options beyond the link to the file-sharing system, you can share to any network-enabled device – Laptops, TVs, Media players, giving you diverse options. Thus giving NAS the advantage in the network-attached storage vs cloud tussle.
Ease of Setup & Access
Cloud Storage service providers usually have more user-friendly interfaces than the NAS, are easy to set up, and are easy to navigate. NAS requires more hands-on technical know-how and expertise to set up and maintain. Cloud is generally easier, requiring little more than creating an account and uploading data organized into folders. However, as aforementioned, the NAS is so much more versatile in the ways to access your data with diverse apps and tools beyond the folder access system of the Cloud. They are also available on the network in the protocol of choice, providing a single abstracted storage location across operating systems, like the Datto NAS enterprise architecture.
Security
With cloud storage, because it’s a third-party public service provider, there will always be the problem of people trying to gain access to your data. A NAS gives you the same functionality as the Cloud without handing your data over to a hosting company, thus alleviating any concerns about privacy or cost. Plus the mirroring and redundancy nature of data backup on the NAS saves you from drive failures.
So, which one should you go for between the network-attached storage vs cloud?
- If you are thinking short-term, low-capacity solution, then Cloud storage works for you.
- For longer-term, larger file access, the price and performance benefits of NAS are clear.
- The Cloud is a good choice for simple, non-large personal use while the NAS is great for Small and Medium businesses, as it has a greater depth of use and functions well with the intricacies of running a business – running a web/mail server, manipulating complex file formats and running business applications.
- In choosing between personal cloud vs network-attached storage, think about the scenarios above to guide your decision.
The Marketing Coleslaw
If you were handling the marketing for one of these two, what angle would you take?
For NAS, the security advantage would be a strong narrative to laser-focus on.
The fact that it requires some level of technical know-how may be another perspective to explore, as this is often appealing to tech-savvy, developer personas. Targeting medium-sized businesses
For Cloud, ease is such a fantastic sell!
Marketing for personal use is obviously a great way to go.
What other marketing angle can be explored?
