Welcome to “Network Storage Types.” After reading this article, you will be able to:

Also visit:  Types of Hosted Storage and Sharing

• Explain what a SAN does.
• Explain what a NAS does.
• List the differences between

Network storage

Network storage is digital storage that all users on a network can access.

• Small networks might rely on a single device for the storage needs of 1-5 people.
• Large networks (like the internet) must rely on hundreds of datacenters full of servers.

Storage Area Network, or SAN

A Storage Area Network, or SAN, combines servers, storage systems, switches, software, and services to provide secure, robust data transfers. SANs: Have better application performance. Are central and consolidated. Are offsite so data is protected and ready for recovery. And include simple, centralized management of connections and settings.

Network Attached Storage, or NAS

A Network Attached Storage, or NAS, device is a local file server. It acts as a hard drive for all devices on a local network. NAS devices provide: Convenient sharing across network devices. Better performance through RAID configuration, remote access, and they work when the Internet is down.

A NAS is a connected storage device that is local to the network it serves. A SAN is a storage system that involves many devices and connections across multiple sites. NAS devices are: Attached to a single site, less expensive, easier to manage, they appear as a network-attached drive, use Ethernet, do not scale, and have a single point of failure.

SANs: Can span multiple sites, are more expensive, harder to manage, they appear as a local drive, use fiber, are easily scalable, and are fault tolerant.

Summary

In this article, you learned that: NAS is a local device that acts as a file server for all devices on a local network. A SAN is a complete networking system that enables efficient and secure storage. And NAS and SAN are different because NAS is local to its network while a SAN is a storage system that spans multiple offsite locations and involves many devices, servers, and connections.