If you're looking to keep your data safe and accessible, NAS servers are an ideal choice for your home or business network. With so many options to consider, understanding what NAS servers are, and a little about their features, can help you make an informed decision.

What's a NAS Device?

Network attached storage devices, or NAS devices, are file storage devices that are connected to your network, and are always on. The data on them remains accessible to anyone on the network who has the permission to access it. You can also, set your data to back up continuously.

NAS Devices vs. External Hard Drives

Many routers allow you to connect an external hard drive for shared access, but NAS drives offer more—they're computers, not just hard drives. NAS drives can be used as streaming servers, as host storage for remote users, to back your data up onto cloud storage servers, and to run apps.

NAS Backups and Data Redundancy

NAS servers often contain multiple NAS drive trays�that house individual hard drives. The NAS device's operating system can use the trays to make copies of your data automatically. This redundancy ensures that there's no loss of data in the event of the failure of one drive.

Choosing a NAS Drive

As with all hard drive purchases, you'll want to consider how much data you need to back up, and decide on storage size. Fortunately, many servers allow you to switch out hard drives and increase the size of your server in the future. You can also opt for a NAS enclosure�only, and add drives to your setup yourself. Having more drives available allows for greater redundancy in the event of a hard drive failure. The more precious your data, the more drive bays and drives you'll want to have available for data redundancy.

If you want to access the server using phones or tablets, you'll want to make sure it supports that protocol. Some servers also offer extra precautionary features, such as waterproofing, fireproofing, and theft protection to safeguard your data further.

If you want to ensure your data is both easy to access and well protected, B&H Photo and Video has a wide selection of NAS servers to consider.

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Capacity Capacity indicates the amount of storage on a drive. It is most commonly expressed in either terabytes (TB) or gigabytes (GB). Capacity is important because it indicates how much data can be stored on a particular drive.

Bays A drive bay is a designated area inside a computer case, cabinet, or enclosure for attaching hardware, such as disk drives. Bays indicates the total number of drive bays in a particular unit.

Raid Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) is a subsystem of drives used to boost performance, add fault tolerance, or both. There are multiple RAID configurations (RAID 0, RAID 1, etc.), each with its own set of features and performance.

Interface Interface indicates the number and type of connection a particular device supports. For example, a device with 5x USB 3.1 connections can interface with 5 different USB 3.1-compatible devices.

Drive Speed/Type The Drive Speed/Type indicates the speed and type of storage used for non-volatile memory. A drive?s speed is measured in rpm (revolutions per minute). Greater the rpm, the faster data can be exchanged with a drive.

Form Factor Form Factor indicates the physical specifications, applications, and inherent features of a particular device.

Max Data Transfer Rate Max Data Transfer Rate indicates the highest possible data transmission speed of a particular device or channel. Max data transfer rates are measured in bits or bytes per second. Higher max data transfer rates support more complex tasks, such as online streaming.

Processor Type The Processor Type indicates the series, generation, and inherent specifications of the processor being used by the computer. Processor types reveal important features about the computer, such as number of cores and performance.

Processor Speed Processor Speed indicates how quickly a computer can process data and complete tasks. Typically, processor speeds are measured in gigahertz (GHz). The greater the speed, the faster a computer can process data, thus enabling tasks to be completed more quickly.

Networking Protocols Networking Protocols are sets of rules and procedures for transmitting data between devices. Knowing which networking protocols a particular device supports indicates the types of devices it can communicate (transmit data) with.

Buffer Buffer is a reserve area of memory used for preloading data before it is processed. Having more buffer memory can lead to improved performance and efficiency of certain applications, including streaming content and playback.

Green Compliance Green Compliance indicates whether a device is certified as energy-efficient as defined by a specific organization and its list of standards.

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An Overview of NAS Servers

What's a NAS Device?

NAS Devices vs. External Hard Drives

NAS Backups and Data Redundancy

Choosing a NAS Drive

Capacity

Capacity indicates the amount of storage on a drive. It is most commonly expressed in either terabytes (TB) or gigabytes (GB). Capacity is important because it indicates how much data can be stored on a particular drive.

Bays

A drive bay is a designated area inside a computer case, cabinet, or enclosure for attaching hardware, such as disk drives. Bays indicates the total number of drive bays in a particular unit.

Raid

Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) is a subsystem of drives used to boost performance, add fault tolerance, or both. There are multiple RAID configurations (RAID 0, RAID 1, etc.), each with its own set of features and performance.

Interface

Interface indicates the number and type of connection a particular device supports. For example, a device with 5x USB 3.1 connections can interface with 5 different USB 3.1-compatible devices.

Drive Speed/Type

The Drive Speed/Type indicates the speed and type of storage used for non-volatile memory. A drive?s speed is measured in rpm (revolutions per minute). Greater the rpm, the faster data can be exchanged with a drive.

Form Factor

Form Factor indicates the physical specifications, applications, and inherent features of a particular device.

Max Data Transfer Rate

Max Data Transfer Rate indicates the highest possible data transmission speed of a particular device or channel. Max data transfer rates are measured in bits or bytes per second. Higher max data transfer rates support more complex tasks, such as online streaming.

Processor Type

The Processor Type indicates the series, generation, and inherent specifications of the processor being used by the computer. Processor types reveal important features about the computer, such as number of cores and performance.

Processor Speed

Processor Speed indicates how quickly a computer can process data and complete tasks. Typically, processor speeds are measured in gigahertz (GHz). The greater the speed, the faster a computer can process data, thus enabling tasks to be completed more quickly.

Networking Protocols

Networking Protocols are sets of rules and procedures for transmitting data between devices. Knowing which networking protocols a particular device supports indicates the types of devices it can communicate (transmit data) with.

Buffer

Buffer is a reserve area of memory used for preloading data before it is processed. Having more buffer memory can lead to improved performance and efficiency of certain applications, including streaming content and playback.

Green Compliance

Green Compliance indicates whether a device is certified as energy-efficient as defined by a specific organization and its list of standards.