Network Attached Storage vs. Storage Area Network…What’s the Difference?

How do a Network Attached Storage solution and a Storage Area Network differ? Although in a sense they do work together, there are also pros and cons to each solution and choosing which one you may want to invest in may be the challenge. With today’s day and age, there are typically two technologies that are used within a company for data storage solutions.

In case you weren’t aware of the features and what exactly both of them are, a Network Attached Storage or NAS is hard disk storage device has its own network and provides data storage services to  other devices within that network. Another feature about NAS is that is it assigned to an IP address. It allows files to be accessed and served faster due to the fact that they aren’t competing for resources. It can also handle multiple network protocols. Also, in comparison a NAS is known to have a more sophisticated storage system than an SAN.

When it comes to a Storage Area Network or a SAN, some benefits include that it is high speed network that includes different data storage devices on a larger network. A SAN supports disk mirroring back up and restores data migration. When a SAN and a NAS work together it is due to the fact that a SAN incorporates sub networks within a NAS.

Another feature of SAN is that it’s a type of local area network or LAN that is designed to handle large data transfers.  So if you are a larger company that is used to sending bigger files at a faster rate, a SAN may be the best option for you. A NAS is known for handling multiple network protocols while a SAN handles low level network protocols. A main advantage over NAS is SAN’s high performance rate

For more information, contact AeroCom to find our preferred SAN or NAS provider with the best quotes and pricing.