Every PC comes with a hard disk, but if you’re building a small business network you’ll need additional storage that can be shared and protected on your network.
In this feature we look at some of the technologies behind network storage products and how to deploy the hardware and software involved for maximum benefit.
Fortunately the “what” of storage is a “no-brainer”, whether in a desktop PC or on the Lan. What you need are hard disks, and enough of them and with sufficient capacity, to not just hold your current data, but also provide room for future expansion.
It’s where to put them on a network that’s the real issue, the aim being to make the storage easily accessible and simple to manage, without having to spend a fortune.
Not necessarily a server
The usual knee-jerk reaction in many small businesses is to rush out and buy a
file server. Indeed, call in a small business IT consultant and that’s what the
majority will recommend. However, think carefully before you go down this route,
especially if it is purely storage sharing you’re after as, no matter what you
might be told, servers don’t come cheap.
Sure, you’ll find server packages from Dell, HP, IBM and others, marketed specifically at the small business buyer and with tempting price tags that start around £200 (ex Vat). However, “start” is the key word here, and there’s a lot more you’ll need to add.
Most small business servers, for example, come with just one relatively small hard disk, which will mean having to spend a lot more to get the space and redundancy you need. More importantly, the only way a server can be sold at this kind of price is to make the operating system an optional extra. Of course, if you’re geared up and happy to run with Linux, that won’t be a major expense, but business buyers opting for the more familiar Windows Server platform will end up doubling the original price, and more.
Bear in mind, too, that what you get in the end is a general purpose server able to do a lot more than just share files. That’s fine if you want to host your own email server, databases and so on, but if you don’t, you’ll be spending a lot of money on features you simply don’t need.
If it’s just storage you want then there’s a strong argument to be made in favour of looking at products that deliver just that. More specifically, what most small businesses should start with is a Nas, or Network Attached Storage, appliance.
Simpler storage
Nas appliances can be plugged into the Lan to share files using the same
protocols as a general purpose Windows server. However, that’s all they do and
you don’t have to know anything about the software involved or how it’s
configured. It might be Linux, it might be Windows or something else entirely.
It really doesn’t matter, as it all comes ready to run, and any management
required is done via a web browser.
An appliance will also fit into your network no matter whether it’s workgroup or domain based, or what users are using, with most offering support for a mix of Windows, Apple Mac and Linux clients.
Appliances come in a wide range of capacities, from single disk devices to those where the storage can be measured in terabytes, with additional performance and redundancy features such as support for disk arrays (see boxout, right) to rival what can be done with a high end Windows or Linux server.
