Why should every home have a Network Accessible Storage Device?
As advances in technology continue apace we find ourselves with an ever increasing number of internet enabled devices. It is not unusual for a typical home to have a PC, a couple of laptops, smartphones, iPads, games consoles, satellite tv and any number of devices on which music/radio can be enjoyed.
It is now possible to share data (email, files, video, music) across all these devices but it can be extremely complex, until that is, a decision is made to hold data on a single device which can be accessed by any other.
Historically this necessitated the purchase of a server which was not only expensive but also required considerable expertise to configure and maintain. However, the last couple of years have seen the emergence of NAS (Network Accessible Storage) devices.
The latest generation of these NAS boxes is far more powerful than may be thought and many are capable of streaming high definition video, music and data across multiple devices simultaneously.
This means you can be watching a home movie on TV whilst another member of the household is listening to music, another is editing a photograph and another is watching a different movie on an iPad. All the data being stored on the NAS drive.
There are many other benefits available depending on your budget. Some NAS drives are accessible via the internet meaning you can access data from anywhere in the world provided you have access to a computer with an internet connection.
Some have built in backup tools that enable data to be stored securely online or on a portable device that can be kept at another location. One particularly manufacturer also offers apps which can be installed to increase functionality.
Many offer what is called disk redundancy. This means that data is stored and shared across a number of additional disk drives. If one fails/breaks then data is still safe on the other drive. The faulty drive is then replaced to restore the redundancy function. If you have ever lost data in the past you will certainly appreciate how fantastic this particular function is.
Nearly every home in the country with more than one computer would benefit from owning a NAS drive. Centralising your files in one place opens up a massive range of exciting opportunities for using it on any internet enabled device of your choice. It also makes the job of upgrading much simpler as well.
For advice on the right Network Accessible Storage to fit your requirements, installation services and the many available options available please call us on 01258 858466.