Only recently, with the introduction of SATA (Serial ATA), has that cavernous gorge started to narrow. There’s more of a continuum now as near-line SATA drives serve secondary storage needs in higher-end environments. Newfound reliability and accompanying affordability is pushing desktop storage technology into other markets as evidenced by the explosion of external hard drive and network storage appliances with new and exciting features.

Thorough and powerful, Mirra combines hardware, software, and Web access to make the Personal Server a versatile network storage device.

These emerging devices are part of an initiative known as “information lifecycle management,” which is becoming more popular as businesses work with increasing amounts of digital data. According to Ed Broderick of the Robert Frances Group, IT decision-makers in small and medium businesses should consider a tiered storage strategy in order to effectively manage such a deluge of information. For example, a server equipped with SCSI storage hardware might host online information—data that’s immediately accessible by accounting, inventory tracking, and collaborative software. In turn, that server is backed up to a network storage device equipped with near-line SATA hard drives. Data access isn’t as fast, but client machines connected to the network have can access that information without bogging down the server with requests. Moreover, critical files are duplicated in the event of a server failure, and downtime is consequentially limited. Another copy is saved to external hard drives, which can then be rotated offsite for additional security.

As you can see, the tiered structure utilizes multiple storage technologies in a design that’s simultaneously optimized for performance, accessibility, and, because less expensive drives populate the bottom rungs, cost. Fortunately, that category of network storage is more attractive than ever thanks to falling hardware prices and heated competition. But before you decide to start pitching network storage to your business customers, let’s take a look at the technology’s benefits.

Defining Network Storage

Network storage takes on a couple of different forms, and within each of those there are subdivisions catering to different customer needs. The upper echelon is dominated by SAN (Storage Area Networks), a sub-network of shared storage devices accessible to clients and servers. Because the components in a SAN communicate across their own network, bandwidth available to client computers isn’t needlessly occupied.
NAS (Network Attached Storage) consists either of storage devices directly connected to a network with an intermediate server delegating access or as an appliance with its own embedded operating system and platform, readily accessible to network clients with the sole purpose of storing data. It’s usually a more attractive option for small and medium business customers because the costs associated with acquiring and administering NAS are much lower than a beefy SAN.

For the sake of comparison, DAS (Direct Attached Storage) represents those components that connect to a host server or workstation. Hard drives themselves are DAS devices, as are tape drives. There’s a good chance that many of your customers, especially those who are familiar with the need to backup data but haven’t followed technological trends, still rely on tape to archive information. And while I’m very much a proponent of SMB customers using external hard drives in rotation to store mission-critical data, the many faces of network storage are also attractive—even more so when you consider the accessibility options that they afford.

Selling Network Storage

With an understanding of what network storage is and why a business (or even an enterprising individual) would want it, you are better equipped to evaluate different products and services to determine the most marketable capabilities. The concept of NAS is relatively straightforward, but manufacturers add all sorts of bells and whistles in order to pique your interest. Some of them go over well with larger customers, who’ll have 15 or 20 different client systems logging on locally, while others appeal to mobile individuals who’d like to access their information 3,000 miles away. Believe it or not, there are plenty of products in both categories that cost way less than that those budget servers offered by larger OEMs.

One of the primary benefits of network storage is that it’s always on. A DAS device is only usable if its host is also active. NAS, on the other hand, is accessible by any client machine at any time. While your average home user might be ambivalent to accessibility, business customers are much more likely to appreciate that ability.

Quick and secure, NDAS technology makes Ximeta’s NetDisk Wireless appear as a local drive on client systems with the appropriate driver installed.

Along the same lines, when a DAS device connected to a server is accessed, that machine’s valuable resources are consumed. If the server is running Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 with Exchange Server 2003 or some other combination of demanding applications, adding file sharing and backup to an already taxed piece of hardware certainly won’t have a positive impact on its efficiency. A NAS device conversely handles storage exclusively. Thus its corresponding hardware and software are all tightly integrated and specialized for that one purpose. And while servers are operating system and file system dependant, NAS devices are completely universal, negating the effect of an environment populated by multiple platforms.

Data security is also of the utmost importance in today’s sensitive business networks. Admittedly, each network storage device addresses that issue in a different way, but most include at least some provision for data protection. Generally, security can be drawn as tight as an individual or organization wants it to be.

Hands-On Network Storage

Over the past month or so, I’ve been exploring different network storage devices and testing their features and capabilities. Perhaps the best choice for customers with accessibility needs at multiple locations is Mirra’s Personal Server (www.mirra.com). From a hardware perspective, the Personal Server is little more than a downscaled PC in a snazzy enclosure. However, the included software package makes it possible to share files, enable Web access, and synchronize multiple clients. It also automatically backs up the files that you specify–even the open ones.

So let’s say that you install a Mirra Personal Server on a network with three clients. One of them handles accounting, another is responsible for creating architectural drawings, and the third doesn’t host any vital information. By installing Mirra’s software on the first two computers and selecting the appropriate directories to protect, you’re ensured continuous backup of that data. The network hardware will save up to eight versions of the same files and all without intervention. And that third computer won’t even see the Personal Server in Windows’ Network Neighborhood. Only systems with the software can read and write to the storage device, addressing the need for data security.

Another of the Personal Server’s useful features is file sharing over the Internet. Any file or directory saved on the Mirra hardware can be designated a share and accessed by certain users or email addresses through Mirra’s Web site. Let’s say each employee has his or her own directory on the Personal Server with 100MB of storage space. If they need a saved document from their work machine, they can log in securely at www.mirra.com from anywhere and retrieve their file.

The only real caveat is that the baseline 80GB model isn’t much for a moderately busy network. Mirra also sells 120GB and 250GB versions, but at $499 and $749 respectively, they’re pretty expensive products.

Another option that might appeal to customers who’d like more performance and won’t necessarily need to access their data remotely is Ximeta’s NetDisk Wireless (www.ximeta.com). Sporting all of the same functionality that you’d see in a wireless router, including 802.11g, WEP/WPA security, four 10/100 Ethernet ports, and a DHCP server, Ximeta adds a 160GB hard drive, making the NetDisk a one-stop shop for network connectivity and storage.

The feature that Ximeta is most proud of, though, is its NDAS technology. If you remember back to my earlier discussion of networked storage, you’ll recall that DAS describes devices directly connected to a host, such as a tape or hard disk drive. NDAS is similar in that it allows the NetDisk to appear as a local drive under My Computer, even though it isn’t physically connected. Performance subsequently improves versus competing products since there’s no TCP/IP overhead and only the systems with NDAS drivers recognize the device. Ximeta’s latest set of drivers really improve usability by enabling simultaneous reads and writes across networked clients.

Simple and inexpensive, D-Link’s DSM-604H serves as a basic, always-on repository for data and can be accessed online through an included FTP server.

If you want a simpler product, check out D-Link’s Central Home Drive or ASUS’s WL-HDD 2.5 Wireless Media Storage. The former is a standalone 40GB repository that resides on your network. It’s always on and easy to set up. A built-in FTP server enables access to files over the Internet, while onboard USB 2.0 ports provide for easy expansion through external hard drives. The D-Link Central Home Drive is otherwise fairly free of frills, but it clocks in with respectable value at under $100.

ASUS’s solution is a little flashier. It’s basically a 2.5” hard drive enclosure with wireless access point functionality. Unfortunately, that means you’re the one who has to buy (or recycle) a laptop hard drive. But once it’s up and running, the 802.11g unit is responsive enough to stream either audio or video and the WL-HDD 2.5 is small enough to be considered truly portable.

When All Else Fails, Go Cheap

It isn’t always necessary to spend top dollar on new hardware when older components will do the trick. A customer looking for basic network storage—an aging computer laden with multiple hard drives shared across a LAN, for example—may be best served recycling one of their client systems, cleaning out its irrelevant software, buying an extra hard drive or two, and investing in a replacement workstation. They’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of network storage on a limited budget in addition to the performance of a modernized client machine. Hey, it isn’t the most glamorous solution, but we’re gunning for effectiveness here, right?

In Retrospect

There’s a lot of value in a product that only needs to be configured once, in many cases backs up data automatically, is accessible globally, and costs less than $400. Furthermore, the fact that there is a wide range of networked hardware devices priced even more attractively and with other unique features really signifies how far the industry has come in enabling compelling storage technology for every receptive market.

Of course, there are other factors you’ll also have to weigh. Will your customer be better served by network storage or a DAS device, be it tape or an external hard drive? How much do they want to spend? How big is the network in question? All of those factors will come into play as you generate a customized profile for your customer’s needs. By devising a simple tiered storage structure, though, you protect their information, maximize performance, and minimize cost.