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Network-attached storage (NAS) is a file-level data storage server that’s connected and accessible through a network of computers and users.
In NAS systems, the data storage is centralized and accessible by multiple users using a local area network (LAN) through an Ethernet connection, making it easier for companies and businesses to access their data remotely.
See below to learn all about the global NAS market:
See more: 5 Top Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Trends
NAS market
The NAS market was valued at $25.08 billion in 2021. Forecast to maintain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.3% over the period from 2021 to 2028, it’s estimated to reach $91.23 billion by the end of it.
Several regions are driving growth in the NAS market:
- The North American market is the largest, with the U.S. holding 30% of the market
- The Asia-Pacific market is the fastest-growing region
- The European NAS market is forecast for a CAGR of 15.8% over the period from 2020 to 2026
- India is projected for a CAGR of 18.6% during the period from 2020 to 2026
- South Korea is expected to maintain a CAGR of 19.1% over the period from 2020 to 2026
By industry vertical, over 50% of the NAS market is occupied by the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), IT and telecommunications, and retail. Other industries contributing to the market demand include:
- Health care
- Energy and utility
- Government
- Manufacturing
NAS features
NAS servers come in three types depending on a variety of features and capabilities, such as storage capacity, supported hard drive user interface, bandwidth, and client connectivity.
Enterprise-level NAS servers
Enterprise-level NAS server solutions are designed to handle massive amounts of storage up to 1,000 TB. They also allow more than 1,000 users to connect and access it.
Enterprise NAS operates on a large bandwidth and has high processing speeds. They’re easily scalable and can be used for streaming large volumes of data, including virtual machine imaging.
Mid-market NAS servers
Mid-market NAS solutions are the most in-demand type on the market. They’re capable of supporting storage up to 64 TB and allowing simultaneous access for hundreds of users and clients at a time.
While considerably smaller than their enterprise-level counterparts, mid-market NAS servers are more affordable. They can be used to host applications, support email systems, and video processing and editing.
Consumer-level NAS servers
Consumer-level NAS servers are the cheapest among the options and the smallest in physical and storage size. They’re manufactured with the needs of individual users and small businesses in mind, allowing up to 20 clients to access and usually don’t go higher than 20 TB in storage.
Individuals can use consumer-level NAS servers to access their data remotely, share and synchronize files, and for media streaming and processing.
Benefits of NAS
NAS servers offer several benefits when it comes to convenient data access, cost-effectiveness, and saving time.
Other benefits of using NAS servers include:
- Centralized file storage and access
- Automated setup and backup
- Reduced hardware maintenance and purchase costs
- Built-in security and data protection
- Large storage capacity
- Remote data access
NAS use cases
Companies use NAS solutions as an alternative to legacy systems and small-scale, offline storage.
Here are some ways NAS can be used to solve storage issues:
Arvato Systems
Arvato Systems is a global provider of IT and multicloud services based in Germany. It helps over 500 of its clients in 25 countries transform their businesses by optimizing their data storage as well as processing infrastructures and solutions.
One client, a media and entertainment company, needed Arvato to improve how it manages millions of customers and their subscriptions. Working with NetApp, Arvato was able to unify the company’s data workflows and standardize them for all NAS and network file system (NFS)-based storage tasks.
“Storing and managing data across clouds must be highly efficient and effective for providers,” says Hansjörg Metzger, CIO, Arvato Systems.
“Customers want to consume data, like water from a tap. With NetApp software in our data fabric, we can be sure data flows as needed.”
TTT Corporation
TTT Corporation is a construction, architecture, and interior decoration company in Vietnam. Founded in 1992 and with over two decades of experience, TTT works to meet strict deadlines and international quality standards in its renovation and construction services.
Using legacy systems that combine a file server with public cloud storage made it hard and time consuming to manage the company’s growing data. TTT needed a solution to manage and easily access client data.
Working with Synology, TTT was able to ensure minimal downtime on a private cloud and use snapshot replication to protect against data loss and corruption.
“Then we looked for private cloud solutions which support quick data restore and easy file sharing. … Synology NAS is the best alternative to traditional file servers and public cloud storage,” says Tú Võ, IT manager, TTT Corporation.
“[Synology Drive] helps us save USD $68,000 per year of the cloud subscription fee.”
Intersect Australia
Intersect Australia is a nonprofit and eResearch support agency. It works with researchers and universities, helping them increase and accelerate their impact by providing them with the right technologies and resources.
Intersect’s infrastructure was no longer able to support the amount of data and access researchers require for a variety of analyses. It needed a platform to support the storage and access of a vast amount of data for researchers from around the globe to collaborate effectively.
Using Hitachi Vantara’s fully integrated platform, including Hitachi NAS Platform (HNAS), Hitachi Content Platform (HCP), and Hitachi Unified Storage (HUS).
“We need to provide a high-bandwidth environment and error recovery with self-repairing software that ensures no loss of data and a very low file-corruption rate,” says Ian Gibson, CEO of Intersect Australia.
“Hitachi provided us with those software features, and we are now able to manage vast amounts of scientific information.”
NAS providers
Some of the leading providers of NAS servers include:
- Dell Technologies
- Synology
- NetApp
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
- Hitachi Vantara
- NETGEAR
- IBM
- QNAP Systems
- Seagate
- Buffalo Technology
See more: The Storage Area Network (SAN) Market
