Achieving these goals requires a high-speed mechanism for filing and retrieving vital business data. Enter Network-Attached Storage (NAS), which moves storage out from behind the server and puts it directly on the transport network. These specialized storage devices have many benefits to offer over file server systems and can provide businesses with an easy-to-deploy solution for resolving cross platform issues and speeding access to stored files.

"The NAS concept has been around a long time," says Phil Sargeant, Gartner Australia's vice-president for storage. "When NAS was first introduced it was a file server used for sharing files between lots of users. Generally it is viewed as a cheaper way to deploy storage. As it matured, it has been used for databases."

Simply put, NAS is a server dedicated to file sharing, a way for companies to add storage without deploying more servers. One of the most cost-effective storage solutions, NAS is often deployed by companies looking to take the burden off heavily-used servers and assist with business continuity.

"NAS is a way of adding storage without disturbing or modifying existing server infrastructure," says Demetri Christodoulou, Adaptec regional manager Australia, New Zealand and South Asia. "No one wants to mess with the expensive back-end products," Christodoulou says.

"Companies that look at NAS have existing services for their business and want to add more storage - they don't want more servers or SANs, they want more storage, archives and backups. They want to get into systems without interfering with the back line. NAS is an add-on, not an interference to the network. NAS does not need to be fast - you just plug in NAS and integrate it with existing server - it takes all the security and commands from existing server structure."