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DAS vs NAS Storage System: What’s the Difference?
Both DAS and NAS storage systems have their own benefits, and you may be troubled by how to choose from them. I will introduce them in this article.
By Crystal / Updated on July 15, 2022
DAS vs NAS storage introduction
Whether you are an individual user or running a business, you must have generated a lot of data since you started using computers. It is important to choose an efficient and secure way to store them. The DAS and NAS storage system may be your standby options. But how to choose from them?
In this article, I will compare the difference between them. Before we start, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of DAS and NAS storage system.
What is DAS (pros and cons)
DAS (Direct Attached Storage) refers to the storage device which is permanently attached to the host desktop computer.
The DAS system holds multiple hard disk drives in a single enclosure, which is directly connected to a machine through an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).
The components of DAS system contain storage devices, cables, disk array, protocol, and storage protocols such as ATA, SCSI, SAS, SASA, FC.
Advantages
- High performance.
- Low cost.
- Low Internet dependency.
- The easiest of external hard drives.
Disadvantages
- Different user groups cannot access the data.
- No data redundancy level options.
- Limited growth and scalability
What is NAS Server (pros and cons)
NAS (Network Attached Storage) refers to the self-contained storage device that is attached on the Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). It is used for sharing of data among different users attached to the network.
The file systems of NAS are contained in storage drives that are logical and redundant, using file access protocols exposed to the internal network to allow clients to attach to the NAS, thereby providing storage and access to data from a central location for authorized network users and other client groups.
The components of NAS system contain head unit (CPU, memory), Network Interface Card (NIC), optimized operating system, protocols, and storage protocols such as ATA, SCSI, FC.
Advantages
- Sharing between virtually unlimited numbers of hosts.
- Efficient use of data storage resources.
- Easy scalability.
- Better data redundancy.
Disadvantages
- High Internet dependency.
- High latency.
- Need more administrator management.
DAS vs NAS storage system: What’s the difference
Read this far, you must have already known what DAS and NAS exactly are. But to choose from them, you may still need a clear comparison between DAS and NAS storage systems.
Therefore, I will offer you a comparison table to show the difference of DAS vs NAS storage system in this part. Before you start, please note that in the table below, “+” means “Higher”, and “-” means “Lower”.
| DAS | NAS | |
| Full name | Direct Attached Storage | Network Attached Storage |
| Internet dependency | - | + |
| Network sharing | - | + |
| Performance | + | - |
| Stability | + | - |
| Cost | - | + |
| Scalability | - | + |
| Complexity | - | + |
| Data redundancy | - | + |
DAS vs NAS storage: How to choose
Both DAS and NAS system have different pros and cons. To make a good choice between them, you may first need to evaluate your requirements of capacity, budget, performance, scalability, dedicated IT staff, etc. For example:
- How much data you need to store?
- How much money you are ready to spend?
- How much latency you can tolerant?
- How much data will you need to store in 5-10 years from now?
- …
The best use case scenario for DAS system are small to medium-sized businesses with a limited budget and few IT staff or resources to maintain a complex system, and only need to share data locally. For them, NAS or SAN can be a significant investment and is a sophisticated solution that’s typically reserved for serious large-scale computing needs.
The best use case scenario for NAS system are SMBs and organizations that are growing quickly, need to scale quickly, need to share across distance and collaborate or support a lot of system users and activity at once. They need a minimal-maintenance, reliable and flexible storage system that can quickly scale up as needed to accommodate new users or growing data.
✎Related Tips: Back up important data to NAS
With all the benefits of NAS, it is also a good idea to back up computer data or SQL database to NAS. You can try AOMEI Centralized Backupper, which can back up all Windows machines on the network to a NAS device.
Summary
It may not be easy to choose the right way to store your data may, especially when you are standing for a business. In this article, I introduced the pros and cons of DAS vs NAS storage system, and compared the differences between DAS vs NAS. Hope it could be helpful to you.
