14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when servers were the only things that could act as storage hubs for networks, and connected PCs had to store most things on their own HDDs, but network-attached storage devices, like the series that Seagate has just introduced, have changed that.
Network-attached storage devices are computers, of a sort, whose sole purpose is to hold one or more hard disk drives of high capacity.
They look rather like boxes with cables sticking out of them, though it usually only takes a LAN plug for its role to be fully carried out.
The Seagate Business Storage NAS lineup that Seagate has just released includes single-bay, 2-bay and 4-bay models, leading to capacities of 2 TB to 16 TB.
That makes the smallest price $199.99 / 199.99 Euro and the largest price $1,499.99 / 1,499.99 Euro.
But we digress. The network-attached storage (NAS) product line for small office/home office (SOHO) can back up the data on any PC or Mac computer.
On that note, the units can be used in remote mobile office (RMO) and small to medium-sized business organizations as well (SMBs).
They even have data protection measures, notably hardware encryption for data that should never be seen by outsiders.
Additionally, we should mention that devices running the Android operating system can be used to access the stored data as well.
This is because the Seagate Business Storage NAS devices essentially behave like private clouds, and cloud servers can be reached over the Internet, so it doesn't ultimately matter if the phone, tablet or PC is part of the same local area network as it.
Finally, the company has implemented a Universal Storage Module (USM) slot, which lets plug-and-play removable external drives be hooked up to it.
“Seagate has designed this new networked attached storage to address the changing needs that a growing small business faces,” said Scott Horn, vice president of marketing for Seagate.
“We are excited for our small business customers to get their hands on this innovative new product. We have added features that will give them additional flexibility in data access and workflow, along with the peace of mind that comes with the Seagate brand.”