Storage administrators may not find it easy to make a network-attached storage (NAS) purchase. They must consider the features, performance, price, service, upgradeability and a host of other issues to select the best product for each specific installation. It's easy to get lost in the hype -- and you can help them avoid buyer's regret by following the following best practices.
Take a hard look at long-term storage needs: Storage demands are growing at a substantial rate, and you should help customers look ahead to see how a prospective purchase suits their data storage needs in several years. Explain how the prospective NAS device (and the vendor) will suit those needs over time. Explore potential upgrade paths to learn how future updates will impact storage performance and total costs.
Consider how network-attached storage data will be protected: It's not enough to simply drop data on a NAS disk. You must help customers define how NAS data will be backed up. One option is internal RAID within the NAS device itself, though snapshot and replication technologies are also common. If you intend to use RAID within the NAS device, it will impact the total storage capacity of the device. If you wish to take snapshots or replicate data outside of the NAS, adequate storage must also be available to support those procedures. Follow analyst recommendations and get a NAS device that supports the Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) to ensure compatibility with backup products.
Consider infrastructure changes: Once a network-attached storage box is online, it will start being utilized -- eventually resulting in heavier traffic on its network segment. Heavy data transfers can easily overwhelm a LAN. Understand the implications of traffic changes on the intended network segment, and plan to accommodate upgrades or infrastructure changes that might be needed to achieve best performance. For example, adding a stand-alone NAS to a lightly used network segment may require a move from 100 Mbps Ethernet to 1 Gbps Ethernet, or move from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps Ethernet in busier environments. You can also offer to help with network planning.
Explain how network-attached storage support and service tasks are allocated: Work with the customer to define the responsibilities for NAS implementation and ongoing support. Make sure they know who to call for help with configuration, operation, diagnosis or replacement. Review vendor proposals carefully to be sure that all costs are clearly delineated.
This tip originally appeared on SearchStorage.com.
