Data Storage Devices

To store data, regardless of its form, users need storage devices. Storage devices fall into two main categories: direct storage and network storage.

Direct Storage (DAS)

Direct storage, also known as direct attached storage (DAS), as the name suggests, is often in close proximity and directly connected to the computing machine that accesses it. Often, it is the only machine connected to it. DAS can also provide decent local backup services, but sharing is limited. DAS devices include:

• Floppy disks
• Optical disks (compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs))
• Hard disk drives (HDDs)
• Flash drives
• Solid state drives (SSDs)

Network Storage

Network storage allows more than one computer to access it over a network, making it better for data sharing and collaboration. Its off-site storage capability also makes it better for backup and data protection. Two common network storage setups are network attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN).

NAS (Network Attached Storage)

NAS is often a single device consisting of redundant storage containers or redundant array of independent disks (RAID).

SAN (Storage Area Network)

SAN storage can be a network of multiple devices of different types, including SSD and flash storage, hybrid storage, hybrid cloud storage, backup software and devices, and cloud storage.

Comparison of NAS and SAN