Easily installed Does not have to be ‘implemented’ like a SAN
More scalable and reliable than DAS
Accessible by any host OS anywhere on the network
Can cause high traffic loads on the LAN
Most NAS solutions are optimized for file-level storage
The NAS server can be a bottleneck Still dealing with TCP/IP
New TCP/IP accelerators becoming common
Strengths of NAS:
NAS devices are typically priced competitively. Some NAS vendors’ claims of “plug-and-play” might be a bit overstated—issues with security management and backups can still be complex—but the appliance model used by most NAS vendors simplifies management, making it easy to add new storage and keeping down the cost of management.
NAS devices typically contain multiple SCSI or Fibre Channel I/O buses, providing up to several terabytes of storage in some NAS products. NAS devices can be ‘installed’ rather than ‘implemented’ like a SAN. Accessibility of storage resources to multiple host operating systems across standard IP network provides flexibility in allocating storage resources.