SAN vs NAS vs DAS: Decoding Data Storage Solutions

Discover the advantages and differences of SAN, NAS, and DAS storage solutions. With our detailed comparison and insights, you'll be able to determine which data storage system suits your needs best.

For more information visit: https://stonefly.com/blog/san-vs-nas-vs-das-a-closer-look/

1. ERROR fo
Invalid do
SAN vs NAS vs DAS – A
Closer Look
One of the most important decisions you will make in your business is choosing a storage
solution. In this article, we’ll examine the difference between SAN, NAS and DAS solutions to
help you decide which one would be best for your needs.
What is a SAN
Storage area network (SAN) is a type of storage network that allows businesses to connect
storage devices, such as disk arrays, network switches, tape libraries, to servers. This allows
businesses to pool their storage resources and access them from any server on the
network.
A storage area network (SAN) allows storage networks to overcome the limitations of
traditional storage where only a small number of storage devices can connect to a server.
A storage area network enables the flexibility to connect a server, or a number of servers
and multiple users, to connect to a shared pool of storage. The ability to do so facilitates
large-scale high performance deployments and enterprise block-level workloads.
Advantages of SANs include
1. Increased Storage Capacity – As a storage area network externalizes storage, you can
increase storage capacity with ease to the maximum limit of the network. Depending on the
vendor, a SAN can typically support hundreds of drives using disk arrays. For example,
StoneFly Integrated Storage Controller (ISC™) SAN 4U rackmounts can be configured to
provide 1.5PBs of raw block storage capacity per node.
2. Better Performance – Using block storage, storage area networks connects the source
directly to the target which increases throughput and delivers faster performance than a
Products

Solutions

Company

Resources

Downloads

BlogPartnersContact Us

Shop


0 ItemsStoneFly Technical Support510-265-1616My Account

2. file server and traditional storage solutions.
3. Enhanced Availability – In a SAN, storage exists independently. This makes it more fault-
tolerant than a server with disk array(s) connected to it. If one or two disks go down in the
SAN, the other disks in the array will still be available – making it a reliable storage platform
for mission critical stored data and disaster recovery (DR) solutions.
When to Use a SAN
A SAN is the ideal storage solution for businesses looking to improve performance and
availability of their critical data and can be used in a variety of deployments, such as:
Database Servers – For OLTP (online transaction processing), OLAP (online analytical
processing) and other database applications that require high-performance block level
I/O .
Transaction Processing Systems – For systems that require large amounts of
throughput, such as credit card processing or telecommunications.
Virtualization Hosts – SAN storage is a popular platform for virtualizing servers because
it delivers high performance and the ability to scale capacity easily.
Enterprise Applications – Storage area networks are commonly used to consolidate
enterprise applications onto a shared platform that can be centrally managed and/or
to facilitate disaster recovery (DR).
What is NAS Storage
A network attached storage (NAS) device provides file-level access across the network
using NFS or CIFS/SMB NAS storage protocol(s).
However, the term “NAS” is often used as a broad term. Sometimes, Windows servers using
SMB protocol to share storage via the local network is also regarded as a NAS. Such NAS
appliances are monolithic and can only scale up – by adding more drives to the node or by
using disk arrays. Alternatively, purpose-built NAS appliances can scale-out and scale up.
As opposed to scale up, scale out allows users to add performance capabilities in addition
to storage capacity by adding NAS appliance nodes.
Advantages of NAS Storage:
Lower Cost – Compared to SAN technology, NAS devices are less expensive because they
use standard Ethernet networks instead of more complex Fibre Channel networks used by
enterprise SANs. For example, StoneFly’s entry-level NAS appliances start at $2495.
Simplified Management – NAS devices are easy to manage because they use standard
protocols and file systems that most people are familiar with.
Flexible Storage Capacity -NAS devices can be easily expanded by adding more drives
or nodes as needed. The key advantage of NAS storage is that you can start small with a
few terabytes of storage capacity and scale to petabyte scale with virtually thousands
of NAS appliance nodes.
When to Use a NAS
A network attached storage device is a good choice for businesses looking for an
affordable and simple way to share files across the network. A NAS can be used in a variety
of deployments, such as:
Departmental Servers – For small departments or workgroups that need to share files,
videos, and digital assets securely on the local area network (LAN).
Home Networks – For employees working from home who want to consolidate their
business files and media on a secure device that can be centrally managed.
Remote Access – For businesses, remote branches, and home offices who need to
access the same set of data from multiple locations at once using protocols such as
CIFS/SMB, FTP, NFS, AFP over TCP/IP , SFTP (SSH File Transfer) / SCP.

3. What is DAS
Direct attached storage (DAS) is a data storage device that attaches directly to a PC
and/or a server.
The primary difference between DAS, SAN, and NAS is that as opposed to the other two, DAS
does not use a network. There is no ethernet connection or a Fibre Channel switch involved.
Advantages of using Direct Attached Storage include:
Lower Cost – DAS is the lowest cost option of all three storage types because it does not
require a network or any hardware for network connection such as Fibre Channel
switches and SCSI cables.
Simplified Management – As there are no protocols to manage, setup and
configuration is simple and straightforward with little to no training required for
administrators.
Flexible Capacity – DAS allows users to add hard drives without using an expensive SAN
switch that can only be managed by IT professionals. Users simply plug in another drive
into their computer or server just like they would with additional memory sticks.
When to Use a DAS Device
A DAS is the right choice when businesses are looking for an affordable way to expand their
capacity without paying a higher price for features they don’t need. A DAS device can be
used in these types of deployments:
Desktop Workstations – To attach additional hard drives or solid state disks (SSDs) that
can hold large media files, digital assets, and business-critical data locally on each user’s
desktop computer.
Industrial PCs – For employees working in industrial settings who need low cost local
storage with direct access speeds.
The best use-case for DAS is for small businesses looking to share files, folders, and digital
assets locally on a minimum budget with no in-house IT support. Alternatively, DAS not
suitable for growing businesses that need to scale quickly and share data across multiple
locations.
SAN vs NAS vs DAS – What’s the Difference?
The primary difference between the three is how the storage is made accessible to the
server. Both NAS and SAN use the network to create pools of storage whereas DAS connects
directly to the server.
Network attached storage provides access to multiple devices and user groups using the
local network. NAS devices can scale up to increase storage capacity and scale out to
increase both performance and storage capacity.
A SAN stores data in block-level format and uses multiple storage appliances to create a
consolidated shared pool of storage which is accessible to servers and usergroups using
iSCSI and/or Fibre Channel protocols. Built for high performance computing workloads, SAN
is often used as dedicated storage for professional and enterprise environments.
The primary difference between storage area network and NAS is that the former uses
block-level architecture whereas the latter uses file-level. Block storage separates the
metadata from the data set, using unique hashes to read/write data. File-level storage, on
the other hand, processes the complete data set with its metadata. This is why SAN systems
are faster than NAS and more suitable for enterprise-grade workloads.
While DAS costs less and is relatively fast, storing data in DAS creates data islands which are
difficult to manage, inefficient, and prone to human error.
SAN vs NAS vs DAS – Which One should You Choose?

4. When it comes to data storage, there is no one shoe that fits all. What works for others may
not work for your business and vice versa.
When deciding between SAN vs NAS storage or DAS, here are a few things to consider
before buying:
Storage Capacity – The volume of data you need to process, store, and retain.
Depending on the industry and the scale of your business, this can range between a few
terabytes to petabytes.
Performance – The performance requirements of data storage at different stages of
the data lifecycle. What are the performance needs of your hot-tier workloads versus
cold-tier workloads?
Infrastructure Scalability – Do you generate, process, and retain big data? How fast
does it grow? You need a data storage solution that can keep up with your data growth
and scale seamlessly.
Data Protection – Regardless of whether you’re setting up a data storage system or a
backup and disaster recovery (DR) solution, you need to make sure that it has reliable
data security features such as immutability and air-gapping, file lockdown, encryption,
and more.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – All business decisions require cost evaluation and
consideration. Do on-premises storage solutions make more sense to you or is the pay-
as-you-go model of cloud storage more suitable for your needs?
Human Resources – How many IT staff are you willing to hire and dedicate to your data
storage infrastructure?
Conclusion
Whether it’s SAN vs NAS storage, or DAS storage, each solution comes with its own
advantages and challenges.
NAS being more scalable and versatile, fits for a wide range of applications from being the
preferred target storage of VMs to setting up a file storage and sharing environment for
different departments, remote branches, and employees working from home.
SAN on the other hand, despite being relatively expensive, is a great choice for enterprise
workloads that require high performance and availability.
DAS is inexpensive but only suitable for small use-cases where budget in non-existent, there
is IT tech support, and you only need to share digital assets locally.
It is important to select the right data storage solution for your business. If you are unsure of
which one will best meet your needs, we can help! Contact us today and let our team of
experts walk you through all three solutions so that you can make a decision with
confidence.

5. Search Search
Understanding Detection and Response: EDR vs MDR vs XDR vs NDR
Recent Popular

6. Trigona Ransomware: What is it and How to Defend Against it
Lockbit Ransomware: Inside the Cyberthreat and Defense Strategies

7. What Defending Against Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) Entails
What are Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and How to Stop Them
You May Also Like

8. Send
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Contact Name*
Company*
Phone* (extensions can be entered in the "Message" field)
Email Address*
Message
*All fields with an asterisk are required.
By submitting this request you agree to be contacted and receive product information via email or call. You may
unsubscribe at any point.
ABOUT STONEFLY
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Castro Valley – StoneFly, Inc. was established with the vision to simplify, optimize and deliver
high performance budget-friendly data center solutions for SMBs, SMEs, and large enterprises. Beginning with its registration of the
iSCSI.com Internet domain name in March 1996, StoneFly has made iSCSI into a standard which is now used by IT professionals around
the world.
With over 24 years of innovation in data storage, hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), and backup and disaster recovery (DR)
industries and technology partnerships with market leaders like VMware, Veeam, Microsoft Azure, and AWS cloud, StoneFly’s range of
ever-growing data management products continue to grow and include physical, virtual, and cloud solutions such as NAS, SAN, S3,
unified NAS + SAN + S3 appliances, storage gateways, backup gateways, complete backup and DR systems, RAID systems, IP video
surveillance storage systems, data migration software and more – powered by StoneFly’s patented 8th generation storage
virtualization software StoneFusion™ and integrated with enterprise features and data services.
Learn More
Defending Your Data: The Vital Role of
Multi-Factor Authentication
Discover the power of multi-factor
authentication (MFA) in modern data
security. StoneFly's innovative storage
solutions offer a seamless and robust
approach to safeguarding your critical
data. Enhance your data protection
strategy with MFA-enabled storage,
hyperconverged, backup, and disaster
recovery solutions. Read More
From Backup to Video Editing: 5 Use-Cases
for NAS Storage
This blog explores the primary use-cases
for Network-Attached Storage (NAS) and
emphasizes the importance of choosing
the right NAS solution for specific business
needs. Readers will gain insights into how
NAS can enhance their storage
infrastructure, increase data accessibility,
and… Read More
Guide to Sizing Your Enterprise SAN
Appliance for Optimal Storage
This blog provides IT managers with
practical tips on sizing an enterprise SAN
storage appliance, including storage
capacity, CPU, and system memory. It also
covers data protection, disaster recovery,
and cost considerations. Read More

9. © 2023 StoneFly | All Rights Reserved 