File storage technology is the most familiar and intuitive way for end users to manage their data. This is because the technology organizes the files and folders on a hard drive or NAS device in a simple hierarchy, with directories and subdirectories. This approach is simple to comprehend and use for anyone with a basic computer knowledge.
However it isn’t ideal for storing unstructured data such as text, mobile activity, social media posts, and Internet of Things (IoT) sensor data. It becomes more expensive as the storage devices and networks get filled up. This requires additional hardware devices.
For storage requirements that are larger organizations typically use a network-attached storage (NAS) solution or file server to centralize files across a local area network (LAN). These solutions work with both NFS and SMB and come with a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows and Unix. They can provide centralized collaboration access control, access control, as well as rapid read and write speeds.
Physical storage devices like USB drives and memory cards are a convenient method for individuals to save and share their files. Since these devices are local-accessible, they’re less prone to issues such as security breaches and outages on networks that plague online storage platforms. By purchasing their own storage equipment, they have full control over security measures and manage user permissions. Businesses can also save backups and retrieve them on these locally-located devices for business continuity or disaster recovery. Alternatively, they can choose to subscribe to a cloud-based service that replicates data across multiple geographically-dispersed data centers to provide the extra security of distance and redundancy.
