Whitepaper

The constant need to obtain more capacity for the endless increase in data tends to reflect in our decision making for securing larger storage systems. This buying pattern normally displays more of a knee jerk reaction as opposed to a structured plan to cope with the increase in data growth. Whilst this may ring true for larger enterprises, it is not one that can be shared for smaller businesses. The SMB needs have to balance with size and of course budget constraints.

Thecus Technology Inc, have been manufacturing network attached storage solutions for over a decade now, initially producing solutions for smaller businesses and moving up to enterprise systems. Our focus is accentuated towards the small and medium size businesses

Keep it simple; find a manufacturer that is proactive and has an excellent selection of units based on the same platform that differs only by the number of bays offered. The hardware and features must remain exactly the same irrespective of the number of bays. Thecus has adopted a holistic approach to storage, allowing interchangeable RAID sets, as well as expanding capacity on the fly by adding new drives and not requiring to change the RAID setup. These features and many others are ideal for SMB users that tend not to have the expertise of IT personnel at their disposal in house and thus these process do not pose any awkward challenges.

The two NAS models that have stood out from the maddening NAS crowd are of the 5-bay variety namely the Thecus N5550, N5810 and the PRO version N5810PRO. The availability of the 8TB drives allows the NAS systems to be packed with 40Terabytes (TB) of raw storage, with the eminent release of the 10Terabyte (TB) drives means the support for 50Terabytes (TB) becomes a distinct reality.

The advent of the N5550 helped Thecus augment its stronghold within the 5-bay arena, in fact the demand has been paramount in its decision to not discontinue the N5550 but proceed with launching highly specified 5-bay N5810, seems like a good decision as both units are experiencing insatiable demand outstripping supply. Thecus N5550 remains the mainstay for mid-level whilst the N5810 addresses the demands of power users needing higher performance.

Thecus N5550 is designed around the intel Atom Processor D2550 Dual Core, with 4GB upgradeable, 2 x RJ-45 10/100/1000 BASE-TX Auto Lan interfaces as well as supporting HDMI connectivity, and RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD, AES256bit RAID Volume Encryption support. File Protocols SMB/CIFS, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, NFS v4, AFP support as well as Windows desktop and Windows Server, UNIX/Linux and Mac OS X – a complete range of essential software and hardware configurability allows ease of use and compatibility for any SMB storage needs.

SCENARIO

Small Business – up to 10 users, 1 x File Server for running applications typically Windows Based, current protection is RAID 5 on 4 drives used. Require a central storage solution for file sharing as well as taking the load off from the file server to avoid unwanted upgrade to File Server. Company growth has been an average 12.7% annually for the last three years.

OUTCOME

File Server load will decrease as a result of data being transferred to a central storage server, this would in turn release the file server to hold more apps, as well as increase performance in excess of well over 60% as the bottle neck of accessing data I/O would no longer choke performance.

Users would be able to share centrally stored data. NAS servers now have sleek feature called “thin provisioning” allowing the size of your storage pie to grow on the fly. NAS servers have a compact operating system resulting in good performance and allowing ease of use and better efficiencies. The other invaluable feature is one of remote access, this can also be activated allowing home and mobile users to retrieve and save on the go, with of course the appropriate security protocols in place.

Solutions

Any 5-bay NAS would suffice in our article we are happy to propose three differing solutions from a leading SMB NAS manufacturer, Thecus Technology Inc. It’s clear and concise grasp of what an SMB requires is evident from its range offered. Thecus N5550 – Average-High performance, solid specification, 2GB memory, able to work with 8TB drives providing a total gross capacity of 40TB, great range of RAID support allowing a high level of redundancy, excellent file protocols and a heterogeneous environment allowing users of all platforms to participate. Solid server with great warranty. SNAPSHOT is an impressive feature, allowing users to take a snapshot of their volume, data, at a single point in time, alone makes it all the worthwhile when you consider the value proposition demanded by a system in his category. The data protection and security aspect of the NAS allows remote replication as well as RAID volume encryption, rounding up with UPS support to eradicate any unwanted surprises.

Price Guide

Typical Pricing is based on quality of hard disk drives being integrated always look for what’s inside! no drives from differing manufacturers are the same! so don’t be palmed off by devious marketing tactics.

15TB Gross Capacity – SKU:N5550-53NH- Thecus N5550 15TB 5-Bay Intel Atom Processor D2550 Processor, 2GB, NAS Server w/ 5 x HGST NAS 3TB drives NASBIT tested ready to use ranging from - $1090.00

20TB Gross Capacity – SKU: N5550-54NH - Thecus N5550 20TB 5-Bay Intel Atom Processor D2550 Processor, 2GB, NAS Server w/ 5 x HGST NAS 4TB drives NASBIT tested ready to use ranging from - $1204.00

Other Possible Solutions for upscaling within the Thecus range includes:

Thecus N5810PRO-High end performance with mini-built in UPS backup to ensure continuity in case of power loss. Memory installed is 4GB more than sufficient for a NAS, and again with 8TB drive support the NAS can which is Extra memory up to 4GB, a mini-UPS backup module to allow the safe and timely shut down of the system in loss of power situation. The other features are the same as N5550 except for the hardware specification as these model has a more superior hard feature set.Thecus N5810as per the N5810PRO but with no the mini-ups feature.