Five NAS appliances for all your small business storage needs
We tested five Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliances, ranging from 4T to 18TB in capacity and targeted for small offices and businesses with up to 20 to 25 users. All are more-or-less in the same price range: about $700 to $2,000 with drives.
Our participants were: D-Link’s Share Center Pro, Western Digital Sentinal DX4000, Thecus N4800Eco, Ctera C200 and ioSafe N2.
All of the units provide basic NAS functionality. They support RAID drive configurations and offer iSCSI support. They all provide local accounts and directory authentication for controlling user access. They support the popular file sharing protocols: CIFS (Windows), NFS (Unix/Linux), AFP (Mac), FTP, and offer at least basic remote web access.
The best NAS for your business depends upon the capacity you need and what you want to do with it. For instance, if data safety is the No.1 priority you’d want to opt in for the disaster proof ioSafe N2 unit, which also offers many more server and network functions over the traditional NAS feature-set.
If you don’t require a lot of disk space and would like easy clientless backup and could use some cloud and collaboration functionality, consider the CTERA C200. (Watch a slideshow version of this test.)
If you require high capacity, consider the Western Digital (4-bay 4T to 12 TB), Thecus (4-bay up to 16TB), and D-Link (4-bay 12TB or 6-bay 18TB) units. All are in similar price ranges with some notable feature differences: Western Digital uses the Windows Storage Server OS and Thecus offers video and audio outputs, while D-Link doesn’t offer as many bells and whistles.
Here are the individual reviews:
D-Link ShareCenter Pro 1250
The D-Link ShareCenter Pro 1250, part of the S-Series Network Storage line, offers a 4-bay unit with a 12TB capacity and a 6-bay unit with 18TB capacity, both shipped empty for you to add your own compatible hard drives.
We tested the four drive bay unit; model number DNS-1250-04. Online prices range from as low as $700 for four-bay unit and $900 for the six-bay unit. Both come with a five-year warranty with online and phone support from D-Link.
Both D-Link units are loaded with an Intel Atom D525 1.8-GHz Dual Core processor and 2GB RAM, just like the Western Digital and Thecus units. But the D-Link unit comes with a proprietary OS, designed like a typical network appliance GUI.
The four-bay unit we reviewed measures about 7½ inches high and 9½ inches deep, and the 6-bay unit is about 2½ inches taller. On the front-top is a two-line LCD screen that lets you scroll through the status details: NAS name, IP address (which you can also change), voltage readings, CPU and system temperatures, fan speed, system date and time, and firmware and BIOS version.
Below the LCD screen are the drive bays that you can unlatch and pull out the trays to mount your drives on. And on the left-side you’ll find a USB 2.0 port for connecting additional storage devices or printers, a button to initiate a backup of a connected USB drive, status and activity LED lights next to each drive bay, and a power button on the bottom.
On the back of the unit you’ll find four 2.0 USB ports to connect additional storage devices or printers and two Gigabit Ethernet connections that can be configured for fail-over or load balancing. Plus there’s a VGA port debugging purposes.
To configure the unit, you can access the web-based interface, which they call ShareCenter Pro, using the unit’s IP address. You’ll find a well-organized and user-friendly interface with five main tabs.
D-Link supplies client software called ShareCenter NAVI that you can optionally install on Windows and Mac computers, so you can perform backups and configure basic settings. D-Link also supplies the Acronis Backup & Recovery Server software for additional backup options.
In addition to the traditional NAS features, you can install plug-ins for additional functionality, such as media servers.
Overall, the D-Link ShareCenter Pro 1250 is a solid, no thrills, NAS unit. Only gripe is that the five USB ports are only version 2.0, whereas all the other units we reviewed have two USB 3.0 ports. Though we reviewed their four-bay unit, their six-bay unit is similar and supports the most disk space at 16TB out of the units we reviewed. Plus it comes with the longest warranty, five years. And both units are competitively priced and come empty, so they’re a great choice if you already have some drives that are compatible.
Western Digital Sentinel DX4000
The Western Digital (WD) Sentinel DX4000 provides four bays loaded with drives from the factory, available in five capacities: 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 12TB and 16TB. Capacity aside, each supports connecting up to 25 Windows or Mac computers for full server access and backup.
We tested the 16TB unit. Online prices range from as low as $700 for the 4TB unit to as low as $1,600 for the 16TB unit. All come with a three-year manufacturer warranty and 30-days free support from WD starting from the first time you call.
All the WD units are loaded with an Intel Atom D525 1.8 GHz Dual Core processor and 2GB RAM, just like the D-Link and Thecus units. They come preinstalled with Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials and support other Windows versions, plus Mac OS X.
The NAS unit measures about 8 inches high, 6½ inches wide, and 9 inches deep. On the front-top is a power button, four LED lights to show drive activity, and a two-line LCD screen to show the NAS name, IP address, available capacity, and drive count. Under the controls is a door you can open to access the tray-less drive bays to easily add/remove the drives. On the back are two power and two Gigabit Ethernet connections. Plus two USB 3.0 ports are provided to connect additional storage devices.
To set up the unit, you access the web-based interface to run the setup wizard, which prompts you for the localization settings, server name and password, and Windows update settings. Then you can start the initial configuration process that it says can take up to 30 minutes to complete, but it took about 50 minutes for us.
After the initial configuration is complete you can download and install the client Connector software on a Windows computer, and then on any Macs using the Connector for Mac software. Although the client software isn’t necessary for clients to access the simple file shares, it’s required if you want to monitor or back them up and offers a way for administrators to configure the server.
Though the client software installation went smoothly for us on a Windows PC, it says it can take 30 minutes or more to complete (took us about 20 minutes) and should be performed by administrators since it asks for the server password and client settings.
The client software includes the generic Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Dashboard for administrators to configure and manage the server, which is organized well and straightforward to use.
Users can log into the Launchpad to access shortcuts for Backup, Remote Web Access, Shared Folders, and (for admins) the Dashboard. And from the Remote Web Access page, they can connect to computers and shared folders when away from the network.
We found the WD Sentinel DX4000 to be a well-designed NAS unit. It’s offered with five different capacities, from 4T to 16TB, allowing you to choose exactly the amount of disk space you need with the ability to upgrade in the future. All are competitively priced and come with a three-year warranty. It’s a great choice for those wanting to use the Windows Storage Server OS. But keep in mind; it lacks a print server so you can’t hook up USB printers, like most other NAS units. On the other hand, it’s the only unit we reviewed that offers tray-less drive bays and two power inputs for failover.
Thecus N4800Eco
The N4800Eco unit we reviewed is one of many NAS servers Thecus offers. This unit provides four empty lockable drive bays supporting up to 16TB with their supported 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives. It packs the Intel Atom D525 1.8 GHz Dual Core processor with 2GB of RAM, just like the D-Link and Western Digital units, and runs the proprietary ThecusOS. It can be purchased as low as $540 from online retailers and comes with a two-year manufacturer warranty.
The unit measures about 7½ inches high, 7 inches wide, and 10 inches deep. On the front of the unit you’ll find an OLED display to scroll through the device status info and perform USB copying. To the left there are also lights for displaying the status of the drives and network and USB connections. Plus there are two USB 3.0 ports.
On the back of the unit you will see two USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port, and two Ethernet ports. The HDMI, VGA and audio jack outputs allow you to access the ThecusOS interface from a monitor or TV (also with ability to plug in a keyboard and mouse to the USB ports) to manage the NAS and/or play media. Plus there’s a PCI-e x1 slot for adding compatible network interface cards for additional Ethernet ports.
We used the Thecus Setup Wizard provided from the CD to configure the network connection and to change the default password. Then we could access the web-based interface, which we found to be well organized, user-friendly, and easy to use. For remote access users can also log into the ThecusOS interface via the Internet or use their iOS or Android apps.
A Thecus Back Utility program is offered for Windows and Mac users to backup their data to the NAS unit. Quick one-time backups can be performed and/or automatic on-going backups can be scheduled. Additionally, Acronis True Image 2010 Personal is also provided with the NAS unit for more advanced backup functionalities.
Thecus also provides a module system to install additional functionality, such as a mail, web, and MySQL servers and to add support for things like IP cameras and DropBox support.
We found the Thecus N4800Eco to be a solid NAS unit and is one of the least expensive when you take into account its maximum capacity of 16TB. Plus it’s the only unit of the five we reviewed that offers HDMI and VGA/audio outputs for managing the unit or playing media. And similar to the ioSafe unit, you can add many other servers and features with the Thecus modules.CTERA C200
The CTERA C200 unit we reviewed, recommended for small offices with 10 to 20 employees, is one of the four cloud storage gateways they offer. It provides two drive bays supporting up to 6TB of storage space with their supported drives. It comes loaded with a Marvell Kirkwood ARM processor, 256MB of RAM, and runs a proprietary OS resembling a typical network appliance GUI.
The C200 is not available from online retailers, but pricing through VARs and MSPs ranges from $500 for the unit with no disks and one-year warranty, up to $1,000 for the unit with two 3TB disks and 3-year warranty and maintenance.
The NAS unit measures about 7 inches high, 4 inches wide, and 7 inches deep. On the front of the unit are LED status lights for the overall status, cloud, disks, USB ports, and LAN connection. On the back-left are two USB 3.0 ports to connect additional storage devices, Gigabit Ethernet port, and the power port. And on the back-right is a cover you can remove by pushing in two small clips, revealing the two drive bays. Though the bays are tray-less, you still must secure the drives with two screws each via the access hole under the unit.
Installation of the CTERA unit was easy; simply connect the Ethernet and power and access the web-based interface from the UPnP shortcut that appears in the Network window. A wizard appears that helps you configure the basic settings, such as RAID configuration, backup encryption, and registration with a CTERA Portal account. Once completed, an attractive and well-organized interface is provided for configuring the remaining settings.
Though the NAS unit supports basic clientless backups for computers connected to the local network, you can install the CTERA Agent software on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers for more backup options.
For remote admin or user access, CTERA assigns you a URL based upon your name (for instance yourname.portal.ctera.com) that provides access to the same interface when connecting locally. Thus you can remotely administer the server and regular users can view a list of their computers and access files that are shared with them.
In addition to the traditional file sharing protocols, CTERA provides collaboration features to allow users to invite other users to view or collaborate on files. An iOS and Android app are also provided so users can securely and remotely access and upload files and collaborate on projects from their smartphones or tablets.
In addition to the traditional NAS functionalities, CTERA provides cloud drive and cloud backup features. After the 30-day free trial with 1GB of space, you can subscribe for $120 per year or $10 per month per computer with the Agent software installed.
Overall, the CTERA C200 is a traditional NAS unit with great cloud integration. It lacks a print server, but it’s the only unit that offers easy local clientless backup. Though it’s the least expensive unit at $500 without drives, it’s the most expensive when you look at price per TB of capacity. It’s about $83 per TB, whereas the others we reviewed without drives range from $34 to $75. Plus if you use their cloud drive or cloud backup features you’ll have additional subscription fees.
ioSafe N2
The ioSafe N2 is a fireproof and waterproof NAS unit, providing two drive bays supporting up to 8TB total when using their 2.5 or 3.5 inch supported drives. It can be purchased as low as $600 direct from the manufacturer or online retailers and comes with a one-year manufacturer warranty. And when it comes with factory loaded drives pricing starts at $900 for 2TB to $2,000 for 8TB, which also comes with one year of their Data Recovery Service.
The N2 is loaded with a Marvell Kirkwood MV6282 2.0GHz processor and 512MB of RAM on the Synology DSM motherboard, and runs the Synology DSM OS.
The unit measures about 9 inches high, 6 inches wide, and 11½ inches deep. At 28 pounds it’s noticeably much heavier than the other units we reviewed, likely due to the fire and waterproofing. Like the CTERA unit, you won’t find an LCD screen. On the bottom-front, however, you’ll find the power and copy buttons, one USB 2.0 port, SD card slot, and status lights for the disks, LAN, and unit. And on the back are one Gigabit Ethernet port and two USB 3.0 ports.
Once connected to the network you can install and run the Synology Assistant program from the provided CD to configure the N2 unit. Then you can access the web-based interface of the unit to configure the disks and other settings. We found the interface to be user-friendly, easy to use, and designed more like a Linux OS than a typical network appliance GUI. For remote access, users can also access the web-based interface or VPN into N2.
In addition to the typical NAS functionality, you can download and install additional apps for further functionality. Apps by Synology include DHCP, DNS, LDAP directory, VPN, mail, syslog, and media servers and other apps to add additional cloud and backup features. Plus there are apps provided by third-parties like Asterisk, Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress.
You can install the Synology Data Replicator software on computers you want to backup to or sync with the N2. It allows you to select which folders and drives you want to backup and whether you’d like to include Outlook, Windows Mail, or Windows Live mail data. Then you can immediately initial a backup, setup synchronization, or schedule backups.
We found the ioSafe N2 to be a solid NAS unit with the best management and user interface, thanks to the Synology DSM OS, which offers many other servers and functions as well via add-on apps. And it’s the only disaster proof unit we reviewed, protected against fire and water, which means you might not have to be so worried about backing up offsite or to the public cloud. Plus it’s the only unit in our review that offers Wi-Fi support, so the unit can be semi-portable and more easily hidden to protect against theft.
Although the N2 isn’t the cheapest, it’s still priced in the same range as the other units in this review if you purchase drives yourself and forgo their Data Recovery Service.
Eric Geier is a freelance tech writer — keep up with his writings on Facebook. He’s also the founder of NoWiresSecurity, a cloud-based Wi-Fi security service, and On Spot Techs, an on-site computer services company.
