Should i get a NAS

[Chris92]

Hi guys,
Hoping from some advice. I was thinking of setting up a NAS for my company so that the workers can access files from a centralized storage. Currently I'm using the Asus RT-N10U to plugin an external hard disk and use it as an ftp server. However, the issue is that everytime we wish to edit a file we essentially have to download it, edit it, and re upload it. Whilst essentially that is the process for most online storages, it is very slow. Is there something i can get that can allow me to edit files (Kinda like google docs) that i can attach to the company network and made available to the users in the company network? I've also heard of personalized cloud but i'm not sure how viable that is.
Your opinions and thoughts are much appreciated!

 

[klap_hanz]

Microsoft Office365 cloud and Onedrive

 

[nanoprobe]

Depends how many employees need access to the centralised storage. Maybe u can give some numbers. Attaching a hard drive to the router provides the most basic of network storage functionality but obviously u won't expect speed or reliability. Used at home for a couple of users to share and access sporadically but definitely not corporate use if expectations of speed.

There are options around cloud based, simple NAS, enterprise NAS, others. It really depends on whether you want to spend $$ on performance and how much u want to manage the solution eg. security, performance, organising, backups, backups of backups etc.

Box.com, DropBox, Google Drive and OneDrive might be quick solutions.

 

[lobo76]

Depend on what file type you are talking about. If they are Office documents, e.g Word, Excel (spreadsheet), etc. then office365 is imo, the best solution. Google doc is nice... but it is online only, so you can't expect it to have much processing power (when the spreadsheet is huge).

p.s using a personal (free) account for work is not undoable. But you give up privacy/data protection, and only have online version of the office, which doesn't allow you to do any heavy data churning.

For both Google doc and office365, you can sync to desktop... for when you need to edit other types of file where the desktop has the application.

 

[kandinsky]

Is there something i can get that can allow me to edit files (Kinda like google docs) that i can attach to the company network and made available to the users in the company network? I've also heard of personalized cloud but i'm not sure how viable that is.
Your opinions and thoughts are much appreciated!

Don't forget to account for support and maintenance too. Personally, unless there's an existing IT dept/personnel that is equipped to manage, troubleshoot and provide support, I'd be inclined to sign up for something like Google Apps for Work?

https://www.google.com/work/apps/business/pricing.html

What makes Google Apps for Work different?
Five areas set Google Apps apart, which is why research firm Radicati named Google Apps for Work the leader in cloud business email. A summary of the report can be found in the related resources.

• A cloud pioneer. Google is recognized as a trusted name and an industry leader in reliable cloud infrastructure.
• Built for the cloud. Google Apps was designed as an entirely cloud-based service from the ground up, so IT departments don’t need to spend time and money maintaining any desktop components.
• A complete package. The suite includes file storage and sharing with Google Drive, real-time collaboration with Google Docs, video meetings with Hangouts and professional email with Gmail, all for one single price.
• Consistency and comfort. Google Apps users enjoy the same experience across different devices, operating systems and browsers, and many employees already use Google products at home.
• Offline support. Gmail, Calendar and Google Docs let users view, edit and create content when they’re not on the Internet, syncing automatically when they reconnect.

https://www.google.com/work/apps/business/learn-more/evaluation.html

 

[octacon]

Based on my assumption , you are using wireless to edit files are big files , so why not use Gigabit Ethernet wired connection for your staff ?