It hasn't always been this way. Earlier models of these low-end products were considered toys, says analyst Arun Taneja of the Enterprise Storage Group Inc. He notes that as recently as a year ago, such devices werent even on most peoples radar screens.
But the souring economic conditions have put these small, affordable storage products, built with inexpensive drives and fewer redundant features, in the limelight. At the same time, mid- to high-end NAS products have plunged from about 40 cents to 10 cents a megabyte.
Snap's 12000 is comparable to recent small- to mid-range offerings from other vendors. Maxtor Corp., Quantums biggest rival in the NAS space, offers similar NAS products. Sony Corp. of America entered the NAS market just two weeks ago, but it does not yet have a product comparable to the 12000 (see Sony Unveils Network Appliances and Sony Enters NAS Fray). Network Appliance Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP), the largest mid- to high-range NAS vendor, has some products at this level, but focuses most of its marketing efforts on selling more expensive products to larger customers. Procom Technology also competes in the low- to mid-range NAS market, but analysts say it has a relatively small market share (see Procom's Prospects Dim).
As NAS vendors reach out to the masses with more devices designed for small- to mid-size work groups, demand for NAS filers is bound to increase, sources say. NAS is no longer just the purview of the larger IT environment, says Taneja. Theres no reason anymore not to deploy NAS.
Other analysts say price will help boost the trend. "Most buyers of NAS products are not very concerned about operating systems or speeds and feeds of products," says Zac Shess, an analyst with Aberdeen Group Inc.
Key concerns, he notes, are affordability and ease of use.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
