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Network Storage

Network storage gives devices on a local area network shared access to files without requiring direct physical connections to individual machines. NAS devices, file servers, and cloud platforms like Amazon S3 are the primary methods used to make this possible.

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About this video

Directly attached storage is a fundamental part of how computers operate, but it creates limitations when files need to be accessible to multiple users or devices. Network storage solutions address this by making data available across a local area network or beyond, without requiring physical connections to individual machines. The three primary approaches are network-attached storage (NAS), file servers, and cloud storage, each suited to different environments and use cases. A NAS device connects to a local area network through a built-in network interface card, allowing every device on that network to read from and write to a centralized storage location. A file server operates on a similar principle, hosting shared folders whose access is controlled through configurable permissions — determining which users or groups can view, edit, or save files. Setting up a basic file share on a Windows machine, for example, involves creating a folder, accessing its sharing properties, and assigning the appropriate permissions, though a dedicated server is typically preferred over a personal laptop to ensure consistent availability. Cloud storage extends this concept beyond the local network, enabling file access from virtually anywhere. Platforms like Amazon S3 allow administrators to create storage buckets, configure access controls, and share data with specific individuals or organizations — or make it publicly accessible if needed. Together, these three models give IT teams a range of tools to balance accessibility, control, and scalability when managing shared data across an organization.

What you'll learn

What's covered

Network Storage Options

Aligned to

CompTIA Tech+
2.5 Compare and contrast storage types.
CompTIA A+ Core 1
2.4 Summarize services provided by networked hosts.
4.1 Summarize cloud-computing concepts.
CompTIA Server+
2.5 Explain server roles, features, and services.
2.3 Given a scenario, configure and maintain server functions and features.
CompTIA A+ Core 2
1.6 Given a scenario, configure Microsoft Windows networking on a client desktop.
Cisco CCST IT
3.1 Assist users with establishing access to network-based resources.

Key terms

Network Attached Storage
NAS
A file-level storage device connected to a network that provides centralized data access for multiple clients, functioning as a dedicated file server. NAS devices use standard network protocols such as NFS and SMB/CIFS to share files across a LAN.
Server
A computer or program that provides services or resources to other devices, known as clients, over a network.
Cloud Computing
The delivery of computing services including servers, storage, and software over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Network Interface Card
NIC
A hardware component that connects a computer to a network.
Access Control
A security mechanism that restricts access to resources based on policies, roles, or identity.
File Share
A folder or storage resource on a networked system made accessible to other users or devices on the network through configured permissions.

Topics

Network Storage Nas File Servers Cloud Storage Windows File Sharing Networking

Transcript

Storage doesn't have to be attached

Having directly attached storage to our computers is a critical part to how we use computers nowadays. However, there are times when these files need to be shared out to others, and so this might not be the ideal setup.

Storage doesn't always need to be attached, though. We can have network storage as well, and we can host it out in a few different ways.

For instance, we could host it out through a network attached storage, or a NAS. What a NAS is, is right here we have a local area network, so all of this is a local area network. This is the router on the edge of here, and we've got a few devices, four devices to be specific, that are on this network. So a network attached storage is where any one of these devices can access files on this network attached storage. It's made available to all of the devices, even though it's not directly attached to any one of these machines.

Another way that we could actually share out files on here is by creating a file server. A file server will host files on it, and then different devices can access those files via the network. So that's a file server right there.

And another thing too is, into the outside world here, we could have the cloud and have storage up in the cloud. So there are a lot of different options for that.

A NAS system

Here's an example of a network attached storage or NAS system. Inside here there's a hard drive, and then I can make this networkable because there's a network interface card right here that will network this device to all of the other devices on the network, and then whatever I store on here would be available to the rest of the network.

Setting up a file server

I want to show you how to set up a file server, and it's really easy. Now, I'm on a laptop, and I typically wouldn't share out files from a laptop, because I could unplug it from the network and then they wouldn't be available, but you can do it, so I'm going to show you how to do it.

I'm just going to create a folder and go into the properties, and I will go into the sharing tab and hit share. Then I could set up the permissions on who would have access to this, and hit share, and it's as simple as that. Now people will have access to this folder and can save files into it and gain access to files.

Typically, like I say, I wouldn't put this on a laptop. A lot of times we set aside a server and set up different shares on the server and have multiple files and folders that we're sharing out, and so that would be a typical file server that we would have on our network.

Cloud storage

Here's an example of cloud storage. I'm on Amazon S3, and so if I wanted to create a share on Amazon S3, what I do is I just create a bucket here, and then I'd set up the parameters of who I would want to share this out to. In fact, I could even share out files to the whole world if I wanted to do it through here. So this is just one example.

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