The Need For Cloud Enabled Virtual NAS Appliance

In a server virtualization environment where the storage is accessed via a block protocol like Fibre, iSCSI or ATA over Ethernet (AoE) there is a challenge when providing NAS services. There’s often a compromise between selecting a purpose-built appliance or using Windows or Linux VMs as file servers. A potential alternative is using a virtual NAS appliance that can provide the capabilities of a stand alone NAS appliance with the “in the virtual infrastructure” advantages of a standard VM. In lieu of a virtual NAS, organizations have the option of either implementing a traditional, stand alone NAS system that’s managed outside of the virtual environment or setting up a series of Windows-based VMs to act as corporate file servers. The need for a cloud enabled virtual NAS appliance is present in almost any block based virtualized server infrastructure.

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