Capture Storage Sales With NAS

According to a recent IDC study, data storage requirements continue to grow 60% annually. Some of these storage needs are being satisfied by the adoption of NAS solutions. The familiar, file-based storage of a NAS solution coupled with its simple network connectivity makes this an appealing option for customers. In any case, the strong customer benefits of NAS makes selling this technology a great market opportunity for VARs — especially when selling it to replace DAS (direct attached storage). Industry experts from three storage technology vendors recently provided some direction on where to start.

Join The DAS-To-NAS Migration
Due to the many benefits to customers, it isn't a surprise that all three storage vendors I spoke with agree that NAS implementation is an open market. "For users unfamiliar with network storage, it is a growing trend," says Sajai Krishnan, general manager of StoreVault, a division of NetApp. "Even for end users with NAS devices in place, the ways to use them effectively are getting more sophisticated, leading to an ongoing demand for network storage over DAS." Companies, and especially SMBs, are beginning to understand the benefits of NAS and the advantages of using it rather than opting for a DAS solution. "Right now, VARs have access to a fertile market of SMBs that are adopting new technologies like server virtualization, disk-to-disk backup, and disaster recovery. Clever VARs are using NAS as the basis of those sales," says Krishnan.

On the surface, NAS makes storing files — and any other data — easier. Unlike DAS, which is directly attached to one computer or server and is not directly accessible to others, NAS is a hard disk storage device that is set up with its own network address, rather than being attached directly to the application or file server. "Networked storage — whether file-based (NAS) or block-based (SAN [storage area network]) — replacing DAS is definitely an ongoing trend," says Krysztof Frank, CEO and president, Open-E. As a networked storage device, NAS enables data to be easily consolidated from multiple clients, hosts, file servers, and even operating systems. In addition, both applications and files can be served faster because they are not competing for the same processing resources.

"A VAR can effectively position NAS as the solution of choice simply by showing the comparisons in features and flexibility versus DAS," says Erny-Jay Mezas, director of sales at Buffalo   Technology. The biggest example of this is being able to more efficiently use all storage resources with NAS, as compared to DAS where storage can be stranded on individual servers. NAS also provides more scalability and expandability than DAS.

"The cost gap is also closing, which makes NAS more appealing to the end users, particularly with the reduced cost of storage components such as SATA [serial advanced technology attachment] drives and iSCSI [Internet small computer systems interface]," says Frank. For SMBs, that savings in terms of hardware and management costs is a true selling point.

Finally, these industry experts stress that replacing DAS with NAS is all about education — VAR education. Not only about the product you are selling, but also about the end user you are selling it to. "Find out what the real problems are in the business," says Krishnan. "Understanding what data is critical to whom lets you propose a solution that can address the real business issues." Krishnan is referring to educating end users about the implications of choosing DAS or other options. For example, ask your client how it plans to back up data on the DAS, and question what might happen if a drive fails in a large capacity DAS array. Questions such as these will lead a customer to a better understanding of the benefits of NAS and will likely bring more revenue to the VAR than a simple DAS install. Says Krishnan, "It is always important to look at the bigger picture; the customer may really be asking for help solving a much larger challenge (like disaster recovery), and NAS can be the first step toward winning that complete sale — and more revenue."

For more about how a simple storage solution evolved into a storage and disaster recovery solution, go to BSMinfo.com/jp/3674.

Don't Stop At NAS Sales
Open-E CEO Frank recommends VARs understand where NAS fits into other growth markets and learn about those options. "Start looking toward remote data replication for DR and business continuity purposes," says Frank. "These solutions are decreasing in cost and often work over a company's existing network infrastructure. DR isn't just for companies in areas prone to natural disasters; it is something that every business should plan for, and VARs can help them do that." Krishnan agrees, adding that virtualization is another area of growth related to NAS that VARs should consider. "Server virtualization is a tremendously powerful trend in computer management that is driving network storage adoption," he says. "When a NAS product supports server virtualization technologies like VMware or XenServer, then the value of the investment for the end user goes up significantly." The good news for VARs? While storage solutions traditionally were expensive, proprietary, and complicated to use, today's versions are VAR-friendly and provide off-the-shelf, standards-based answers.