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A NAS can support different RAID arrays, as well as FTP and other protocols. &nbsp;It can be accessed by any machine on the network, and can be configured with permissions for different users. &nbsp;A NAS can also function as a media server for different filetypes.<br />
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A USB requires a host machine to attach to, and that host machine must be powered on. &nbsp;It is relatively cheap and if you buy an enclosure, you can upgrade the hard drive to whatever you can buy. &nbsp;It is limited in transfer speed (480Mbit/sec plus overhead, versus gigabit if you have that).
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A NAS can support different RAID arrays, as well as FTP and other protocols.  It can be accessed by any machine on the network, and can be configured with permissions for different users.  A NAS can also function as a media server for different filetypes.

A USB requires a host machine to attach to, and that host machine must be powered on.  It is relatively cheap and if you buy an enclosure, you can upgrade the hard drive to whatever you can buy.  It is limited in transfer speed (480Mbit/sec plus overhead, versus gigabit if you have that).

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I wanted to know what the differences were between a NAS and a USB HD? &nbsp;If we are using this as a single point of storage, why would choose one over the other? &nbsp;What are the advantages?<br />
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I wanted to know what the differences were between a NAS and a USB HD?  If we are using this as a single point of storage, why would choose one over the other?  What are the advantages?



NAS vs. USB HD

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, is a technology consisting of computer components and recording media used to retain digital data. In addition to local storage devices like CD and DVD readers, hard drives and flash drives, solid state drives can hold enormous amounts of data in a very small device. Cloud services and other new forms of remote storage also add to the capacity of devices and their ability to access more data without building additional data storage into a device.

Storage

The term "Backup" means the methods and processes involved to copy computer data (system data as well as application data) to media other than the ones where the data originally live (disk, tape, optical, cloud). "Restore" in turn means the methods and processes involved in data recovery, i. e., bringing back copied computer data to their original location. Backup/Restore primarily serves as a means of protection against data loss, be it due to disaster, corruption or sabotage. It can also be used for recovering data from an earlier point in time and even for cloning machines or applications. There is a wide variety of backup/restore software available, from expensive commercial products to free or open source tools.

Storage Software

Small Business Server (SBS) is a line of server operating systems targeted at small businesses by bundling the operating system with a number of other Microsoft products that would normally need to be purchased or licensed separately. The most notable inclusions are Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint and ISA/TMG (Microsoft's firewall and proxy server).