If you’ve been looking into storage for your business lately, you’ll have come across the acronyms SAN, NAS, and Cloud Storage. But what are they, and which do you need?
In this Westway IT guide, we’ll give you a handy breakdown of each, covering the benefits and what to consider.
Storage Area Network (SAN)
noun
A high-speed, dedicated network that provides block-level storage to several individual servers, typically used in data centres or virtualised environments.
Applications and devices don’t necessarily “know” they’re using shared storage from a separate server. From their perspective, SAN behaves like a local drive, just backed by enterprise-grade hardware.
SANs are often the backbone of on-premises data centres, particularly where uptime and performance are non-negotiable. Because of this, you should expect a larger upfront investment than with other storage solutions.
Systems like this will also require specialist configuration and ongoing management.
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
noun
A file-level storage device connected to a local area network, granting multiple users and systems access to shared data over standard network protocols.
A NAS system is purpose-built shared file-level storage designed to hold files that teams need access to and that do not require a high-performance database. Users connect directly to shared folders over the network, typically via protocols such as Server Message Block (SMB) or Network File System (NFS).
NAS is often the most effective option for structured file sharing without the cost or complexity of a full SAN environment. However, they can quickly become bottlenecks if the system isn’t large enough for your needs, slowing your team’s productivity.
Cloud Storage
noun
A model of data storage in which information is hosted in off-site data centres and accessed over the internet, typically on a subscription or consumption-based pricing model.
With cloud storage, your data is stored in geographically distributed data centres managed by a third-party provider. Capacity can usually be scaled up or down as required.
Access can often be integrated into backup systems or cloud-hosted applications.
Cloud storage shifts responsibility for physical infrastructure away from the business, but governance and data ownership still sit with you, so you need to be aware of compliance and regulatory requirements.
Storage and back-ups are always dependent on connectivity.
Managing Director, Westway IT
John is the founder of Westway IT and works directly with small businesses across Gloucestershire to keep their IT secure, productive and stress-free.
With a BSc in Computer Science and hands-on experience supporting businesses from 1 to 40 users, he specialises in cyber security, Microsoft 365 and business automation.
An award-winning MSP owner and active member of the global IT community (including GTIA), John focuses on solving real business problems, not just technical ones.
Published: 28 April 2026 | Last Updated: 28 April 2026
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