Buffalo Helping Plan to Replace Aged Storage Devices for Business Needs

By Tim Li, technical writer, Buffalo Technology

Nothing lasts forever. No matter how much you paid to install your NAS or other physical storage server, even the most cutting-edge, top-of-the-line hardware will eventually fail to keep up.

HDD have their own lifespan, and hardware components such as RAM and CPU will eventually fail over time, no matter how reliable the device is manufactured to be. This is especially true if your server has been running for years on a 24/7 capacity.

Buffalo recommends taking the initiative to check your NAS hardware regularly and replace any aging storage devices that may be displaying issues in order to maintain data protection. Timely replacement of aging storage devices is essential in mitigating hardware failure risks that can lead to sudden downtime or vulnerability to threats such as ransomware. Because older hardware components for NAS and other storage servers can be difficult to find and even harder to replace, we want to ensure users can always have a replacement device ready at the waiting.

Storage replacement factors
While there are many benefits in maintaining a physical on-premises storage location, it is as essential to know when to replace your storage device to proactively protect data.

Hardware performance
Like any server, a storage device has its own OS and applications (native or otherwise). In order for the device to remain secure and efficient, the hardware must be capable of handling the continual firmware and software updates applied to the device over its lifespan. Even before the hardware fails completely, you may notice an eventual decline in performance, such as slower file transfers or unresponsive server operations. If storage device operations start becoming slow after regular system updates and patches, the server will likely require regular maintenance and configuration in order for it to continue running.

As a first step to check drive status, you can access the drive’s S.M.A.R.T. information, available from the company’s NAS admin portal. A drive’s S.M.A.R.T. information can help you monitor its health condition, and identify or anticipate possible device failure. If you are having trouble finding out about your storage device status or other information such as usage or S.M.A.R.T. data, contact the firm and we may be able to help.

If the hardware performance has seriously deteriorated for an aged NAS and maintenance is no longer improving it, it might be time to replace the server. A new NAS unit will not only help restore productivity, but also actively prevents possible sudden downtime from component failure.

Warranty coverage
An important aspect of device health is the device warranty, as if your storage device is no longer under warranty, you are putting your data at risk. A device that has reached end-of-life (EOL) no longer receives critical updates and patches from the manufacturer, increasing its vulnerability vs. cyberthreats such as ransomware. Threat actors aware of previously-patched vulnerabilities have been known to specifically target and exploit EOL devices that are no longer supported, potentially jeopardizing your data.

The other aspect of warranty coverage involves hardware replacement. Once your warranty expires, the vendor is under no obligation in providing replacement parts or units should your experience hardware failure. This may prolong your downtime and severely disrupt or even cripple your business.

Depending on your usage environment, buying a new NAS server may outweighs the costs (and risks) of maintaining an aging storage device. If you are having trouble locating your device warranty information, contact us and we may be able to help.

Scaling for growth
In some instances, you may simply outgrow the storage device itself. As mentioned, nothing lasts forever. Older hardware components are not only hard to find and replace, but older hardware itself can be difficult to maintain and integrate as your IT staff, infrastructure, and storage requirements evolve. If you are anticipating growth and you know that your current storage device will not integrate well with expected infrastructure updates, it may well be time to replace your current storage device and invest in one that proffers the flexibility that grows with you.

Perhaps you are looking into upgrading your network and need a NAS that plays well with multi-gigabit ethernet, or you are forecasting fast growth and your current storage device cannot be easily expanded or scaled with your growing business. Either way, if you know that your current storage device will not meet your future storage needs, it may be better to consider replacing your storage device that maintains cost-effective data storage and backup for you.

Company’s TradeUP program
As a manufacturer of secure and affordable storage solutions, tit recognizes the importance of proactively replacing aged storage systems to protect data. The TradeUP program allows users to replace aged storage systems with new NAS at cost savings without the hassling of recycling or returning old units. As mentioned, any physical storage server, tape drives, or NAS by any manufacturer is eligible for the TradeUP Program. Contact the company to see how we can help you refresh your storage systems to restore productivity and data security.