If cloud storage is not suitable for the storage of your research data, because of speed of access for example, then the NAS service maybe more suitable.  However, there are several caveats to the use of the NAS solution.

Key considerations when requesting NAS storage

When requesting storage on the NAS service for your research data you need to be aware of the following:

• There is an initial 300GB share quota applied to all new shares.
• A retention period must be agreed to ensure data is stored for a set period. The NAS service is designed for active research data in use. Once the project is complete, the data must be removed so the storage can be reused by others
• Shared folders are accessed using standard Windows network drive method (SMB). For Linux users, secure copy (SCP) and network file system (NFS) are also supported.
• Access to the share is limited to users registered at Loughborough University. We use Active Directory user and groups to control access; therefore, this typically is not suitable for research storage that requires external collaboration.
• You can access shared folders offsite by connecting to the University’s VPN.
• Users are responsible for doing House Keeping of their data, before requesting any additional space, we will require that you have done the appropriate House Keeping on the data currently stored. (See Individual Digital Housekeeping tab - OneDrive - File storage | IT Services | Loughborough University
• The primary stakeholder will need to be the main point of contact to approve additional user access. Without this authorisation, no new users can be added to the shares.
• Orphaned shares will be deleted with the authorisation of either the Dean of school or the Operations Manager.

Example Use Case

Data capture from lab instruments, where the capture software does not readily connect to cloud-based storage or where cloud-based storage is not quick enough for the data capture element.  The NAS would be a good fit for this type of data, capturing to the NAS uses standard protocols which are inbuilt into most applications and/or operating systems.  The NAS is idea for the initial capture of this data, where once captured could be moved elsewhere to be analysed further.