Discovering More Ways to Share on Your Windows Network

In the previous part of this article series, we discovered how you could improve your network (and pocketbook) with VoIP and Wi-Fi phones, keep an eye on employees using network cameras, and display your digital photos and video in digital photo frames.

Network storage drives, technically called Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, provide a central place to store your files and gives you 24/7 access, rather than having to rely on computers to be up and running to access shared files. This is because they connect directly to your network via an ethernet or wireless connection. If you have multiple computers on your network, you’ll probably find these drives to be helpful. Save time in troubleshooting sharing issues between your computers, gain backup capabilities for all your PCs, and get the convenience of remotely accessing your files when away.

The computers of your network

Similar to accessing shared folders on the computers of your network, the files and data contained on NAS devices are available on the Network or My Network Places window of Windows. However, most NAS devices offer two other ways to access your documents: through a web browser interface and via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) connections, either locally or over the Internet.