In a number of industries, this capability has made business dealings possible that never were before - almost all of us have encountered a business that is completely dependent on their information technology infrastructure and the digital media thereon. Photographers, design studios, audio engineers and web design companies all depend heavily on digital content, and many fall into the small business category.



Digital media stored on multiple devices within small businesses is expected to grow fourfold by 2012, to nearly 900GB. The conundrum that small businesses face is that they often don't have a dedicated expert on hand to help with network performance monitoring, and it can become time consuming and costly to back up data and find necessary files. It can become even more costly if data is lost.

Network hosted storage allows your business to access data anytime, and also make for an easy way to back up data and improve network performance management. These storage solutions can double as content sharing platforms that allow customers to both experience and interact with the data, depending on your business preferences.

A recent survey of small businesses found that only one in ten that must back up its data manually (such as onto a CD or DVD, or onto an external hard drive) is actually doing so on a regular basis. One solution which information technology consultants are publicizing now is the Direct Attached Storage Device, which connects to a computer, but does not necessarily increase storage space or network performance management, and cannot share files.

These devices attach via Firewire, USB or serial interface, and provide backup and additional storage. These hard drives can store data from 250 GB to 2 terrabytes (TB)m and can be purchased for as little as US $100.

Solutions that not only provide backup and storage, but also allow better organization of digital media, are also becoming available. Home servers are usually suitable for use by small business, and can store and stream media to several different devices or computers throughout the business. They often require additional software, but your information technology consultant can do much to make these easier to use.