How to choose a NAS for an architectural studio

Shared storage is the backbone of every architectural studio. It holds projects, families, material libraries and backups. Yet choosing a NAS is often dismissed as buying "some box with disks". A poor choice, however, becomes apparent exactly when it matters most, during synchronisation of the central model before submission. This article explains what to actually look for in a NAS for a studio.

Why an architectural studio needs a NAS, not just a shared folder

Architectural studios work with large files that are frequently modified simultaneously from multiple workstations, central models in Revit, Teamwork projects in ArchiCAD, and family and texture libraries. A simple shared drive on one of the team's computers cannot handle this reliably: it lacks the performance for concurrent access, secure backup, and protection against disk failure. A dedicated NAS solves all three problems at once and operates independently of whether any workstation is currently powered on.

What to consider when choosing

Plan your capacity with a reserve in mind. Architectural projects grow, more inspections, visualisations and exported deliverables are added. What seems like sufficient space today is often full within a year and a half.

RAID explained simply: how to protect data against disk failure

RAID distributes data across multiple drives so that the failure of one does not result in project loss. It is not a substitute for backup but serves as the first line of defence against the most common fault, hard drive failure.

Project versioning: protection against overwriting and errors

A quality NAS can create snapshots, instant, space-efficient copies of the data state at a given time. For a studio, this means reverting to a project version from the previous day without requiring a full backup on separate storage.

• Set snapshots at least once a day to a shared folder with projects, ideally outside working hours when no one is saving the central model.
• Keep history for at least 14-30 days. - errors in a BIM project are often discovered only after some time has passed, not the very next day
• Snapshots also protect against ransomware. - if the version is locked and non-writable, malicious software cannot reach the encrypted data within it.

NAS-level versioning is a supplement, not a replacement for inspection management tools within Revit or ArchiCAD. It addresses a different layer of the problem, protecting the entire file system, not individual models.

Remote access: securely, without opening a port.

Architects today routinely need to access projects outside the office. This is where most security mistakes occur: manufacturer-offered "quick connection" solutions like QuickConnect or port forwarding directly to the internet are convenient, but they increase the risk of external attacks on NAS devices.

• VPN to NAS or studio network - the safest option; operation is encrypted and the NAS is not directly exposed to the internet
• Avoid port forwarding. to a public IP address. This is one of the most common ways a NAS becomes a target of an attack.
• Two-factor authentication Logging into the NAS administration should be straightforward.
• Regular firmware updates - NAS manufacturers fix security vulnerabilities on an ongoing basis; outdated firmware is a common cause of compromise.

We discuss remote access to large project files in more detail in our article. working on BIM projects from home.

When a NAS is no longer sufficient

A small NAS with RAID 5 and SSD cache can handle the operation of a studio with approximately 10-15 workstations working simultaneously. Beyond this limit, or during intensive work with central models by multiple teams at once, it is worth considering a dedicated server with faster storage and a dedicated network. However, the decision should not be based on feeling. It is worthwhile to have the throughput and load of the existing storage measured.