Hi Charles, You can use NAS as a backup target, but you probably will be unimpressed with the performance.
You really need to study some best practices on data protection and develop a strategy. There's information out there at sites such as SNIA.Org
For instance,
- How long are you going to keep backup data around (What's your archive retention time)? If you use the standard weekly full, daily incremental, you'll fill up terabytes quicker than you think.
- To what granularity do you need to have restores? Will you ever need to restore back to Thursday, two weeks ago? What's your plan for being able to do that?
- What laws or regulations or business practices govern the retention of data?
- If your NAS/backup box is located in the same room or building as your servers, what happens to yourbackup data if there's a fire/flood/theft/earthquake?
- If you are the backup guy, and it's your job... do you have control over that NAS system to make sure that it's being managed to appropriate standards to ensure the integrity of your backup data? What happens if that team decides to implement a different strategy, and the machine goes away (suddenly)?
- Have you considered all the costs of backup to disk vs. backup to tape, including acquisition cost and electricity?