Archiving On-Premises NAS and File Storage to Vaultastic

Overview

Enterprise data stored on on-premises NAS devices and file servers often represents a large portion of an organization’s intellectual property. This data may include:

• Shared drives

• Departmental file servers

• Application exports

• Scanned documents

• Backup repositories

• Compliance evidence archives

Unlike cloud-native platforms, on-premises storage environments are often:

• Poorly indexed

• Inconsistently backed up

• Vulnerable to ransomware

• Lacking immutable retention controls

• Difficult to supervise for compliance

Archiving NAS and file server data into Vaultastic Open Store or Deep Store enables organizations to establish secure, centralized, and long-term archival storage.

Key benefits include:

• Long-term cost-optimized retention

• Centralized indexing and governance

• Protection from ransomware and insider threats

• Audit-ready compliance posture

• Geographically durable object storage

Why Archive On-Prem Storage

Ransomware Protection

NAS systems are common ransomware targets. If encrypted, recovery depends entirely on backup integrity.

Vaultastic archival provides:

• Object-based storage isolation

• Immutable retention policies

• Separation from production networks

This significantly reduces the potential impact of ransomware incidents.

Compliance and Regulatory Retention

Many regulatory frameworks require:

• Long-term retention

• Non-rewritable and non-erasable storage

• Defensible audit trails

Traditional file shares rarely meet these requirements without additional systems. Vaultastic archival tiers provide storage designed for regulatory and evidentiary integrity.

Storage Cost Optimization

Primary NAS storage is optimized for active workloads and is typically expensive.

Archiving infrequently accessed data:

• Reduces primary storage consumption

• Delays hardware refresh cycles

• Improves backup performance

Vaultastic provides two archival tiers:

Centralized Governance

Consolidating NAS archives into Vaultastic enables:

• Unified retention policies

• Centralized audit logging

• Cross-source search across email, chat, and files

• Simplified compliance supervision

Vaultastic Storage Targets

NAS data is typically archived into the following Vaultastic storage tiers.

The appropriate store depends on:

• Expected access frequency

• Retention duration

• Recovery time requirements

• Storage cost considerations

Archival Methods

Vaultastic supports multiple methods for ingesting NAS and file server data.

AWS DataSync

AWS DataSync is recommended for large-scale migrations or continuous synchronization.

An on-prem DataSync agent connects to NAS systems using NFS or SMB and transfers data securely to Vaultastic’s S3-compatible endpoints.

Benefits include:

• High-speed parallel transfers

• Incremental synchronization

• Built-in data integrity verification

• Scheduling and bandwidth control

Vaultastic technical teams assist with configuration, endpoint validation, and performance tuning.

This method is best suited for enterprise-scale archival programs.

LegacyFlo FTP Upload

LegacyFlo can ingest data from FTP or SFTP locations.

Typical workflow:

1. NAS exports files to an FTP or SFTP server.

2. A LegacyFlo upload job retrieves the files.

3. Data is uploaded to Vaultastic Open or Deep Store.

This method supports:

• Scheduled ingestion

• Controlled batch transfers

• Recurring archival workflows

It is suitable for medium-scale or periodic uploads.

Upload via Vaultastic Applications

The Vaultastic Open Store and Deep Store applications support direct file uploads through the user interface.

This method is appropriate for:

• Small datasets

• Ad-hoc uploads

• Legal hold collections

• Intermittent archival tasks

Advantages include simple operation and no infrastructure requirements, though the process is manual and not suitable for large datasets.

Direct Upload Using S3 Tools

Vaultastic provides S3-compatible credentials for Open and Deep Store.

These credentials can be used with third-party tools such as:

• S3 Browser

• Command-line S3 clients

• Custom automation scripts

Typical process:

1. Configure the Vaultastic S3 endpoint.

2. Provide the access credentials.

3. Upload files directly into the designated storage location.

This method is suitable for technical teams implementing scripted or automated integrations.

Selecting an Archival Method

Archiving NAS Data to Vaultastic

Follow these steps to archive NAS or file server data.

1. Classify Data

Identify datasets that should be archived based on:

• Retention requirements

• Access frequency

• Compliance obligations

2. Select the Storage Tier

Choose the appropriate Vaultastic store:

• Open Store for searchable archival

• Deep Store for long-term cold storage

3. Select the Ingestion Method

Choose the archival method based on:

• Data volume

• Automation requirements

• Available infrastructure

4. Perform Initial Data Migration

Transfer existing NAS data into the selected Vaultastic storage tier using the chosen ingestion method.

5. Configure Ongoing Synchronization

If required, configure scheduled synchronization to archive new data periodically.

6. Validate Archival Integrity

Verify that:

• Files are uploaded successfully

• Retention policies are applied

• Indexing and search functions operate correctly

Benefits of NAS Archival in Vaultastic

Archiving NAS storage into Vaultastic provides:

• Ransomware-resilient protection

• Compliant long-term retention

• Reduced primary storage costs

• Centralized governance and auditing

• Unified search across communication and file data

Moving aging or compliance-sensitive data from NAS environments into Vaultastic Open or Deep Store creates a structured, secure, and defensible archival environment.