What are my options?
Clean out the space the school already has. (This option is free (0p per Gb))
Ask for users and their home directory that have left the school to be deleted.
On a yearly basis have time set aside when staff can go through their home directories and shared areas to delete data that is no longer required.
Ask pupils to delete files that are no longer required at the end of each year.
Check shared areas for old files that are no longer required.
Do not copy CDs onto the network
Save data to Glow. (This option is free (0p per Gb))
All Glow users have 50Gb personal data storage in Glow which can be used
Order additional Hard Drive space for the server (£200 – £400 (66p – £1.32 per Gb))
This is limited by the size of the backup system on your server
Upgrade the Backup system for your server (£2500 (£8.33 per Gb))
This will cost in the region of £2,500. It may allow the school to access and extra 300Gb (1/3 Tb) of space.
Order Network Attached Storage (NAS) (£350 – £3100 (17p – 35p per Gb))
NAS drives are available in sizes to suit all schools from 1Tb (1000Gb) to 18Tb (18,000 Gb). This drives allows everyone in the school to save to it in the same way that they currently save to the schools server.
What is a NAS Drive?
A NAS drive is a group of Hard Drives connected to your network that can be accessed by users on the network that have the necessary permissions.
The data on the NAS drive is written to two separate disks within the enclosure which means if one of the hard disks fails it can be replaced with no loss of data.
Much of the data on a school network is non critical and does not require to be backed up e.g. Videos, Pictures, non assessment related data. This type of data can easily be stored on a NAS drive with minimal risk.
Is there a down side to using a NAS Drive?
If a twinned pair of hard drives fail at the same time, there is a risk that the data will be lost permanently as there is no tape backup. However if data is critical to the school it should be stored on the schools server.
How much does it cost?
NAS drives come in all shapes and sizes to meet your schools requirements. An initial Enclosure is purchased with Hard Drives added as required. The prices below give some indication of how much data storage costs. (Prices change all the time and ICT should be contacted for up to date pricing)
Enclosure
2 Bay (Primary Schools only) £350 / 1Tb
4 Bay £631 / 3Tb £809 / 6Tb
8 Bay £1839 / 3Tb £2017 / 6Tb £2195 / 9Tb £2373 / 12Tb
12 Bay £2563 / 9Tb £2741 / 12Tb £2919 / 15T £3098 / 18Tb
How do I order?
It is recommended that schools contact TMC ICT if they are considering purchasing additional storage. ICT will be able to further advise on the suitability of each solution.
Orders can then be placed via Procurement.
