Enterprise Storage (SAN, NAS, S3)

A service overview and catalog of Enterprise Storage (SAN, NAS, S3) provided by the UC Berkeley IT Service Hub.

Description

Enterprise Storage Services provide secure, scalable data storage options to meet diverse workload requirements. Storage Area Network (SAN) delivers high‑performance, block‑level storage for critical applications. Network Attached Storage (NAS) enables shared, file‑based storage for collaboration and application file services. S3 Object Storage, available on‑premises and in the cloud, supports durable, cost‑effective storage for large volumes of unstructured data, backups, and modern application workloads.

Benefits & Features

There are several storage options available to faculty and staff. All options provide high availability and are scalable but pricing and features may vary. See enterprise storage comparison chart for more details.

Storage Area Network (SAN)
- High-performance, low-latency access for mission‑critical applications
- Block-level storage appears as locally attached disks to servers
- Scales storage independently from compute
- Ideal for databases, virtualization, and transaction-heavy workloads
- Supports centralized management and high availability
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
- Simple, shared file access over standard networks (NFS/SMB/CIFS)
- Easy integration for heterogeneous client environments
- Cost-effective for file sharing, home directories, and collaboration
- POSIX-compliant file system simplifies user and application access
- Centralized storage with straightforward management
S3 Object Storage (On‑prem & Cloud)
- Massive scalability and durability for large data volumes
- Simplified data management using objects and metadata
- Ideal for unstructured data, backups, archives, and cloud-native apps
- Supports hybrid and cloud use cases with on-prem and WASABI options
- Cost-efficient storage with high availability and resilience

Getting Started

To get started with this service, please email storage-ticket@berkeley.edu
For more detailed information, please review FAQs: Active Archive Object Storage (AAOS)

Service Details

Eligibility	This service is available to Faculty, Students, and Staff
Contact	Please email storage-ticket@berkeley.edu
Availability	Support and services are provided during standard business hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM PT, excluding University holidays and curtailment periods.
Cost	Please see our recharge rates for current pricing.
Data Classification	This service is rated for Protection Level P4, Availability Level A4, and Recovery Level R5 data. Compliance: Users are responsible for ensuring data handled within this service complies with the Data and IT Resource Classification Standards.