Which storage approach provides file-level access over IP networks?

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File-level access over IP networks is provided by NAS. A NAS device acts as a dedicated file server on the network and exposes shared folders using standard file protocols such as NFS (common on Unix/Linux) and SMB/CIFS (used by Windows). Clients connect over Ethernet, browse directories, and read or modify files directly through those shares, with the NAS managing permissions and metadata. This is different from block-storage approaches like SAN or iSCSI, which present raw storage blocks to a server and require the host to manage a file system on top of them. Cloud storage generally uses object storage or file gateways accessed via APIs rather than traditional network file shares. Because NAS is specifically built to deliver file-level access over IP networks, it’s the best fit for that requirement.