# Network File Storage

**Network File Storage** on the IONOS Cloud platform is a fully managed service that utilizes the [Network File System (NFS)](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] protocol to offer scalable, shared file storage to numerous [Virtual Machines (VMs)](#user-content-fn-2)[^2] within your [Virtual Data Center (VDC)](#user-content-fn-3)[^3].

**Enhancing security with Client-Side encryption:** While your storage benefits from default AES-256 server-side encryption via the backup service, you may require an additional security layer. This document provides step-by-step instructions on how to apply client-side AES-256 encryption to a storage protection plan using a password, ensuring maximum data protection.

Begin with the [<mark style="color:blue;">Network File Storage User Guide</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/storage-and-backup/network-file-storage) to understand the fundamental concepts and configuration options, and later follow step-by-step instructions in the following tutorial to deploy your advanced workflows:

## Explore Tutorials

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Mount a Network File System Volume on Debian-based Systems</strong></mark></td><td>Mount an NFS volume on Debian-based Systems for efficient and scalable file storage solutions.</td><td><a href="network-file-storage/mount-nfs-volume">mount-nfs-volume</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

[^1]: A distributed file system protocol that allows remote file access and sharing over a network. NFS enables a client-server model, where a central server provides access to files and directories to remote clients.

[^2]: The virtualization or emulation of a computer system is based on computer architectures and provides the functionality of a physical computer. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer.

[^3]: A collection of cloud resources used for creating an enterprise-grade IT infrastructure. VDC resources include the processors, memory, disk space, and networks from which Virtual Machine (VMs) are built.