Asustor did a great job with the AS7004T as it combines strong hardware with their already mature ADM operating system. The hardware's and software's feature list is very long. Especially the AS7004T's multimedia capabilities are incredible; it will easily handle the needs of even the most demanding multimedia aficionado. Asustor not only kept hardcore administrators and business environments, but also enthusiast users in mind while designing this NAS. Its high price won't allow many of you to purchase it, but considering the high-end hardware it utilizes for a NAS, there is no room for complaints here. The ADM operating system has proven to be very reliable since I never encountered even the slightest problem in our long and arduous testing sessions. Asustor also added many nice features and options to ADM to make sure it doesn't come short when compared to QNAP's and Synology's offerings, which both have been developing for many more years than Austor has developed ADM. Another strong advantage of ADM is its rich applications list you can find in Asustor's App Center; these applications allow you to tailor the NAS around your needs.

Asustor definitely managed to quickly catch up with the more experienced competition to even surpass companies with many years of NAS-market-specific experience in some areas. The fact that they constantly thrive to offer updates and new applications while expanding their palette of mobile apps shows that they also aren't playing around, but, instead, want to fight their way to the very top of this tough market. The road that will take them there is long and hard, but they are on the right path, especially if they keep their ears open and listen to user needs and what experienced reviewers write about their products.

Since nothing is perfect in this world, I would like to see an expensive NAS like the AS7004T come with at least 4 GB or, even better, 8 GB of RAM. The price of DDR3 RAM also isn't too high nowadays, so I am pretty sure that they could do something about it without seriously affecting the product's final price. Normally, I wouldn't ask for more RAM since 2 GB are more than enough for most usage scenarios because Asustor's custom-tailored Linux-based ADM OS doesn't need more, but I noticed a performance drop in transfer speeds with multiple clients and believe that more RAM may fix the issue. I also have to wonder why Asustor hasn't added any widgets to ADM since widgets would significantly boost usability, and following QNAP's example, why not include more applications in Asustor Portal to make it an even more complete package. On the bright side, considering four camera licenses are provided for free as opposed to the one competing products come with, Asustor does easily take the lead from all other contestants in surveillance. Moreover, Asustor increased their warranty period to three years to show that they trust their designs, which means they now also offer the longest warranty period of all big NAS brands with their high-end products.

To wrap up, I believe that if you have the cash to buy it, there should be nothing in the way to stop you from doing so. I am well aware of its sky high price, but it combines strong hardware with a very richly featured software package to meet all your demands, whether those be for a business or as an all-in-one solution at home (NAS, HTPC, media center, surveillance center, etc.). A price cut would obviously be very welcome, though, considering the competition recently significantly slashed prices on their high-end NAS products.