Hello everyone! I’m Stephen from Nigeria’s leading phone engineering company, and today, I’m addressing a question that is more important than ever: Why does everyone, including businesses, absolutely need a NAS? By the end of this article, you’ll be wondering how you ever managed without one. So, let’s dive right in!First, let’s clarify what a NAS is. NAS stands for Network Attached Storage. Don’t let the technical jargon intimidate you. Think of it as your own personal cloud, right in your home or office. It allows any device on your network to access files from one central location. No more rummaging through different drives or trying to remember which laptop or phone has that important document. Everything is accessible from one place, and you can control who gets access to these files.
But it’s not just about convenience; let’s talk about security. We’ve all heard horror stories about cloud services being hacked or their privacy policies changing unexpectedly. With a NAS, you’re in control of your data. Your information stays in your home or office, safe and sound, rather than floating around somewhere in the cloud. For business owners, this isn’t just a luxury; it’s essential. Collaborating on projects becomes a breeze. For instance, we can all work on the same project in the studio simultaneously. While my editor handles the video cuts, I’m working on the audio or color grading, all accessing the same files without the hassle of copying them back and forth. It’s seamless and saves us tons of time. Plus, with automatic backups to your NAS, you can say goodbye to that sinking feeling when your computer crashes. Your data isn’t trapped on one device; it’s safely stored on the NAS.
Another thing I do is use the NAS to back up photos from my smartphones. Everything just syncs right onto the NAS. I’m not worried if I lose my phone because the memories are still there. Plus, I don’t have to pay for cloud services to rent their storage; I can use these NAS devices to store my photos.
Now, you might be wondering, “What if my NAS fails? Do I lose everything?” Not if you follow the 3-2-1 rule, the golden rule of data protection. Here’s how it works: You keep three copies of your data, store them on two different devices, and ensure at least one copy is stored off-site. Off-site could also mean the cloud. A NAS is perfect for this strategy. It helps you manage backups, ensuring that your data remains safe even if one device fails.
Let’s talk a bit about bays. When NAS users mention bays, they’re referring to the slots where you insert your drives. A 2-bay NAS can hold up to 2 drives, while a 4-bay NAS can hold up to 4 drives, and so on. The more bays, the more storage you can have. You can also set up RAID configurations for better performance or redundancy. Without getting too technical, RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, allows you to combine multiple drives into a single system. For example, RAID 1 mirrors your data across two drives for redundancy. RAID 5 and 6 provide redundancy and more storage space but require more drives. Your NAS will help you set this up based on your needs, balancing performance and data protection.
Let me share how I implement the 3-2-1 backup strategy and give you a few examples of NAS devices we have here at the studio. The first one is our custom-built server. A few years ago, we built a custom NAS server, and it’s been the backbone of our studio. We use TrueNAS for our main editing storage, and it’s a 12-bay NAS populated with 20TB drives. You don’t need to build your own NAS, though; you can buy pre-built devices that are simple to set up.
Another device we use is the Synology DS920+. This device backs up our custom NAS, so if anything happens to that server, the data is already duplicated here. It’s ideal for small businesses or families with growing storage needs. We also have the TerraMassive 4 Max, which serves as our off-site backup, an essential layer of protection for everything we do in the studio. I don’t have it here because it’s at home as an off-site backup.
You don’t need all these devices to start. You can begin with something as simple as the Synology DS120J, a budget-friendly 1-bay NAS that supports just one drive. If you’re looking for something simple and affordable, this is perfect. If you want to take things up a notch, the TerraMaster F8 Plus is an all-SSD NAS, the M.2 type, that’s lightning fast and perfect for moving large files quickly. If you’re a video editor or dealing with large datasets, this one is a game changer.
Now, why choose a NAS over an external drive? The benefits are clear. With a NAS, you get more space, redundancy, and the ability to access your files from anywhere on the network. You’re not constantly plugging and unplugging drives, and you don’t have to worry about a single drive failing and losing everything.
I know some of you might be thinking that sounds really cool, but I’m not a tech genius. The good news is that modern NAS systems are super user-friendly. If you can set up a social media account, you can set up a NAS. It’s really that simple. And if you need a little guidance, I have plenty of resources to walk you through the setup.
Whether you’re a family trying to organize thousands of photos or a small business managing client files, or just someone who values their data, a NAS isn’t just a cool gadget; it’s a necessity. In a world where data loss can happen at any moment, being prepared isn’t overkill; it’s just smart. Think of a NAS as your digital insurance policy.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Until next time, keep your data safe and organized with a NAS!
