Network Attached Storage are not for nerds anymore. They have so much to offer than just storage capacity that you will be surprised. We wanted to introduce this amazing tech device in this article and show 7 reasons why we this this piece of trendy equipment should be found in any household in 2019 and beyond!
Huge storage capacity
Increasing storage space is one of the main advantages of a NAS. While the size of our computers tends to shrink, so does their local storage capacity. While external hard drives offer limited storage capacity, you can continue to increase the size of your NAS by adding additional hard drives instead of investing in new equipment. All you have to do is add hard disks to the empty bays of the case and plug it on your routeur WiFi. Nas have 2,4,6 and even more bays in which you can add a hard drive up to 14TO. With a 2 bays Nas, it’s up to 28TO of data that you can store.
Share files easily
A NAS allows you to share files among several users. You will just need to let them access to your files or to specific folders. It’s so easy to work on the same files without having to send it every time you modify something on it. A NAS server thus offers the possibility of setting up a centralized storage network that easily exceeds a computer’s storage capacity and allows users to access it at any time.
Your own cloud
Cloud storage is extremely convenient and that’s why it’s used so much. But in the end, a lot of us wonder who really has access to our documents, especially those that store confidential information such as account statements or passwords.
One of the advantages of the NAS is that it works like a cloud but without the fear of data recovery by a third party company. Most Network Storage Attached devices have options that allow you to configure remote access to your documents from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection available. So you can watch a movie or listen to music on your iPad while you’re on vacation halfway around the world – as long as you have the file on your NAS and enough bandwidth.
By providing a link to the people you want to authorize, you can also share access to a specific folder or file. In short, your own cloud.
If this is one of the main reasons why you might want to invest in a NAS, look out for boxes that offer complementary mobile applications for optimized cloud use. Western Digital has made it its trademark with the My Cloud Ex2 Ultra or the My Cloud Pro PR2100.
Automate your backups
We know the importance of making regular backups of your data, but doing it manually can quickly become complicated. Especially since it’s easy to forget to do it one day, then the month goes by, and a year… and one day your hard drive fails you and you lose all your data.
By using a NAS you can set up automatic backups. These backups can even be made as soon as you make a change to a file or folder. You can also set it up to backup the file during the night without any action recquired from you.
A reassuring data protection
With several hard drives you can have a RAID protection that will save your data on both drives. In case of a hard drive failure, you will still have access to your data. And you also have many online Cloud app avalaible to store your data online.
We mentioned the cloud earlier and concerns about data privacy. On the other hand, when it comes to security, the cloud has a major advantage: it is immaterial. Storing all your data only on your NAS exposes them to permanent loss in the event of fire or theft, for example. That’s why manufacturers offer the ability to automate backups to the most popular cloud services. This way you can retrieve your most important data at any time.
Easy to set up
A Nas is very easy to use. You don’t need any knowledge to use them. OS from brands like Synology, Qnap or Asustor are very friendly. They are very similar to what you can have on your smartphone with beautiful icons to navigate through the applications.
Create a media server
With a Nas you can share medias to every connected devices in your home. Play music on your wireless speaker, watch a movie on your smart TV and enjoy pictures from your last vacation on your smartphone. This will definitely impress your guest, you can trust us!
You will also find an HDMI jack and audio output on some NAS. This allows you to connect the NAS directly to a screen, TV or projector and speakers. With the help of various applications you can transform your NAS into a video or audio player and transmit multimedia content live from the device without having to send your data over the network.
Manufacturers such as QNAP and Asustor take the NAS’s autonomy even further by allowing you to control your device with a remote control. In addition, there is a range of app available such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Youtube, Spotify and others. You can even connect a keyboard and mouse to take NAS servers to a new dimension. But don’t expect exceptional performance because even the best NAS is not designed for the same use as a PC.