A Network Attached Storage Device (NAS) is a device that provides data storage and file sharing capabilities to multiple devices on a network. Unlike a traditional external hard drive, a NAS is a centralized storage system that allows users to access, share, and manage data from a single location. A NAS device is typically connected to a router or switch, allowing users to access their files over a local network or the internet.

A NAS device is an essential tool for anyone who needs to store and access large amounts of data regularly. It provides a secure and centralized storage system that enhances data management, sharing, and accessibility. With a NAS device, users can easily share files among multiple devices on a network, set up automatic backups for data protection, and access their data from anywhere in the world.

We offer a wide range of different options. A simple 2 bay NAS will likely cost you $300-$400, whereas a 4 bay NAS can cost upwards of $800-$1200 depending on the features such as memory, port speed (1Gbps vs 10Gbps), and whether it comes with a NVME M2 slot for 1 or 2 SSD caching slots. We recommend upgrading the RAM if your model allows this, and ram is often cheap at around $100 for 16GB dimm and you'd need 1 or 2. 

On top of this you'll need to purchase your drives. There's various options available but we nearly always recommend Seagate Ironwolf NAS drives for general NAS use and Western Digital Security drives for CCTV camera NAS. 

Drives vary and pricing is always changing but a 4TB drive is around $250 at the time of writing this guide. Depending on your NAS you would need 2 of these if you go for RAID1 mirroring. If you had a 4 bay NAS you could buy 4, or 2 of each (i.e. 2 x 4TB and 2 x 10TB) which would give you around 14TB of mirrored storage. 

There are many RAID options to choose from including RAID0 for those that don't need data mirroring, so you could have 4 x drives should you wish, for example 4 x 10TB would give you 40TB of storage. Talk to us about your RAID option when ordering your NAS. 

We offer a done for you installation and configuration service of approx $180 and then our normal hourly rates for the on site installation component. Setting up a NAS from scratch can take hours, especially with the latest firmware updates and security patches so we do this before attending site. Most NAS are installed within 1 hour for residential users and 2-3 hours for businesses. We need to place your NAS somewhere cool and dry, so may require the placement of a cabinet or long cable run using CAT6A cable to another room - please discuss with us. 

Cloud services are great if you only need 15GB - 50GB which is often the free limitation. Even their paid options aren't that affordable when you start storing huge numbers of files. We regularly get clients coming to us asking why they need to pay Dropbox $250 a month to host their files. Imagine paying those companies for 10TB of space? It would cost a fortune, whereas a NAS would handle it easily and is often a one time cost. Further not everyone is going to need a NAS, mostly small home businesses that want to protect and keep hold of their data security, and those looking to setup a Plex media server, or home security camera storage facility will find they are helpful.

Those clients that benefit from a NAS include Architects using CAD files as they can drag and drop from the NAS to the local machine - work on the document, then drop it back into the NAS - then with cloud sync, their files are backed up in 3 places. This saves having to download and reupload from the cloud provider (i.e Dropbox) every time. 

We recommend you choose RAID1 or similar when setting up your NAS and have two drives with the same data, this way if one drive fails, your data will be unaffected. We can then remove the faulty drive and replace it with a new one and then resync the data across to the new drive. If you are using RAID0 then you'd need a copy of your data from another backup location to perform the same steps. 

It's rare for drives to fail these days if well looked after - we'll check where you plan to place your NAS before installation. For example in a garage or workshop with lots of dust is not going to work, whereas in a cabinet in an office or in a cooler place/storage room will be great! Further protecting your power source can help too. 

We personally see no benefit in SSD when using a NAS - yes there will be a minor difference in processing speed initially but SSD was not designed for constant writing and reading so the life of your SSD drives would be shortened dramatically over an HDD. Further the cost of large SSD drives is astronomical compared to HDD. You can compare the price of a 8TB HDD and an 8TB SSD and see for yourself.

We recommend a better approach is NAS ready HDD drives such as Seagate Ironwolf, combined with an NVME M2 SSD for caching. You can get a 1TB or 2TB module for around $150-$250 which will speed up processing on your most actively accessed files. 

You will nearly always find that buying a NAS that can be extended to be the best option. Some of the more expensive Synology and QNAP network attached storage devices offer the ability to connect another 4, 8 or 12 bays to your NAS without having to buy a replacement NAS. These are definitely beneficial as your business grows. 

Buying a 10Gbps supported model is also a wise choice as it will be common in a few years for 10GB networks to be more common than 1GB so futureproofing is recommended. 

Generally the more expensive offerings come with better features such as higher memory, graphics drivers and licenses for certain programs such as camera licenses for security cameras. Whether you need these is another question but for most people we recommend saving the money for your drives.

Buying 4 x 20TB drives will set you back a small fortune so you're better spending your money on drives than features in the NAS you probably don't need!