Backing up your files can be a chore at the end of the day when you have accumulated a lot of files. You’d end up having multiple physical hard drives that at the end of the day, have limited storage space and can have many points of failure.

This is especially true when you need to find specific files and you’d have to search through these physical drives to find the files you’re looking for. Users also rarely backup these drives, so any failure means losing your files permanently. If these drives die, then the drive is essentially gone.

Sharing also is a problem when it comes to these drives, you have to physically hand over the drive to someone in order to share a specific file. That adds the risk of corrupting the drive by plugging it into different drives, and physically destroying the drive as well.

Now, in 2022, there is a far more efficient way for people to back-up and share files with each other. That is by using a NAS to backup your files. A NAS is a network-attached storage which allows you to backup and access your files through your home network.

People can not only use your home internet to access your NAS, but you can also enable remote access by the QuickConnect feature. You can enable the remote access feature on a NAS as well, so you can edit and share files via a web browser, laptop, and mobile phone even on the go.

There are a lot of advantages to using a NAS to backup your files. First is that it offers better data protection, physically, you don’t have that fear of your drive failing physically by hitting something when you’re carrying it in your bag or around the house. It also gives you the convenience of backing up hard drives. You can have copies of your hard drive through your NAS and they also come with useful tools to protect your files.

A NAS will also offer users better file management, by using built-in tools and apps, the NAS can help you organize your multimedia files such as pictures and videos. Personally, even just one drive was a hassle to organize and having a tool through the NAS that does the job for me is a godsend.

Lastly, a NAS can help you share your files easily across your network, or even in another network if you allow access to your files remotely. You can even allow how long users can access these files which is a great feature. All you have to do most of the time with a NAS is just create a shared link which users can access to get the desired file.

How to choose your Synology NAS

First, you have to estimate your storage requirements. How much data do you think you would need for the near future? If you can answer this then that’s step one done for you. Do you think 2TB is enough for your needs? Or do you need a whopping 32TB of storage because you are editing videos and the like. Are you constantly backing up your phone and PC to your NAS? Then that will immediately take up a lot of space.

One thing you could do is add up your current storage consumption across PCs, mobile devices, and public cloud accounts, and multiply the result by the average rate of annual data growth, that is around 1.2 per year. That is one way you can get your average storage needs for the next few years.

Select the number of bays

Synology has a useful RAID Calculator that allows you to find out the minimum number of drive bays you need according to your storage requirements. The maximum number of drives supported by each NAS is indicated in its model name. For example, the DS920+, the DS stands for DiskStation, the 9 is the maximum number of drives supported, and the 20 is the release year.v

The amount of bays you need will determine how much upgradeability you have in the future. Sometimes investing in one that has a lot of bays will be useful in the long run. And with the amount of options Synology has you have a lot of models to choose from.

Select a model

Synology NAS comes in different series and models, from simple file management systems to multimedia streaming devices, to work productivity, you have a NAS for every type of need. Here are our suggestions.

Conclusion

Choosing a Synology NAS isn’t a tough decision. Just follow the steps that we’ve listed above and you will be able to select the perfect Synology NAS that best suits your needs. If you are still unsure which Synology NAS is most suitable for you, you can consult Synology directly right here.