Network Attached Storage suggestions for small home and business setup

danw76

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Can anyone suggest a NAS solution for my situation?

My current setup is a main computer that I work at most of the time in my office and a laptop that I work at when out of the house. From the laptop I often RDP into the main computer where more heavy duty programs are running. The main computer has 2 x 3TB HDDS (*see details below) - one is the MASTER and the other is just a backup of that, which is currently backed up using GoodSync software. To start with, if compatible, it would be handy to just use these 2 HDDs and so only needing to purchase an empty NAS case.

I am thinking of going down the NAS route as:
  1. I may want to upgrade the HDDs at some point or add more HDDs to my bank.
  2. It would be a lot more pure and simple if, for example when I am working remotely I can just access the NAS drive and open a file rather than having to RDP into my main computer and work from there.
  3. A RAID configuration to do the backup would be handy.
  4. I don't really want to have to leave my main computer on at all times.
  5. I've got into a big mess with duplicates of files because I sometimes copy a file over to the laptop for convenience.
Any suggestions on a NAS product that would suit my needs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Dan

HDDs:
1 x Seagate Desktop ST3000DM001 internal hard drive 3TB (8.9 cm (3.5 inch), 7200rpm, 64MB cache, SATA III)
1 x WD30EFRX-68EUZN0, DCM DHNNNTJCA, Western Digital 3TB SATA 3.5 Hard Drive
 
Welcome to the forum @danw76 :hiya:

From a business point of view you really need to have an offsite backup. Currently if the PC gets stolen or damaged (fire, flood etc.) you have lost all of your data. So I would strongly suggest you use either cloud based backup, or at least have a remote location with a copy of all your data.
If going for a NAs then be aware that RAID is not a backup. All it offers is data availability if 1 HDD fails. Again theft or damage to the NAS will cause loss of all your data. Plus with only 3Tb of data a NAS is an expensive option to purchase up front and is more awkward to setup for remote access to your data.

Using a cloud storage setup such as OneDrive, Google Drive etc. would eliminate the duplicate files issue as you can just work live on the cloud stored version. Plus with the likes of Office 365 more than 1 person can be working on the same document, and you see live all of their edits - but not sure if this is required for your business.

So some options other than just looking at a NAS for your data.

Mark.
 
To find out how much data you have the first thing you need to do is consolidate all your data to the main PC. If you are unsure then keep the files but name them in a meaningful manner so you know which is which.
Next look at the amount of data you have and try and predict how long it would take you to fill the 3TB Drive, would that be a week,a month,a year ?

Backup your data on a regular basis. At least once a week but for a business every weekday at night would be best.
You should also keep a backup on an external drive(e.g. usb drive) and keep it away from the PC. In a safe would be great if you have one.

From the laptop I often RDP into the main computer where more heavy duty programs are running.

Could you expand on this more ?

For the NAS itself the best places to start is at Qnap or Synology as they are market leaders but there are other brands.
If you intend to use your current drives then I need to point out that if you were to put them in a NAS the first thing it will ask to do is format them. Also the above brands do lists of approved drives so always worth checking that yours are on the list. If not it would be safer to buy approved drives for your NAS.

Certain RAID levels provide resilience before failure. In your case this would be RAID 5 which requires a minimum of 3 disks.
 
I would just go to the cloud, use Google Suite or Microsoft 365. Don't try an build your own datacenter on a budget, especially not if you run a business and thus have clients details that could be exposed.
 

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