How to set up your own NAS for more reliable data backups

World Backup Day, celebrated on March 31, is “a day for people to learn about the increasing role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups.” Because backups are so important, we decided to commemorate this event by showing you how easy it is to set up your own backup NAS (which stands for network-attached storage).

Also: The best external hard drives you can buy 

A NAS is a dedicated little computer designed to hold hard drives or SSDs and protect your data. Typically, it supports more than one drive and has the ability to recover, even if one drive fails. We’re going to be showing you how easy it is to set up your own NAS using the Synology 1621+ six-bay NAS.

How to set up a NAS 

What you need: NAS devices come in a wide range of configurations. At the very minimum, you should make sure you get one that supports two drives, so if one drive fails, your data is still protected. Most NAS devices come with their own file sharing software, so all you have to do is set up and configure the device, and then use whatever backup program you prefer to save your data. The setup process should take about 15 minutes or less. 

FAQs

What is the best practice for backups? 

In my comprehensive guide to backups, I talk about the industry’s recommended three-two-one backup practice. The idea is to have at least three copies of every file, two of which are on different physical devices, and one of which is located off-site. The NAS we’re setting up gets you part of the way there. It gets you copies of files on two different devices. But it doesn’t help you with backing up off-site. That’s next.

How can I back up off-site? 

I recommend three approaches: Backing up to the cloud, backing up to a NAS at another location, or simply storing your files on a backup drive and then moving that drive to another location. Depending on your setup, you might use a combination of these approaches. I’ve been favoring cloud recently, but if you have an office and home in different areas, sharing data between both locations is also a viable strategy.

Can’t I just save files to an external drive? 

Well, sort of. Here’s the thing. You don’t need a NAS. But a single external drive won’t protect you if that drive fails. NAS devices use RAID architecture for their file system, which means that even if one drive fails, the other (or others) will pick up the slack. Also, if you use just one external drive, you need to make sure you also have a way to store copies of your files off-site at a different location. That could be just swapping external drives, but you have to remain diligent. You don’t have to spend for a NAS, but if you don’t, you’ll need to practice best practices on your own and take some extra care with your data management.

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