Cloud Storage or Home NAS. Which Storage option is the better choice for You
It’s a known fact that Cloud storage provides an efficient and convenient way of accessing all your files on any of your computing devices with little or no stress at all. But there’s also a lesser known alternative known as Network Attached Storage or “NAS” in shortened form, a contender of the popular Cloud storage. Keep reading as we dive into the meanings of both storage options, what they both have to offer, things to consider when choosing one and the pros and cons of choosing one over the other.
Cloud Storage
From the term “Cloud”. A cloud storage service is a wide array of computers hooked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem. Clouds are designed to offer one or more services such as data storage, content delivery, and applications. So multiple users like you and me, can access these services remotely. Examples of cloud storage include popular ones like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and so on. Cloud storage can also be configured to provide professional storage services and computing power, some popular providers are Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
Network Attached Storage
A Network Attached Storage or “NAS” system can be described as a personal cloud system, which comes as portable hardware with a built in processor, RAM and space for hard drive storage. It is usually connected to a local network and can be accessed remotely either through a personal computer, wireless device, or even through a unique DNS, connected to the NAS device. It gives you the power of physically owning the drive on which your data is stored, while also having the convenience of being able to access that data from anywhere.
Cloud Storage services are majorly offered by large tech companies, while NAS storage device can be purchased from a local store or retailer, connect your hard drive and you have your personal cloud up and running.
After knowing the meanings of these storage options, below are some of the key things you’ll need to consider before choosing one over the other.
Security
There are two things you’ll want to consider for security of your data, first is if you want your data stored by a third party, or do you want to keep it in your own hands? The answer probably depends on what kind of files you’ll be keeping. Second is how safe your data will be once it is accessible online. Cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive offer extra security methods such as two-factor authentication to help make logins more secure and prevent unauthorized login attempts. Some NAS manufacturers such as Synology and Western Digital provide this, but not all do.
Backup
Some NAS devices have slots for more than one hard drive, giving you the ability to increase your total backup space, but if it is a single slot then you’ll have to find an alternative backup, in case your NAS device is compromised. While the cloud in comparison, will include backups as part of the service you’re paying for. In this way, your data that is moved on to the cloud servers is a backup on its own. This ensures your data safety and that nothing will happen to your data as long as the cloud service is still in operation.
Performance
Performance is the speed at which you download and upload your files, and is directly affected by the speed of your network, and the amount of data you are using. While uploading of large files onto cloud storage may take a while depending on your network. A NAS drive can be attached to your computer directly over Wi-Fi, or through a wired connection, making the upload speeds considerably faster than uploading over the internet in the case of cloud.
Price
The final issue here is the price, here NAS wins in terms of low cost with flexible storage option. Most cloud services will offer a few gigabytes of storage for free, and if you’re the type that rarely backups file and able to stay within this limit then cloud is the better option. But for large amounts of storage, the prices hardly compare. You can get a 2TB NAS device around $140 with the option of changing, hardrives, while online cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive charges around $99 per year for half the storage of a NAS device. If what you store uses large amounts of storage, the cloud can get very expensive for increased storage options.
After knowing the things to look out for, when getting a storage backup, below we list out a summary of the pros and cons of choosing one over the other. This way you can decide which is the better choice for you.
Cloud
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly secured | Quite Expensive in storage offerings |
| Accessible through multiple devices | Slower upload speeds |
| Ease of use | |
| Ability to provide raw computing power | |
| Data backup is reliable in case of future use |
Network Attached Storage
| Pros | Cons |
| Relatively Cheap | Data security is not always assured |
| Faster upload speeds | Data backup is not reliable |
| Flexible Storage options | Lacks simplicity and might be difficult to use by an average customer |
| Limited in number of devices that can access data |
Conclusion
The pros and cons of using one storage option to another is clear. If you’re a light user, and what you work with is small files, such as PDFs, text files or JPEG images, then you might find the cloud a perfect option for you. But if what you work with is larger files and you are on a budget, then the benefits of NAS become clear.
