Be honest: how many random flash drives do you have lying around? What about external SSDs?
To me? I have a lot. Too much. Most of which I couldn't find. And while I know portable SSDs have their benefits, I still make this PSA: stop hoarding external storage when all you really need is to get a NAS (network-attached storage).
External drives seem convenient, until they aren't
They are comfortable, but far from perfect.
If you need more storage space, an SSD is a good choice for both reliability and speed. You you don't even need to buy one of the fastest SSDs– an older SATA drive will do the job and outperform the HDD by a mile. You can also repurpose an old NVMe SSD and turn it into a portable drive.
But is there any point in stacking external drives without any rhyme or reason?
True, portable SSDs and USB drives seem to be the simplest answer. Connect, drag and drop files, disconnect and forget. But do this for a while and cracks will begin to appear.
First, while it's better to have any kind of backup, one backup isn't enough if the files are important, especially if you're just using a portable SSD for it. If anything happens to your SSD, your entire backup plan will go awry, and it's very easy to lose a portable SSD.
Another problem is that the “plug in, drag files, unplug” workflow may only be safe if your SSD is actually idle, and your computer may not always be honest about whether it has actually finished writing. If you turn it off while recording, data loss may occur and damage is out of the question.
It's also important to remember that SSDs can lose data if you simply leave them unplugged for long periods of time. If you use a portable SSD as a backup and leave it in a drawer for a couple of years, you may end up with an unpleasant surprise in the form of data loss.
External SSDs (and NVMe SSDs housed in USB enclosures) can be useful for fast data transfers, but if you want a real automatic long-term backup solution, you're much better off using a NAS.
NAS solves problems that external SSDs cannot solve.
It's far from the same, but in many ways better
A NAS may seem daunting, but it's often a much better solution all around, and it's unlikely to be a major commitment. A budget, beginner-friendly NAS like Ugreen NASync DH2300 At just over $200, it gives you much more use than a lone portable SSD.
Let's start with the fact that NAS is much more than just storage. The goal is always-on storage that is highly automated, easily accessible throughout the network, and reliable. Instead of a backup target that only exists when you remember to mount it, you get something that sits on your network all the time and does all the work for you. Things like scheduled backups, multi-device access, and file system features are the bread and butter of a good NAS.
There are many uses for NAS something a portable SSD can't even hope to achieve. For example, you can turn your NAS into a home lab with things like Plex, which let you create your own libraries of movies, shows, and music that you can then stream to all the devices on your network.
Perhaps the best thing (okay, maybe not the best, but my favorite) about owning a NAS is that it provides centralized storage for multiple devices. You don't have to transfer external backups from one device to another, and transferring files between them is incredibly easy.
Bottom line: If you only occasionally move some files here and there and don't need backups, an external SSD is the way to go. But important backups and frequent file transfers are much better done on a NAS.
Creating your own NAS is much easier than it seems
There are several ways to do this
Do you like the idea of a NAS? Good news: getting started is much easier than it might seem. You can turn your used computer into a NASbut you can also build your own from scratch or buy one ready-made.
The hardest part isn't actually the building; it means making smart choices that will best suit you and your needs. Some considerations include:
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How much memory do you really need?
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No matter whether you want to use SSD or HDD (Hint: Even if you use HDDs, one SSD can be useful for cache and boot targets)
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The exact form factor of your NAS (old office PC, SFF PC, off-the-shelf NAS, etc.)
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If you're building your own home, the main considerations are cooling, noise and energy efficiency.
Once your NAS is up and running, set up scheduled and automatic backups to as many devices as you need. For important files, you should still back up them to more than one location; Your entire NAS may work well, but the drives wear out over time.
When is it worth buying an external SSD?
I'm not going to discourage you from using more backup drives.
While I say that a NAS is a better choice for backup than a portable SSD (because it really is), there are still many benefits to having both options.
External SSDs are great for traveling and moving large files between locations not on your network. A NAS is usually very portable, but you don't have to carry it with you; this defeats his purpose.
Plus, not everyone needs a NAS. Unless you're dealing with large amounts of data that require reliable backup, a small, portable drive is the way to go. But remember that everything important should be backed up several times on different devices. The 3-2-1 rule of backup applies here: keep three copies of your original data on two different storage devices and one copy off-site to protect against natural and physical disasters. These days it often means “cloud”.
There's hardly ever a need to have multiple external SSDs if most of your storage needs are for backup. A NAS is a more reliable solution that gives you a lot that an external SSD can't, from simultaneous access to multiple devices to scheduled backups. By all means, keep your SSD, but consider a NAS if you need something more long-term.
