对于那些不信任云中数据的人来说，最好的存储解决方案(storage solution)通常是本地的，即外部硬盘驱动器或计算机。此解决方案的优点是您无需支付任何费用来存储您的数据（除了购买驱动器），而且您不必担心其他人能够访问您的数据（大部分情况下） ）。
但是，将所有内容本地存储在内部和外部硬盘驱动器上存在几个缺点。首先，除非您有一个好的备份解决方案(backup solution)，否则您丢失数据的风险更大。云存储(Cloud storage)公司有许多冗余备份层来保护您的所有数据。
其次，从世界任何地方的任何设备上访问存储在单个外部硬盘驱动器上的数据可能非常困难和令人沮丧。云存储(Cloud storage)服务通常通过桌面应用程序(desktop apps)和移动应用程序来访问数据使这变得非常容易。
如果您想要云存储(cloud storage)的优势，但又想要将所有内容存储在本地的安全性，您应该考虑设置个人云存储(cloud storage)。同样(Again)，您将获得所有移动和桌面应用程序，并且所有内容都(apps and everything)将同步，但您会将数据本地存储在您自己的设备上。
同样，您无需担心月费，但您将有更高的前期成本。个人(Personal)云存储也非常适合需要存储 TB 级数据但又不想支付与超过 1 TB 的数据相关的高额每月费用的任何人。例如，在Google Drive上的 1 (Google Drive)TB 计划(TB plan)之后，它会跳到 10 TB，您必须每月花费 99 美元。
使用OneDrive，您只能在 1 TB 后以 50 GB 的增量(GB increment)添加更多空间。每增加 50 GB(GB increment)的费用为 1.99 美元。要达到 10 TB，您必须每月支付高达 360 美元！使用Dropbox ， Pro 帐户(Pro account)最多只能获得 1 TB 。如果您想要更多，您需要成为至少拥有 5 个用户的商业客户。(business customer)
了解网络硬盘
那么您需要购买什么才能获得自己的云存储设置(storage setup)？好吧，您基本上是在购买网络附加存储设备或 NAS(storage device or NAS)。请注意，NAS 设备(NAS device)与网络硬盘驱动器略有不同。
在我看来，网络硬盘驱动器是设备内部的单个硬盘驱动器，它连接到网络并提供 Web 界面来控制和访问数据。NAS具有多个硬盘驱动器，可配置为RAID 阵列(RAID array)，从而提供内置数据保护。
我建议远离单一网络硬盘驱动器解决方案，因为它与使用常规外部硬盘驱动器几乎相同，除了您可以获得所有云功能。但是，如果驱动器出现故障，您将丢失所有数据，这些数据可能会或可能不会在其他地方复制。
例如，如果您考虑WD My Cloud Personal NAS，那么单个驱动器实际上只是一个网络硬盘驱动器。如果你得到双驱动版本(drive version)，那么在我看来它可以被认为是一个NAS。
不过，正如您所见，您可以花 400 美元左右获得 8 TB(TB worth)的存储空间，这一点也不差。当然，有一个警告需要考虑。我建议使用具有两个或更多硬盘驱动器的NAS 设备的原因是为了(NAS device)保护数据(data protection)。如果您将驱动器放入RAID 阵列(RAID array)，一个驱动器可能会发生故障，您不会丢失任何数据。
这里提到的所有设备都支持NAS设备上的RAID ，而且它实际上很容易设置。唯一的问题是您失去了一些可用空间。例如，如果您使用上面的 8 TB NAS并使用RAID 1，您将只有 4 TB 的可用空间。如果您使用RAID 5，则至少需要 3 个驱动器，但将获得所有三个驱动器总空间的三分之二。
考虑到您可以以 750 美元左右的价格购买双驱动器 16 (drive 16) TB NAS，即使剩下 8 TB 对于创意专业人士来说也可能绰绰有余。
NAS 的其他好处
除了个人云优势和能够在所有不同设备上同步您的数据之外，NAS设备还提供了许多其他优势。并非我在下面提到的所有设备都支持所有这些功能，Synolgy除外，因此请务必检查您正在考虑的设备上的功能。
- (Data protection)使用带RAID的多托架NAS时的(NAS)数据保护
- 能够在本地和远程将视频从NAS流式传输到游戏机、机顶盒、智能手机和平板电脑
- 能够将 IP 摄像机连接到NAS以进行视频监控和录制(video surveillance and recordings)
- 能够将本地计算机（Windows、Mac、Linux）备份到NAS
- 能够将整个NAS备份到(NAS)Amazon S3、Glacier等在线云存储服务。
- 能够通过应用程序将您的NAS用作FTP 服务器(FTP server)、网络服务器(web server)、邮件服务器(mail server)等。
- 能够与任何人轻松共享文件和文件夹
如您所见，拥有NAS的好处远不止拥有自己的个人云存储(cloud storage)。您可以使用这些设备做很多事情，这使得前期成本更容易承受。
个人云存储解决方案
那么你应该买哪个NAS ？好吧(Well)，说到云存储，您真正需要的是出色的软件。所有主要的硬盘驱动器供应商都拥有带有某种个人云选项的(cloud option)NAS设备，但只有少数运行良好并且拥有一套应用程序来管理云数据。
群晖
我个人有一台 WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra(WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra)和一台Synology DS 411+II，我发现Synology绝对是一款了不起的设备。我的 Synology NAS(My Synology NAS)已经使用了几年，但仍然可以更新到最新版本的DSM ( DiskStation Manager )。在NAS(NAS)上运行的软件非常好，几乎就像使用Windows一样。
他们有几个移动应用程序(several mobile apps)非常适合管理NAS、查看文件、流式传输照片和视频(streaming photos and videos)以及管理您的个人云(managing your personal cloud)。我喜欢Synology的地方在于，他们不断更新硬件和软件(hardware and software)，以支持最新技术。他们也有很多不同的型号，价格范围(price range)很广。
如果您不确定哪一个适合您，只需使用他们的NAS 选择器(NAS selector) 工具。如果您不是技术人员，请不要担心。向这些设备添加硬盘驱动器非常简单直接。此外，很多时候您可以在已安装驱动器的情况下购买它们。
西部数据我的云
我推荐的另一个产品是 WD 的My Cloud 和 My Cloud EX 系列(My Cloud and My Cloud EX series)。总体而言，这些设备都很棒，但它们缺乏Synology产品的功能集和技巧。我发现它们设置起来有点困难，而且我不喜欢选择移动应用程序。
虽然 Synology(Whereas Synology)几乎有一个单独的应用程序，但 WD 只有两个应用程序，它们在他们应该做的事情上并不是那么好。但是，如果您不太关心(t care)所有这些额外功能，那么WD My Cloud产品仍然是一个不错的选择。
也可以看看专家系列(Expert Series)，基本上是除了云能力之外更强大的NAS 。
希捷
希捷(Seagate)是全球最大的硬盘制造商之一，因此他们也涉足NAS 业务(NAS business)也就不足为奇了。我个人没有使用过他们的个人云存储(Personal Cloud Storage)驱动器，我建议您在购买任何东西之前先进行研究。
该驱动器在亚马逊上(3.5 stars on Amazon)只有大约3.5 颗星，大多数人似乎都在抱怨该软件。再一次(Again)，这就是Synology真正闪耀并击败其他所有人的地方。
个人云存储(cloud storage)显然有更多选择，但这些是您目前市场上的最佳选择。如果有新的东西出来或更好的东西，我一定会用这些信息更新这篇文章。如果您有任何问题，请随时发表评论。享受！
How to Setup Your Own Personal Cloud Storage
For those folks who don’t trust theіr data in the cloud, the best storage solution is usually local, meaning either an external hard drive or a computer. The advantagе to this solution iѕ that you don’t have to pay any money to store your data (оther than purchasing the drives) аnd you don’t have tо worry about someone else being able to get into your data (for the most part).
However, there are several disadvantages to storing everything locally on internal and external hard drives. Firstly, unless you have a good backup solution in place, you are more at risk of losing your data. Cloud storage companies have many redundant layers of backup to protect all your data.
Secondly, it can be really difficult and frustrating to access data stored on a single external hard drive from anywhere in the world on any device. Cloud storage services usually make this really easy by having desktop apps and mobile apps for accessing data.
If you want the advantages of cloud storage, but the security of having everything locally stored, you should consider setting up personal cloud storage. Again, you’ll get all the mobile and desktop apps and everything will be synced, but you’ll have the data stored locally on your own devices.
Again, you’ll have no monthly fees to worry about, but you’ll have a higher up-front cost. Personal cloud storage is also really good for anyone who has terabytes of data they need to store, but don’t want to pay the hefty monthly costs associated with anything over 1 TB. For example, after the 1 TB plan on Google Drive, it skips to 10 TB and you have to spend $99 a month.
With OneDrive, you can only add more space after 1 TB in 50 GB increments. Each 50 GB increment costs $1.99. To get to 10 TB, you’d have to pay a whopping $360 a month! With Dropbox, you can only get a max of 1 TB with a Pro account. If you want more than that, you need to become a business customer with at least 5 users.
Understanding Network Hard Drives
So what do you need to buy in order to get your own cloud storage setup? Well, you’re basically buying a network attached storage device or NAS. Note that a NAS device is slightly different than a network hard drive.
In my view, a network hard drive is a single hard drive inside a device that connects to the network and provides a web interface to control and access data. A NAS has multiple hard drives that can be configured in a RAID array, thereby providing in-built data protection.
I recommend staying away from single network hard drive solutions because it’s pretty much the same thing as using a regular external hard drive, except you get all the cloud features. However, if the drive fails, you lose all your data, which may or may not be duplicated somewhere else.
For example, if you consider the WD My Cloud Personal NAS, the single drive is really just a network hard drive. If you get the dual drive version, then it can be considered a NAS in my opinion.
As you can see, though, you can get 8 TB worth of storage for about $400, which is not bad at all. Of course, there is one caveat to consider. The reason I suggest a NAS device with two or more hard drives is for data protection. If you put your drives into a RAID array, one drive can fail and you won’t lose any data.
All of the devices mentioned here support RAID on the NAS devices and it’s actually really easy to setup. The only issue is that you lose some available space. For example, if you take the 8 TB NAS above and use RAID 1, you’ll only have 4 TB of free space. If you use RAID 5, you’ll need at least 3 drives, but will get two-thirds of the total space of all three drives.
Considering you can get a dual drive 16 TB NAS for around $750, even being left with 8 TB is probably way more than enough for even creative professionals.
Other Benefits of a NAS
Beyond the personal cloud benefits and being able to sync your data across all your different devices, NAS devices provide a lot of other benefits. Not every device I mention below supports all of these features, except for Synolgy, so be sure to check the features on the device you are considering.
- Data protection when using a mutli-bay NAS with RAID
- Ability to locally and remotely stream videos from NAS to games consoles, set-top boxes, smartphones and tablets
- Ability to connect IP cameras to NAS for video surveillance and recordings
- Ability to backup local computers (Windows, Mac, Linux) to the NAS
- Ability to backup entire NAS to online cloud storage services like Amazon S3, Glacier, etc.
- Ability to use your NAS a FTP server, web server, mail server, etc. with the use of apps
- Ability to share files and folders easily with anyone
As you can see, the benefits of having a NAS are much more than just having your own personal cloud storage. You can do a lot with these devices, which makes the up-front cost more bearable.
Personal Cloud Storage Solutions
So which NAS should you get? Well, when it comes to cloud storage, what you are really looking for is great software. All the major hard drive vendors have NAS devices with some sort of personal cloud option, but only a few work really well and have a suite of apps to manage the cloud data.
Synology
I personally have a WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra and a Synology DS 411+II and I find the Synology to be an absolutely amazing device. My Synology NAS is several years old, but can still be updated to the latest version of DSM (DiskStation Manager). The software running on the NAS is excellent and is almost like using Windows.
They have several mobile apps that work very well for managing the NAS, viewing your files, streaming photos and videos and for managing your personal cloud. What I like about Synology is that they are constantly updating their hardware and software so that it supports the latest technology. They also have a lot of different models with a wide price range.
If you’re not sure which one would work for you, just use their NAS selector tool. If you’re not a technical person, no worries. Adding hard drives to these devices is very simple and straight-forward. Also, a lot of times you can buy them with the drives already installed.
Western Digital My Cloud
The other product I would recommend is WD’s My Cloud and My Cloud EX series. Overall, these devices are great, but they lack the feature set and finesse of the Synology products. I found them to be a little harder to setup and I didn’t like the selection of mobile apps.
Whereas Synology pretty much has a separate app for everything, WD only has two apps, which aren’t that great at what they are supposed to do anyway. However, if you don’t care so much about all of these extra features, then the WD My Cloud products are still a good choice.
You can also check out the Expert Series, which is basically a more powerful NAS in addition to the cloud capabilities.
Seagate
Seagate is one of the biggest manufacturers of hard drives in the world, so it’s no surprise that they have also gotten into the NAS business. I personally have not used their Personal Cloud Storage drives and I recommend doing your research before you buy anything.
The drive only has about 3.5 stars on Amazon, with most people seeming to complain about the software. Again, this is where Synology really shines and beats out everyone else.
There are obviously more choices for personal cloud storage, but these are your best choices on the market right now. If something new comes out or something better, I’ll be sure to update this post with that information. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
