Photos keep piling up.

Phone photos, drone footage, family videos, work files, and school materials.

Then, at some point, you start to wonder:

“Where am I going to put all of this?”

Buying an external hard drive means you have to plug it into your computer, while using cloud storage means paying a monthly subscription fee.

That is where a NAS comes in.

But thinking of a NAS simply as a “box with multiple hard drives” misses the bigger picture.

The core of a NAS is not the storage itself, but the network.

The starting point for choosing a good NAS isn’t “How many terabytes do I need?” either.

You must first determine where your data is created, who needs to access it, and how it needs to move.

What is a NAS? A Small Cloud in Your Home or Office

NAS stands for Network Attached Storage.

Literally, it means storage connected to a network.

The concept is simpler than you might think.

휴대폰 ─┐
노트북 ─┼── 공유기 ─── NAS
태블릿 ─┤
회사 PC ─┘

Typically, an external hard drive connects directly to a single computer.

A NAS connects to your router.

This allows multiple devices on the same network to access the NAS.

To put it more simply:

An external hard drive is storage you carry around with you,
while a NAS is storage where you keep files in one place for multiple devices to access.

If you set up external access over the internet, you can access your files even when you are away from home.

So, the moment you start using a NAS, you aren’t just getting another storage drive.

You are establishing your own small data hub inside your home or office.

The Core Principle of NAS: It’s a Small Server, Not Just a Hard Drive

A NAS is essentially a small computer.

It generally contains four main components:

• CPU: Handles file processing and runs various services
• RAM: Manages multiple tasks simultaneously
• HDD/SSD: Stores the actual data
• Operating System: Manages file sharing, user accounts, backups, and photo management

In other words, a NAS is:

Multiple storage drives
+ A small computer
+ A dedicated NAS operating system

That is how you should look at it.

Because of this, you cannot just look at the NAS enclosure when making a purchase.

Most NAS units require you to purchase the storage hard drives separately.

“So, how is it different from Google Drive?”

The biggest difference is who owns the storage hardware.

With Google Drive or iCloud, you rent server space from another company.

With a NAS, you buy the storage hardware yourself and keep it in your home or office.

Both are similar in that you upload and download files.

However, the cost structure and level of control are completely different.

However, a NAS does not completely replace public cloud services.

It requires an internet connection, must remain powered on constantly, and leaves hardware failures and backups entirely up to you.

Therefore, the real advantage of a NAS is not that it is a “free cloud.”

It is the fact that you have direct control over your data while being able to access it from multiple devices.

When Choosing a NAS, Look at the ‘Data Path’ Rather Than Just Capacity

When buying a NAS for the first time, many people start by thinking, “How many terabytes should I get?”

However, the first thing you should consider is what the NAS will actually be doing on a daily basis.

Even for the same 8TB of storage, the ideal NAS setup will vary wildly depending on your goals.

• If your goal is backing up family photos, you might not need high CPU performance.
• If you are editing 4K video, a fast network connection is critical.
• If multiple people in an office are using files simultaneously, user management and backups become crucial.
• If you are running a personal server, the CPU and memory are key.

So, this is how you should approach choosing a NAS:

Instead of asking “How many terabytes do I need?”
ask “Where is my data created, where does it go, and who uses it?”

Personal NAS: Ease of Use Comes First

A personal NAS is typically used for the following:

• Automatic phone photo backups
• Storing movies and videos
• PC file backups
• Sharing files with family
• Storing personal project materials
• Running a personal server or home lab

In this case, the most important factor is ease of management.

If you have to tweak settings and troubleshoot issues every week for a NAS you use alone, it quickly becomes a chore.

For personal use, it is usually practical to start with:

• A 2-bay enclosure
• An easy-to-use operating system
• Automatic backups
• Mobile apps
• Decent remote access features

Starting with these is highly practical.

A 2-bay NAS is particularly ideal for your first setup.

Office NAS: “Business Continuity” Matters More Than Just “Storage”

For a business NAS, the priorities shift completely.

If a business NAS goes down, it is not just a matter of not being able to view photos.

It can bring operations to a grinding halt.

That is why office NAS setups prioritize the following:

• Multi-user management
• Permission settings
• RAID configuration
• Automatic backups
• Disaster recovery/troubleshooting
• Fast network speeds
• Scalability
• Snapshots
• Remote collaboration

While a personal NAS focuses on “keeping my files safe,”

an office NAS focuses on “ensuring business continuity even if someone makes a mistake or a drive fails.”

This is why even for a 4-bay NAS, a business might require higher-grade hardware and more robust backup systems.

Must-Know Before Buying: RAID is Not a Backup

When people buy a NAS, they often think:

“I put two hard drives in it, so my data must be safe, right?”

This is only half true.

RAID reduces the risk of data loss when a single drive fails.

However, it offers no protection against the following scenarios:

• Accidental file deletion
• Ransomware infections
• NAS hardware failure
• Fire or water damage
• Account compromise
• Incorrect synchronization

Therefore, it is highly recommended to store critical data in at least one other location.

To put it simply:

RAID is a safeguard against drive failure,
while a backup is a safeguard against losing the data itself.

They are not the same thing.

Whenever possible, you should follow the 3-2-1 backup rule for critical data:

• Keep at least 3 copies of your data.
• Store them on 2 different types of media.
• Keep 1 copy in an offsite location.

If your NAS is your primary storage, an external hard drive or cloud backup serves as your outer safety net.

NAS Recommendations by Use Case

From this point on, we won’t just list products by rank.

When it comes to NAS, your specific use case matters far more than arbitrary rankings.

Even with the same budget, a NAS for photo backups and a file server for an office require completely different choices.

1. For Beginners Buying Their First NAS: Synology DS225+

“I don’t want anything complicated; I just want a NAS that works.”

The easiest product to recommend as a first NAS is the Synology DS225+.

Its 2-bay configuration is perfect for individuals or small families, making it a great starting point for basic NAS functions like photo backups, file sharing, and PC backups.

Recommended for:

• First-time NAS buyers
• Anyone needing automatic phone photo backups
• Users who want to share files with family members
• Those looking to set up automatic backups between a PC and NAS
• People who don’t want to spend time managing a server

Why this product?

The biggest difference you will notice with a NAS is in the software, not the hardware.

What matters most is how easily you can use features like file sharing, user management, backups, and photo management.

For beginners, a product that makes it easy to actually use these features is a much better choice than a high-performance machine that is hard to configure.

However, because it is a 2-bay unit, you may quickly hit its limits if multiple people need to use large amounts of storage simultaneously, or if your storage needs are growing rapidly.

Conclusion: “If you are new to NAS and your primary goal is photo and file backup, go with the DS225+.”

2. For Developers and Home Server Enthusiasts: Synology DS725+

“I want to go beyond storage and use my NAS like a mini-server.”

If you are looking to run development projects, back up multiple devices, or host Docker-based services, the Synology DS725+ is a better fit.

It allows you to start with 2 bays while giving you more room to leverage memory, networking, and scalability.

Recommended for:

• Developers
• Personal server and home lab enthusiasts
• Users planning to run Docker containers
• Anyone wanting to manage backups for multiple devices in one place
• Those who want to start with 2 bays but want room to expand later

Why this product?

Most people start using a NAS as a simple “photo vault.”

But once you get used to it, you will find yourself wanting it to do much more.

Developers use it to manage projects and backups, while power users run various self-hosted services and use it as a home server.

At that point, the NAS is no longer just storage—it becomes an always-on mini-server.

The DS725+ is perfect for users who anticipate taking their setup to this next level.

Conclusion: “If you want to go beyond simple storage and use your NAS as a server, choose the DS725+.”

3. For Photo/Video Workflows and Long-Term Use: Synology DS925+

“I want to buy a NAS that will last me a long time right from the start.”

Stepping up to 4 bays opens up a lot of options.

Among them, the Synology DS925+ strikes an excellent balance for power users and small creative studios.

It offers much more flexibility in capacity expansion and data protection configurations than 2-bay models.

Recommended for:

• Users whose photo and video libraries are growing rapidly
• Anyone storing large amounts of 4K video footage
• People planning to use their NAS for 5 years or longer
• Environments where multiple users access the NAS simultaneously
• Small creative studios

Why this product?

Upgrading capacity on a 2-bay NAS is relatively limited.

A 4-bay NAS is a different story.

You can start with just a couple of drives and add more as your data grows.

It also gives you far more options for data protection configurations (like RAID 5 or 6).

While the upfront cost is higher, a 4-bay model is often the more practical choice if you “don’t want to have to upgrade your NAS again anytime soon.”

Conclusion: “If you want a personal NAS with long-term capacity and scalability, go with the DS925+.”

4. The First Serious NAS for Small Offices: Synology DS1525+

“We need a business file server that employees can use together.”

Once your team grows and multiple people start sharing files, you shouldn’t be choosing a NAS based on personal-use standards.

At this stage, we highly recommend looking at 5-bay models or higher.

The Synology DS1525+ is an excellent choice for small offices looking to balance file sharing, user permissions, backups, and scalability.

Recommended for:

• Small offices with 5 to 20 employees
• Design and video production teams
• Businesses where multiple employees share files
• Teams requiring in-house backups and permission management

Why this product?

An office NAS needs to be more than just fast.

You need to manage who has access to which folders, and you need a reliable way to recover files if someone deletes them by mistake.

Furthermore, because a NAS failure can halt business operations, you must design a proper backup and snapshot strategy alongside it.

Conclusion: “If you want to build a full-fledged file server for a small office, choose the DS1525+.”

5. For Offices Requiring High Capacity and Scalability: Synology DS1825+

“We already have a lot of data, and we know it will keep growing.”

The Synology DS1825+ is an 8-bay powerhouse.

Having room for so many drives is about more than just raw capacity.

It means having a scalable architecture that allows you to plan for future data growth.

Recommended for:

• Video production companies
• High-volume photo and video studios
• Offices where multiple users handle large files simultaneously
• Organizations experiencing rapid data growth

Why this product?

Once installed, an office NAS is typically kept in service for several years.

That is why looking only at your current storage needs is a mistake.

You must anticipate where your data will be in two or three years.

For organizations with guaranteed data growth, choosing a highly scalable product from the start can actually lower the total cost of ownership.

Conclusion: “If you need to plan for massive data volumes and office scalability from day one, choose the DS1825+.”

When Buying a NAS, Don’t Just Look at the Enclosure Price

This is where budgets can vary significantly.

Buying just the NAS enclosure does not give you any storage space.

You will need to purchase separate NAS-grade hard drives.

For example, you need to budget for:

• The NAS enclosure
• At least two NAS-grade HDDs
• NVMe SSDs (if needed for caching/storage pools)
• A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)
• An external hard drive or cloud subscription for backups

All of these should be factored in.

If you are storing critical data, a UPS is highly recommended.

It helps protect your NAS and drives from damage during sudden power outages.

Therefore, you should calculate your NAS budget like this:

NAS Enclosure Price + Hard Drive Costs + Backup Expenses

Hard Drives for NAS Are Not the Same as Desktop Drives

It is standard practice to use hard drives specifically designed for NAS environments, which are built to handle 24/7 operation and vibration.

Popular options include:

• WD Red Plus / Red Pro
• Seagate IronWolf / IronWolf Pro
• Synology Plus Series

These are dedicated NAS drive lineups.

Because multiple hard drives spin together inside a NAS enclosure, vibration resistance and continuous operation ratings are critical.

While you don’t absolutely have to avoid cheap desktop HDDs, if your goal is to store critical data safely over the long term, it is much safer to choose drives designed specifically for NAS use.

Final Recommendations by Use Case

Conclusion

A NAS is not for everyone.

If you don’t have many files and don’t need to access them from multiple devices simultaneously, an external hard drive or public cloud service might be much more convenient.

For many, paying a few thousand won (approx. $2–$5) a month for cloud storage is far cheaper and easier than managing a NAS.

Generally, you might need a NAS if:

• Your data is constantly growing.
• You need to access the same files from multiple devices.
• You want to back up photos and videos automatically.
• You need to share files with family members or teammates.
• You want complete control over your data.
• You need long-term, self-hosted storage.

Conversely, if your only goal is to archive a few files, you don’t need a NAS.

Before looking for the best NAS, it is crucial to first determine whether you actually need one.

If you do, choosing a model doesn’t have to be complicated.

If you are a beginner: DS225+.

If you want to be more hands-on: DS725+.

If you want long-term reliability: DS925+.

If it’s for an office: start with the DS1525+.

A NAS is not just an expensive storage drive.

When used properly, it becomes a small hub where all the data in your home or office converges and flows.

⚠️ The product recommendations in this article are based on the product lineup as of August 2026. Your actual experience with a NAS will vary significantly depending on HDD compatibility, network environment, memory configuration, and remote access policies. Before purchasing, please make sure to check the official compatibility list, local retail prices, and your required storage capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which model is best for a first-time NAS buyer?

The 2-bay Synology DS225+ is a safe and solid choice. It is perfect for individuals or small families, making it easy to get started with basic features like photo backups, file sharing, and PC backups.

How is it different from an external hard drive?

While an external hard drive connects directly to a single computer, a NAS connects to your router, allowing phones, laptops, and tablets to access it simultaneously.

Do I need to use dedicated NAS hard drives?

Yes. It is standard practice to use dedicated NAS drives like the WD Red Plus/Pro or Seagate IronWolf series, which are engineered for continuous 24/7 operation and vibration resistance.

Are the criteria different for personal and office use?

Yes, they are different. For personal use, ease of management is the top priority. For office use, business continuity is the key standard, so user permissions, RAID configurations, automatic backups, and disaster recovery are prioritized.