While it’s true that cloud storage services can offer high-capacity storage, it’s also unfortunately true that they can be expensive and slow. That means that something a little more local is a way better idea in some instances. Depending on your budget and needs, you can go for a quick plug-and-play option or a more involved NAS that lets you pick your own storage. Either way, a NAS can often be the best solution for quick, easy and cost-effective storage.
A NAS drive essentially functions as a self-contained cloud, with one or more high-capacity storage drives that anyone on the network can access. While they can be costly up front, they’re one of the more efficient ways to keep your organization’s data assembled, secure and accessible. Plus, you can often find models on sale for hundreds less than their list prices. We’ve rounded up some of the best NAS drive deals out there at the moment, and we’ll continue to update this page as offers come and go, so be sure to check back often.
WD
With 4TB of storage, this WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra is great for both individuals with serious storage needs, and for smaller businesses looking for a budget-friendly pick. With 1GB of DDR3 memory, it boasts impressive data transfer speeds and the built-in USB 3.0 ports allow you to transfer photos or videos from a camera or flash drive with the touch of a button. It’s also compatible with Apple Time Machine so you can back up your files, and with 256 AES volume encryption, you can be confident that your data is safe from prying eyes.
Read our WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra preview.
Buffalo
With 16TB of storage, this two-bay Buffalo TeraStation is a solid midrange drive for both personal and professional use. It supports impressive transfer speeds with a 2.5GbE port, and protects your data with 256-bit drive encryption. Plus, it’s compatible with Amazon S3, Dropbox, Azure and OneDrive so you can create a hybrid cloud and sync your data across multiple services.
WD
This WD drive is primarily designed for home use and personal storage but still boasts a substantial 20TB storage capacity. It plugs directly into your home Wi-Fi router and allows you to access your data from anywhere with an internet connection using the companion My Cloud Home apps. The drive’s Mirror Mode keeps your data secure by automatically duplicating any files stored on one drive and backing it up on the other.
Western Digital
If you need something with a bit more capacity and features, the WD Expert Series can hold up to four hard drives and SSDs and comes with two Ethernet ports for redundancy. Even better, this deal includes four 4TB WD REDs to get you going, so it’s a good option if this is your first NAS. It comes with a 1.6 GHz Marvell Armada 388 Dual-Core processor and 2GB RAM, so about what you’d expect for a NAS at this price point.
WD
This deal is on the same NAS as the previous WD Cloud Expert, except it comes preloaded with four 14TB HDDs, giving you 56TB of total space. So why would you pick this over the other? Well, it might be cheaper to go for the 24TB deal and buy four 14TB HDDs later, but if you’d rather skip straight to the highest capacity, then go with this deal. Just note that this NAS drive requires a special order and will take between two and four weeks to ship.