'Growler' WD home server is a data saver - review

Cape Town – While internet cloud storage is a brilliant idea in theory, the recent number and scale of data breaches gives one pause regarding how secure these platforms might be.

Local storage might seem like going back in time, but these solutions are simple and surprisingly effective in keeping your data safe.

The WD 6 terabyte (TB) with Synology storage system then at first seems like over-kill, but after actually using the device for a few weeks, it becomes part of your home network.

First, it hints at its intention to be your data guardian. It growls on your desk as four massive hard drives and fans come to life.

Unlike a traditional external system, the Synology device plugs into your home network and you can either use the drives with the built-in browser manager or it can be mapped to you PC.

Internet access

One neat trick of this device is that it allows you to back up data from your PCs as well as mobile gadgets that plug into your home network.

Because the WD hard drives are hot-swappable, you can easily replace hardware without needing to call in a technician if your system is having issues.   

For people in developed countries such as the US, Germany and Japan, a traditional home server may seem pretty outdated, but given the massive breaches in 2014, storing your data at home may be the most sensible way to protect important personal information.

For small businesses, local storage means that the data is always available even if you have no internet connection, though the fact that it's placed on a network means that you can access data from multiple locations.

Unlike cloud servers, the device takes about 52 minutes to copy 100GB of data to WD hard drives and you can set up automated backups.

Of course, there are some who will say that 6TB is too much storage for a few family videos, pictures and music. But it is worth remembering that just a few short years ago, 8GB was considered a big hard drive, and now even some budget smartphones are shipped with 8GB.

The Synology system requires a fair bit of desk real estate. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)

The 6TB Synology storage system won't be the answer for everyone who needs a backup of data, but if you have critical information in high volume that needs protecting, the device retails for around R6 500 from Computer Mania.