Storage Help (NAS+Media Streaming+RAID+Automatic Backup)

Aloise wrote:
I've done some recent research and many people advised me that RAID may not be the best option as it may fail and during data rebuild if the box hangs, data is gone.

RAID sometimes fails, and that is one reason you need a real backup. That doesn't mean RAID isn't useful - and everything fails eventually. Though as fastfwd says, you don't need to use it with the NAS.

Whether you use RAID or not, the ideal solution is to
(a) have 2 identical NAS (primary and backup), and to back up one to the other automatically (which the NAS can do).
(b) Also maintain an off-site copy of your data. USB drives stored in another location is one approach, cloud backup (such as CrashPlan) is another.

(a) gives you a fast recovery if the primary NAS fails. (b) preserves your data if something catastrophic happens, and provides additional protection against user error (or something like CryptoLocker). Having 3 copies of all your data on different devices in different places is good protection against loss.