Is your data safe? Why cloud storage isn't enough anymore.

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I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: Cloud storage might not be enough anymore.

While I fully participate in iCloud’s, Google 1’s, and Microsoft OneDrive’s premium services, allow me to suggest it might be time for you, too, to pull out a 4TB hard drive or build a personal storage server.

I have a lot of memories to save — childhood photos, game saves, and personal projects. But a local storage location also helps, especially if you’re the IT technician of your non-techie family. A local hard drive is your answer to the question, “What’s my password again?” from Grandpa Jo.

Now, a self-hosted server may seem like overkill for the average techie. What do you envision when you hear self-hosted server? Is it a massive room with 10-foot towers connected with yellow and blue cords? While that is a version of a server, you don’t need a room dedicated to files and photos. A Raspberry Pi, a PC, and a RAID system are a few ways to build a personal storage system.

The Raspberry Pi is the smallest and cheapest option – I’d say it’s for the veteran techies. It takes a bit of know-how and tinkering.

A PC build can be the size of a briefcase or a mini-fridge ranging from $800-$2,000, based on the functions of the server.

Finally, a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) system is essentially many hard drives communicating with each other and saving data in multiple places to ensure the data is preserved if one server fails.

One Redditor who spoke to Laptop Mag explains that his first build saw a Raspberry Pi used as a personal storage system with open-source media streaming options. “[There’s] no need to build enterprise-like racks,” he tells Laptop. “As I tested, even [Raspberry Pi 4] would be enough.”

We’ve become so reliant on the Cloud

The floppy disk didn’t even get a proper burial in the ‘90s before cloud services started surfacing in the 2000s. Amazon offered the first cloud storage in 2006, and two years later, Google followed suit with Google Drive. I remember those days. I wasn’t using cloud services then — but rather a Ziploc baggie of USB drives. Usually, they were no more than 8 GB; one for music, one for schoolwork, and another for art.

Microsoft OneDrive was my introduction to the cloud. It debuted in August 2007 and I started using it in 2012. Then came Google Photos & Google Drive. All of which is to say that the cloud is a great addition to storage. It was difficult to keep up with USB drives back then, as files got larger and used more and more space. Think about it: Twelve years ago, 8 GB was enough for almost eight PlayStation Portable games.

Now, a Nintendo Switch game is about 10 GB. It debuted in August 2007 and I started using it in 2012. Then came Google Photos & Google Drive. All of which is to say that the cloud is a great addition to storage.

It was difficult to keep up with USB drives back then, as files got larger and used more and more space. Think about it: Twelve years ago, 8 GB was enough for almost eight PlayStation Portable games. Now, a Nintendo Switch game is about 10 GB.

I’m not knocking the cloud, but a backup for the backup isn’t the worst idea. Look back at the Microsoft outage in July and November 2024 that made the world stand still. First, CrowdStrike caused an outage.

Then Outlook and Teams went down. Xbox players are familiar with Microsoft software going out. No shade, just facts. CrowdStrike caused an outage. Then Outlook and Teams went down. Xbox players are familiar with Microsoft software going out. No shade, just facts.

Even PlayStation players experience the PlayStation Network (PSN) going down from time to time. Same with your internet provider. Usually, it’s something minuscule that can be resolved by finding another activity until services restore. However, Microsoft systems being down in July affected media outlets, airlines, and airplanes.

This got me thinking, “If I have a hard drive attached to my PlayStation and Xbox, to save my games, should I get a server tower to back up my Google Drive?’ The answer is yes. Those storage towers are not cheap, but memories are more expensive.

There needs to be a backup for the backup.

There needs to be a backup for the backup. Storage server equipment can be expensive, but there are alternatives. There needs to be a backup for the backup. Storage server equipment can be expensive, but there are alternatives.

Just ask Ayush Gupta, who built a PC to use as a personal server. He stores his parents’ wedding photos and videos, which he digitized from VHS, that older version of the technology used to store media — before floppy disks but after cassette tapes and Betamax.

VCRs aren’t so obsolete just yet; they’re still accessible. But to be able to digitize VHS, compress, and reserve them is a beautiful thing. He’s built a few servers since then but seems to stick with the PC option.

With all the how-to information and PC parts on the market, building a PC to use as a storage system doesn’t have to be costly. The Redditor we interviewed for this story has since evolved his local storage from a Raspberry Pi setup to a PC build.

“If you don't need to stream high-quality videos or make a remote gaming station — you don't even need a GPU,” he tells Laptop Mag, adding that old or used PC parts are fine for a simple storage build. They continue, “I bought the cheapest M.2 (SSD) for like 11€ for 128GB, [and it] works very nice.”

Gupta agrees that a storage server doesn’t have to break the bank. And you don’t need a copy of Windows. “[The] Best thing is, Linux can be installed on decade-old machines,” says Gupta.

Every hardcore gamer I know has an external hard drive for their game saves. Building a tower extends that thought beyond games.

Whenever I recall that a crucial part of the internet relies on a bunch of cables at the bottom of the sea, I think about how everything could be gone in a snap. Not just because I like to dream up catastrophic scenarios, but also because I was in Finland when the Global Connection Cables were cut.

I could not figure out why my Wi-Fi was bad everywhere I went; the ethernet cable didn’t seem enough for my PC. I started thinking about getting a physical server. enough for my PC. I started thinking about getting a physical server.

The learning curve for the hardware is a bit lower than the learning curve for the software. “… so performance will be an issue but from a[] learning perspective it is worth it,” Gupta mentions. “It basically gives you an idea as to what goes on in professional IT data centers or cloud providers.”

Local storage is a great backup for anything cloud-based, and it can be fun to build something that has practical use for you and your family.

When Grandpa Jo asks you for the password to his email, you can pull it up, effortlessly. Or during the holidays when Mom asks for the video of your first steps with no VCR in sight. You can pull it up and share it to the living room TV.

The physical server isn’t just to save memories and digitalized media. It could be for different portfolios made over the years. Past work, for me, would be articles from websites that are no longer around. Game saves for a game that won’t be ported to a next-gen console, Twitch VODs, Adobe Premiere/Photoshop raw files, indie game files, and more.

If you don’t know where to start, head to Best Buy or Newegg and get computer parts, and a solid-state drive for 1TB or 2TB. Have a Mac and a PC? Use a Linux system. You can use a hard drive for Mac and PC by formatting it to FAT (exFAT).

Gupta gives a tip on how to save money in your build. “Like, me personally, I would never buy used hard drives because I cannot simply trust them. However, I will be happy to buy a 5-6 year old PC/CPU/RAM because even if it’s second-hand its quality won't go down much. So there, I can save money.”

These storage server enthusiasts have built multiple systems and settled on PC builds to expand their setup later. You can also take your manual saving up a notch and get a home server. Personal servers can do a plethora of things.

Photo & video backup
LLMs (your own AI that can comprehend & generate language)
Media Streaming
Host websites
A Dedicated Firewall

We’ve only scratched the surface with personal storage. It can get pricey the more things you decide to do. For example, creating a streaming service or hosting your own cloud server are just a few things to do with your storage server.

The Raspberry Pi is the least expensive option for your own cloud server. It’s coupled with some external hard drives and a power hub, making it a great option if you are concerned about using too much electricity.

A PC tower for storage can be cheaper as it can run on older technology, which can be found at lower prices. A tower can be coupled with a RAID card or a few hard drives and run on Linux. Setting up a RAID system is pricier but includes less hardware to assemble, making it a bit more organized and more expensive than a PC setup.

While there is no guarantee of 100% security from hardware failure with a personal system — just like there’s no guarantee for loss of data with cloud storage — it’s a great hobby and a very, very good Plan B.

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Junae Benne loves video games and technology — but the feeling isn’t always mutual. She specializes in streamer peripherals, from PC setups to chairs. With over a decade of experience in journalism, PR, and marketing, her work has appeared in publications like IGN, WIRED, and The Verge. She has also spoken at conferences ranging from Nordic Game to Evo.Oh, and don’t forget — she’s a travel and Pizza Puff enthusiast.