The office is already highly automated: a fax machine can answer calls without your intervention, a printer can sort docs into nice little collated piles, and the Mac can dump email into folders for you in Mail. (Maybe you’d like less automation, eh?) But here’s one more way to make your office even more streamlined.

Add a Network Hard Drive

Disaster comes when you least expect it. For example, seconds before you save your proposal in Microsoft Word, your Mac has a panic attack and decides to reboot. (So that’s what the Sad Mac icon looks like!) To stave off these catastrophes, a network drive is a smart idea for whole-house file sharing and backup. We like the D-Link DNS-323 ($230) because it’s “BYOD” (bring your own disks). You can mix and match 3.5-inch SATA drives in the enclosure instead of being forced to use internal network drives. If one drive fails, you can replace it with a good one. Another perk: It’s much less expensive than other network drives.

1. Install the Drives of Your Choice

Slip off the front cover of the D-Link DNS-323 and slide in two 3.5-inch SATA drives. You can purchase your drives from the vendor of your choice (try Other World Computing). Connect the supplied Ethernet cable to the DNS-323 and to your router. Replace the cover on the drive, plug in the power, and press the front button to start the unit.

Slide each SATA drive into a free slot until it clicks into place. It only goes in one way.

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2. Windows Workaround

D-Link comes with a Windows installer, but fear not: When you insert the disc in your Mac, it shows you one file (and only one) you can double-click to access the network drive using Safari. When you do, you’ll be prompted to log in. Click Configuration, select the RAID 1 option, and click Next. RAID 1 uses both drives to mirror data; if one drive fails, you can swap it out without losing any data. Type in the size for each drive, then click Next, then restart your Mac.

Web-based configuration is much easier than the PC process of installing a client utility.

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3. Mount the New Drive on Your Desktop

Double-click your hard drive’s Desktop icon and click Network in top section of the Finder’s sidebar. The DNS-323 will appear there; double-click it and you will see a dialog box to access “Volume_1.” Click OK and the volume will mount. You can now start using the network drive. Anyone else whose Mac is connected to your wireless network will see the same drive, and of course you can configure it with usernames and passwords to access the network files.

Network storage is safer, smarter, and smoother than storing files on your local drive.