I have been using a NAS some time ago, but then switched back to local mass storage for convenience, security and speed.
Convenenience:
For a single person establishing a system that is basically a computer on its own in including OS, role/user adminstration, configuration needs in terms of security simply doesn't make sense IMHO.
Security:
Having to deal with private as well as job-related data including confidential date of my clients, I simply didn't want to have a unit containing this type of data permenently connected to the network and thus to the router and thus to the internet, because it takes a considerable amount of precaution to keep it secure unmonitored in situations where I am away for longer period of time. I don't see me as having the necessary expertise to keep this kind of setup "waterproof".
Working with encrypted volumes across OS boundary can have lots of implications that might be interesting for an IT nerd, but simply cost time for someone considering all this as a tool that should work according the KISS principle (Keep It Stupid Simple).
If I and my Macbook are out of office / home everything else containg data is sitting there being in Stand-By or Off with no chance for indruders apart from physically steeling the hardware - which is uncritical as volumes are envcrypted.
Speed:
For achieving transfer speeds that you can achieve with today locally attached storage in times of Thunderbolt 4, USB 4 and even the good old USB 3 with a NAS through wired LAN you have to put a lot work an money in it and you probybly still don't get there. E.g. I use a little pretty inexpensive SATA RAID enclosure from OWC that is connected with my TB4 hub together with two Studio Displays and the Macbook connects to this with a single TB4 cable including power supply and I reach consistent write avrage at about 500 MB/s and read avrerage at 530 MB/s, both of which is close to the technical Max of Samsung SATA-III-SSD's. Try this with a network infrastructure
Long story short:
As long as you don't need to set up a collaboration platform for a group of people (e.g. family) IMGO there is no point using a NAS. RAID systems can also be run using locally connectable enclosures for SSD's / HDD's and if you are rellay keen on ultimate performance you can build PCIe arrays used as USB4 / Thunderbolt devices with big capacity and providing read/write performances in the are of 1 GB/s and above.
Convenenience:
For a single person establishing a system that is basically a computer on its own in including OS, role/user adminstration, configuration needs in terms of security simply doesn't make sense IMHO.
Security:
Having to deal with private as well as job-related data including confidential date of my clients, I simply didn't want to have a unit containing this type of data permenently connected to the network and thus to the router and thus to the internet, because it takes a considerable amount of precaution to keep it secure unmonitored in situations where I am away for longer period of time. I don't see me as having the necessary expertise to keep this kind of setup "waterproof".
Working with encrypted volumes across OS boundary can have lots of implications that might be interesting for an IT nerd, but simply cost time for someone considering all this as a tool that should work according the KISS principle (Keep It Stupid Simple).
If I and my Macbook are out of office / home everything else containg data is sitting there being in Stand-By or Off with no chance for indruders apart from physically steeling the hardware - which is uncritical as volumes are envcrypted.
Speed:
For achieving transfer speeds that you can achieve with today locally attached storage in times of Thunderbolt 4, USB 4 and even the good old USB 3 with a NAS through wired LAN you have to put a lot work an money in it and you probybly still don't get there. E.g. I use a little pretty inexpensive SATA RAID enclosure from OWC that is connected with my TB4 hub together with two Studio Displays and the Macbook connects to this with a single TB4 cable including power supply and I reach consistent write avrage at about 500 MB/s and read avrerage at 530 MB/s, both of which is close to the technical Max of Samsung SATA-III-SSD's. Try this with a network infrastructure
Long story short:
As long as you don't need to set up a collaboration platform for a group of people (e.g. family) IMGO there is no point using a NAS. RAID systems can also be run using locally connectable enclosures for SSD's / HDD's and if you are rellay keen on ultimate performance you can build PCIe arrays used as USB4 / Thunderbolt devices with big capacity and providing read/write performances in the are of 1 GB/s and above.