Local Access

So, what is the best way to connect locally - I setup my cloud about 3 months ago and syncronized everything through wd2go - but now I am thinking I should have a way to xfer data locally should the need arise - I mean after all, my 3 TB Data Storage device is less than 6 feet from my laptop - seems silly I cannot access it just because WDs data storage device is down - any help is appreciated - thanks -

What OS are you using?