My Passport is connected directly to your computer for backup. Depending if it's USB 3 it will be faster. The My Cloud is connected to your network via Gigabit ethernet (if you have a router or switch that is also gigabit). That means multiple devices can connect to it. It also supports DLNA so you can play media on DLNA compatible devices over the network. My Cloud also can be set up to allow you to connect to it from anywhere using apps on your computer or smartphone.