In this article, Infomaniak delivers its insights to help you understand what a Synology NAS offers, and to help you find the perfect solution for your business or yourself.

In the age of the cloud, the NAS continues to be a popular data storage solution within businesses. Moreover, they are increasingly important to individuals. Whether it is SMEs, freelancers, individuals or large groups, the priority is always the same: maintain absolute control of their data while rationalising costs.

  • Customers who want to backup their Synology NAS, servers and workstationsturn to Swiss Backup, the encrypted and economical backup solution hosted entirely in Switzerland.
  • To centralise company or private data, the Synology NAS represents a powerful and extremely flexible solution.

What is a NAS?

Computer? Server? External hard drive? The NAS is all of these and much more. Behind this mysterious acronym, which stands for Network Attached Storage, lies a powerful device whose possibilities are almost endless.

The NAS is a smart data storage server connected to a network. Consisting of a box, one or more processors, RAM and several large capacity hard drives,it centralises the data to make it available to users in a secure manner, wherever they are. Widely used in businesses, the Synology NAS is particularly popular for its price/performance ratio and the extended functionality it provides. The NAS is also widely adopted by individuals who have increasingly large files (photos, videos, films, series, etc.).

The Synology NAS is particularly useful for

  • centralising and storing data
  • backing up data
  • backing up work stations
  • sharing files
  • collaborating on documents
  • syncing files between devices
  • video surveillance
  • creating a media centre
  • storing and sharing videos and photos
  • hosting sites and email addresses
  • downloading torrent files

Why has the Synology NAS been so successful?

Very easy to use

With Synology NAS, enterprise data management is no longer just for IT professionals or the IT department, but also for users. The Synology NAS has become the benchmark in delivering a complete and user-friendly experience. Unanimously recognised for its ease of use, its “DSM” operating system (Disk Station Manager) is continuously evolving in step with the needs of professional and individual users.

As complete as it is economical

The Synology NAS enables substantial savings. With its large storage capacity, it enables backing up increasingly large files at the lowest cost. Compatible with all platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS), in most cases it can meet company needs concerning infrastructure for data centralisation. It is like the digital “Swiss army knife” for SMEs.

Productivity accelerators

In addition to great autonomy, users increase their productivity with more than 100 free additional apps provided by the “package centre”, the Synology App Store. Employees are no longer dependent on technology and can focus on what is important: creating added value.

As you can see, Synology NAS is a “must” to gain competitiveness while drastically reducing data management workloads. In the rest of this article, you will discover the different options available to you and an overview of the potential of these valuable devices.

Lease a Synology NAS hosted in a datacentre

Data storage is a matter of trust and competence. Off-site hosting in Infomaniak datacentres offers numerous advantages to businesses and also to individuals. By leasing a Synology NAS at Infomaniak, you enjoy the security and performance of a state-of-the-art infrastructure located exclusively in Switzerland.

Infomaniak offers unparalleled advantages compared to self-hosting:

Security

The Synology NAS are hosted in Tier 3+ green datacentres. They benefit from an entirely secure and redundant state-of-the-art infrastructure. The data is sheltered from most external equipment risks. Infomaniak offers professional and ISO 27001 certified anti-DDoS protection.

Privacy

Infomaniak does not have access to the Synology NAS. They are sheltered from prying eyes, with absolute respect for privacy and confidentiality. The data are protected by Swiss laws, which are among the most stringent in the world.

Maximum performance

Infomaniak always offers the latest models by regularly renewing its Synology NAS line. Customers benefit from ultra-fast bandwidth (greater than 1 Gbps) and unlimited traffic.

Maintenance guaranteed for life

Replacement of disks or any other defective equipment is performed systematically and efficiently, at no charge.

Ease and discretion

Infomaniak takes care of installation and the Synology NAS is quickly ready for use. Regardless of the number of disks desired, a NAS hosted at Infomaniak makes no sound and does not require space in your company or home.

Accessibility 24/7 throughout the world

Infomaniak is committed to offering a 99.99% availability of services. All Synology NAS have a self-signed SSL certificate and a dedicated IP address. You can also easily link a domain name with a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.

What can you do with a NAS?

For businesses or individuals, the Synology NAS offers unlimited possibilities to users. We will present you with several cases to familiarise you with its features and let you benefit immediately.

Synology Drive: the alternative to Dropbox and Google Drive in your private cloud

With Drive, you experience an online collaborative storage space to sync your files across multiple platforms. Manage your team folders and files from the Web using your computer or your mobile.

To get started, go to the package centre of your Synology NAS to find and install the “Drive” package:

When the package is installed, you can launch the application to access your online Drive and start to work.

Drive on the computer

To sync your files and folders with your computer, go to the Synology download centre to download the client (Windows, mac OS, Linux). Install it on your computer and launch it to start syncing your files.

You can then manage your synced files and folders with Drive as easily as the others from Windows file explorer or your Mac Finder

Drive on the mobile

Manage your files from your Android mobile or your iPhone using the “Synology Drive” app:

By syncing files on all platforms, Drive is a complete solution in tune with modern workflows. Its ease of use favours adoption by employees while offering a significant gain in productivity.

Synology Office: the private collaborative suite for editing your online documents

Create and edit documents simultaneously with others. The Office online editor syncs your documents, spreadsheets, and slides between your work team members and lets them collaborate in real time. Users can also comment on documents and communicate by chat. The Synology Office suite is a complete solution to increase your workflow and boost your productivity.

To start using Office, go to your NAS package centre and look for install “Office”:

Once installed and launched, you access the Drive web portal that allows you to edit existing documents (compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint) or create a new document of your choice.

Totally control of your documents

Synology gives you everything you need to work collaboratively while respecting privacy. Your files remain permanently stored in your private cloud. In addition, you benefit from version history and you can enhance document protection by encrypting your data.

PLEX: a “Personal Netflix” to broadcast your films and series to all your devices

Thanks to its very large capacity disk, Synology NAS can store hundreds of video files in high definition. Don’t you want to be able to watch them from anywhere on any screen? You NAS lets you create your own media centre:

PLEX is a platform that lets you centralise and access all your multimedia streams in a single interface available everywhere. You can watch your films and your own video files as well as Web-series, podcasts, direct TV broadcasts, etc. It only takes a few clicks to change your NAS into a multi-screen streaming platform.

To get started, go to the package centre of your Synology NAS to download and install “Plex Media Server”:

 

Once installed, start the application to create and name your new media centre. Then, add the files and streams that you want in your library. PLEX collects all information (metadata) to present your files as interactive thumbnails and allow you to easily navigate your content.

On all your screens

PLEX has a free app for nearly all platforms. In addition to compatibility with Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, PLEX can be used with Amazon Alexa, Samsung Gear VR or even Apple TV, for example. To stream your content to the device of your choice, download the app corresponding to your device from the PLEX download centre.

Private alternative to Google Photos: backup your photos and take them everywhere with you

The Synology NAS is the ideal solution for professional photographs, and also for storing and managing business and individual photos. Users have considerable and expandable storage space to centralise all their files, regardless of their size.

Display your photos online

The free “Photo Station” app available from your Synology NAS package centre enables managing all aspects of storing, classifying and sharing photos.

“Photo Station” allows you to create smart albums based on custom criteria, add signature watermarks, create shared online galleries, and even collect customer feedback.

To begin using “Photo Station” and collecting your photos, simply install the app from your Synology NAS package centre and then launch the app

DS photo for mobiles

The strength of Synology NAS is also in its ecosystem of mobile applications to access new possibilities. Not only can you access your photos from anywhere, but you can also save and sync photos from your smartphone.

To get started syncing your photos on your mobile, you need to install the “DS Photo” app for Android or iOS. Consider adjusting the upload settings so that it only activates when you are connected to a WIFI network to preserve your mobile data quota from your telephone company.

Download .torrent files 24/7 with a Synology NAS

Your Synology NAS can recover and automatically download any type of file, including .torrent files. You can recover large files without encumbering your computer.

To offer this feature to your NAS, go to the package centre and download and install the free “Download Station” (BitTorrent client) application:

Once installed and launched, you can immediately add a .torrent file to the waiting list. The download begins automatically and you can choose to receive an email notification when it is finished:

If you download multimedia files, you can of course use them with PLEX to broadcast and view them on all your screens.

Which Synology NAS model should you choose?

Infomaniak offers three Synology NAS models whose configurations can be adjusted as a function of the capacity requirements (up to 40 TB). What it is to be used for determines the choice of model:

  • Synology RS 217: Flexible NAS for all types of business. It is perfect for storing photos and particularly for sharing files.
  • Synology RS816: Flexible NAS for intermediate performance, perfect for transcoding and broadcasting videos in particular.
  • Synology RS818+: High performing flexible NAS primarily indicated for video montage.

The Infomaniak line of Synology NAS is continually renewed with the latest models available on the market.

If you choose to self-host your NAS, you can use NAS selection tool by Synology to determine the model that meets your needs.

Why and how can you backup a NAS?

You are perhaps wondering: do I need to back up my NAS? The answer is yes. You should always have a contingency plan.

The NAS occupies a central role in the life of a business. It concentrates the vast majority of the data (work stations, customers, employees, suppliers, invoicing, accounting, documents, etc.). Without their data, businesses cannot function.

The NAS can also contain all of your private digital life (email, photos, videos, documents, etc.). These days, these data are an increasingly important part of our personal legacy.

If your NAS is hosted at Infomaniak

With the best hosting conditions and redundancy of installations, the risk of equipment failure is very low. On the other hand, problems can occur, for example, following a risky manipulation, a ransomware attack or a password leak in the workplace or at home, etc. This is why we highly recommend backing up your NAS. In this way, you are guaranteed to be able to pursue your activities without interruption and without damages, regardless of what happens.

If your NAS is installed on-site at a business or residence

The risk of losing data is elevated. Not only will your NAS fail to benefit from the best possible hosting conditions, but it is more exposed to threats:

  • power outages
  • network attacks and paralysis
  • physical manipulations
  • accidents, theft, vandalism
  • poor maintenance
  • flooding
  • fire

These risks add to those of attacks by ransomware, the loss of passwords or manipulation errors, etc. For these reasons, it is imperative to have a solid backup plan.

Swiss Backup: the best solution for backing up a NAS and ensuring continuity of activities.

Responding to the highest security requirements of the market, Swiss Backup is the most economical encrypted backup solution to secure your NAS. Entirely hosted in Switzerland, Swiss Backup is enabled with a few clicks and lets you protect yourself against the unthinkable. The data are continuously backed up in three separate physical locations, with absolute respect for data privacy.

We recommend reading this article to discover why Swiss Backup is the keystone of any real plan for backup and continuity of service.

More features to liberate the potential of your NAS

The NAS offers a plethora of features and it is possible to do much more if you have good skills and are always mindful of security:

If you want to use customised features and you don’t have the expertise in your location, we advise you to contact our network of partners. The Infomaniak partner platform lets you send your request simultaneously to more than 1000 service providers. You will receive answers and estimates within 48 h at no charge and without any commitment.