The heading says it all. The first time ever when I have implemented a Synology DS218+ for a customer, I couldn’t believe how simple it was to setup, configure and have backups running as smooth as can be.
On another article (yes, this one) where I have also linked to the Backups & DR page on my website, I couldn’t have stressed it even more on how important backups are for a company, as well as referring to the Synology products (available at TechStudio). If you don’t have backups (not a flash drive or external HDD drive backup) for your SMME business, then check out the stats on our Backups & DR page to see if you want to take the gamble with your business.
I have implemented the Synology DS218+ with 2x 2TB Seagate IronWolf drives for a customer to primarily perform daily incremental backups, as well as hourly bare-metal server backups. The implementation was really simple. Install the 2x HDD’s, connect the PSU, connect it to the LAN, power on, and there you (almost) go. The thing that stand out for me the most was the simplicity, yet powerful, DSM software of the Synology NAS products. Upon powering up, the updated DMS software are being downloaded. You will then setup an account to login (and be used for online access). After that, you can install the updated software packages, and off you go.
I have made used of especially of 2x software packages (and I must tell you the good news – they are all free to use with no catch, ads or nothing – that is what makes Synology SUPER great). The packages I installed was Active Backup for Business, and Hyper Backup. I have setup backups to perform daily (after-hours) backups of specific system volumes, as well as MSSQL databases by making use of the VSS service in Windows and the option on the Synology drive. Then, on an hourly basis, snapshots are being taken of the server (bare metal) for in case a physical server failure occurs, the users will experience minimal downtime, as the Synology will make use of these snapshots and create a VM on the Synology NAS which will act as the physical server (in a virtual environment). Cool, right? Well I think that is an AWESOME feature for this specific NAS. You can read up on all these features on the Synology website. I also make use of Hyper Backup to make a complete backup of the NAS to be stored off-site (yes – remember your 3-2-1 backup rule).
You can log into the NAS remotely as well by making use of a link provided when you setup your NAS. This functionality makes it easier for us IT Admins to administrate the NAS without the need to be on-site. And it is responsive enough through a moderate internet connection as well.
Well, I have mentioned the ease of setup of this unit (which is true), but you also need to understand and have some background regarding permissions, backup retention, Windows Server etc. to unleash the true potential of this Synology NAS. For the average Joe (or Jane), this might be a bit complicated, but might get it to work for other purposes like setting it up for a Media server, etc.
There are so any packages to choose from to install on the Synology NAS. You can basically use it as your own private cloud server, web server, media server, and SOOOO much more.
At TechStudio, we definitely recommend making use of Synology for any backup solution (and yes, we do sell them and do the setups). I would even go as far as to say, that any size enterprise should make use of Synology products, just because it is so simple and powerful to use.
If you need more info on these great Synology products, or if you would like to request a quote from us, please feel free to contact us, and we would be more than willing to assist with your Synology purchase.
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