Covid has changed the way we work, and the ability to collaborate effectively from remote locations is more vital than ever. This also means greater security risks and creates a need for effective data management solutions.
Companies in privacy-sensitive sectors such as government and education which prefer to keep their data within their own four walls require a fully managed, on-site data management solution that enables productive remote-working and provides maximum data protection.
They need reliable, secure, and cost-effective and manageable data solutions, without hidden costs – ideally, all-in-one solutions that are simple to use and do not require dealings with disparate vendors and don’t expose companies to compatibility problems.
For enterprises, another issue is the ever-growing costs of subscription fees and maintenance of conventional storage as their storage needs grow.
Proof of these needs can be seen in rising inquiries about storage solutions from Taiwanese integrated solutions provider Synology. Synology is a leader in the SMB storage market, having helped over 150,000 business partners with their data management challenges. Its business model combines storage with built-in software and software development. Total downloads of Synology’s remote-work-capable on premise file server solution has increased by 70 per cent since the outbreak.
Beyond conventional backup
An increasing number of organisations are replacing existing solutions consisting of disparate software and hardware.
One reason for this is that fast-growing enterprises can find conventional backup solution pricing plans too expensive. “We’ve spotted a common phenomenon that large enterprise clients move from software plus conventional storage to Synology because of the costly recurring subscription fee and that renewing their original plan becomes too expensive as their business grows,” Synology APAC Sales Director, Joanne Weng says.
And SMEs are moving to all-in-one, enterprise-grade solutions which are more reliable, secure and easier to manage.
Such solutions are now more affordable for SMEs. For example, Synology solutions offer enterprise-grade reliability at an economical, transparent price, without hidden costs such as recurring subscription fees, licensing and maintenance costs or charges by device – all of which are common in other data management solutions. “Synology’s unlimited account/device solution is a one-time purchase and it’s a reliable and cost-effective alternative,” says Weng.
Key features to look for include hardware and software integration, which can improve system stability, streamline purchasing and solution management, minimise compatibility issues and gives companies a single contact for support.
Data storage and management has also evolved to take into account the varied architecture and usage of modern IT environments. For instance, Synology business IT security solutions include backup, file server, and surveillance that runs on Synology NAS. Its public cloud solution Synology C2 is designed for the hybrid environments found in many organisations, while Synology Drive turns Synology NAS into a private cloud and empowers remote workers.
Synology Active Backup for Business protects an entire business by supporting a wide range of digital business assets including PCs, servers, and virtual machines. It is used by more than 25 per cent of Synology business customers and is protecting over 600,000 devices globally. It has been proven to help reduce storage space used for backups by at least 50 per cent, and Synology’s transparent one-time costing structure has saved clients thousands of recurring fees each year.
Synology also offers Active Backup for Google Workspace and Active Backup for Microsoft 365, which protect over 2.5 million users. Active Backup for SaaS has been especially popular, with downloadsrising by 186 per cent in the past two years. That’s understandable, considering Australia’s high rate of cloud adoption and concerns about protecting SaaS data.
Keeping your data solutions current
Businesses’ storage needs are changing rapidly, so it’s important they use data solutions from vendors that also move quickly.
For instance, Synology has evolved from a pure-play storage vendor to one offering a complete range of data storage and security appliances. It is focused on three pillars critical to modern IT: security, software development and reliability.
This resulted in Synology releasing its largest software update, DSM 7.0, last year. The update improved the user experienced and introduced new storage technology and features, including advanced drive replacement options which enable users to maintain and repair their systems without affecting performance or up time.
Synology’s DSM 7.0 update also made it possible for users to automatically clone drives to an available hot spare when they reach critical or failing status, switch without RAID rebuild time, manually clone an old drive to a spare and seamlessly switch to the clone. Its new Fast Repair function restores only active storage capacity, so RAID arrays spend less time in a degraded state.
DSM 7.0 also improved authentication with such features Secure SignIn and FIDO2. The Secure SignIn app uses authentication technologies commonly found in smartphones, whereas FIDO2 relies on hardware security keys (USB key, Windows Hello on PC, or Touch ID on macOS). These keys are significantly less vulnerable than passwords, which can fall victim to phishing, social engineering, malware, brute-force attacks, and other sophisticated methods.
Meanwhile, Synology’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is responsible for reacting to product security incidents and fixing any vulnerability within a day.
Organisations that consider these capabilities and move beyond a cobbled together mix of storage hardware and software will be in greater control of one of their critical data assets.
See how Synology can tailor a highly reliable, secure and cost-effective data management solution for your organisation, whether you’re in a large or small business, working remotely or in-house.
