Item: Synology DiskStation
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Synology DiskStation

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Synology DiskStation is our central file server. We have three different Synology NAS for different purposes e.g. Backups, Project documents and large files as videos or orthophotos. We also use them for backing up our O365 environment.

Pros and Cons

Pros

File storage
Backup store
Active Directory support

Cons

Network performance
Support for disks of other vendors

Return on Investment

Central network storage for many years of large files
Backup for O365 is included for free, so no additional investment needed

Usability

Synology DiskStations are extremely easy to setup and to manage. The interface is fast and convenient. Even the integration of an active directory server is easy. Adding features from the community or Synology itself is managed via a simple click within the app store. Sometimes the upgrade process gets a bit complicated when you use an app that is not supported. Then you have to do a bit of shifting things around if this component is used by another service, e.g. the webserver. In general Synology is next to QNAP my favorite NAS vendor.

Alternatives Considered

QNAP NAS and NETGEAR ReadyNAS

I use Synology DiskStation privately as well, so I continued using them when I met them at my new workplace as well. They have a nice GUI comparable to QNAP. Using NETGEAR ReadyNAS in the past, Synology DiskStation are better in any perspektive except for the price tag. QNAP and Synology on the other hand are on the same level. For me it was just my personal feeling for Synology DiskStation.

Key Insights

Do you think Synology DiskStation delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Synology DiskStation's feature set?

Yes

Did Synology DiskStation live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Synology DiskStation go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Synology DiskStation again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

Synology DiskStation is a very good network store that has a long support time of more than 8 years after release and only stops receiving updates if a plausible reason is given. They can be used as an ISCSI, SMB or NFS target. Sometimes, they perform tasks a bit slower than they should. Also, the stop of support for HDDs of other vendors on some models is an unpleasant fact.

Comments

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Suitable NAS for different purposes