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Best Low-Cost NAS That Still Performs Well

Small businesses, remote workers, and advanced home users all need to find a NAS that is both affordable and works well. A cheap NAS should provide reliable storage, fast performance, and strong data protection without being too complicated. In 2025, cheap NAS solutions have improved to allow for multimedia streaming, centralized backups, virtualization gateways, and hybrid cloud workflows. Choosing the right system makes sure it will last and be useful for a long time.

This article helps IT managers and business owners find the best budget NAS options that strike a balance between price, performance, and scalability, all while fitting in with strong storage and infrastructure strategies.

What Makes a NAS “Low-Cost”

Just because something is cheap doesn’t mean it doesn’t work well. A NAS that is worth a lot should have:

  • Enough CPU and memory for daily tasks
  • Support for flexible drives so that storage can grow over time
  • RAID and snapshot support for backups
  • Working with backup and cloud tools
  • Network performance that works for more than one user

These basic parts help make sure that your NAS can keep your business running, let you access media, or provide file services without needing to upgrade the hardware often.

Why performance is important, even if you’re on a budget

A NAS is the main part of modern storage workflows. Performance affects productivity, whether it’s hosting departmental files, serving media, or being a backup target for endpoints and servers:

  • Backups can be delayed by slow I/O.
  • If your network doesn’t have enough throughput, it can slow down file access.
  • Weak CPUs make it hard for many users and services to work at the same time.

Even cheap systems should be the right size so that inefficiencies don’t lead to hidden costs.

Best Budget NAS Picks That Are Better Than They Should Be: Entry-Level 2-Bay NAS Systems

For buyers on a budget, 2-bay NAS models are the easiest way to get started. Users can set up basic redundancy with RAID 1 in two drive bays, which protects data without making things more complicated. These models are great for:

  • Storing office files in one place
  • Light streaming of media
  • Basic backups of files and snapshot jobs

Renting NAS systems offers secure, scalable storage without large upfront costs. Even though they are cheap, many 2-bay systems come with fast processors and memory that can be expanded.

4-Bay NAS Options That Are Worth the Money

A 4-bay NAS is more flexible, which is especially helpful for small businesses that plan to grow. See a detailed comparison of 2-bay, 4-bay, and more. RAID 5 support protects against single disk failures and increases usable space. If you want a 4-bay system, think about it.

  • You host databases or project files that are bigger.
  • Several users need to be able to access at the same time.
  • There are workloads for media or virtualization.

These systems might cost a little more up front, but they will work better and be more reliable in the long run.

Configurations for hybrid and expandable NAS

Some cheap NAS options have a mix of port types or the ability to add more storage. A NAS with both 1GbE and multi-gig ports, for instance, can handle network upgrades in the future. SSD caching options also make things more responsive when they are used for a long time.

Key Features to Look for in a Budget NAS: Reliable Storage

Redundancy is very important. RAID, snapshot replication, and volume checks help keep data safe from drive failures and corruption. Even the most basic units should be able to handle basic RAID levels and regular health checks.

Backup Integration

The best budget NAS should work with backup solutions, such as:

  • Workflows for endpoint backups
  • Backups of snapshots on a schedule
  • Replication in the cloud, either off-site or hybrid

This makes sure that the company’s digital assets, which are stored on the NAS, are part of business continuity planning. A 20 TB fully managed backup plan simplifies business continuity.

Network Speed

Gigabit Ethernet is still the standard, but multi-gig options (2.5Gb or 10Gb) are better for multimedia users or busy offices. Budget NAS units with network cards that can be added to them last longer.

Management and Software

NAS systems with easy-to-use management interfaces cut down on administrative work. IT teams can keep performance up without having to set up complicated systems thanks to simple storage configuration, monitoring tools, and alerts.

When planning smartly still means low cost

You shouldn’t just choose a budget NAS based on its price. You should also think about how much work you expect it to do. Important things to think about when making plans are:

  • Figuring out how much storage you need now and in the future
  • Taking into account access by multiple users at once
  • Making sure that backups and snapshots happen automatically
  • Adding NAS to the backup processes of an organization

Proper sizing helps keep things running smoothly and saves money on early upgrades.

Safety and Protecting Data

Even on budget systems, security is not up for debate. Some important steps are:

Combining NAS security with other IT policies helps keep data safe and stops people from getting in without permission. Data scrubbing boosts storage reliability by detecting and repairing errors.

Getting Your NAS Budget Ready for the Future

The best cheap NAS will last longer than its price tag by supporting:

  • More space for storage
  • Backups in the hybrid cloud
  • Network throughput that can grow
  • Working with media or collaboration services

If you choose a NAS with a flexible architecture, you can change it as your needs change.

What is Epis Technology?

Epis Technology offers enterprise IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting services to help businesses of all sizes choose and improve their NAS systems. The company focuses on deploying Synology, providing scalable storage solutions, setting up secure backup workflows, and improving performance. Epis Technology makes sure that your NAS investment provides reliable performance and long-term value by offering Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backups, fully managed endpoint backups, and business continuity planning.

Best NAS for a home media server in 2025

Why a NAS Is Necessary for a Home Media Server

In 2025, people are still watching and listening to more media at home, and the quality is getting better. Traditional external drives are no longer useful because of 4K and high-bitrate video libraries, streaming to multiple rooms, and always-on access. A Network-Attached Storage (NAS) system is a reliable, centralized way to store data that can handle streaming, backups, and long-term growth.

A NAS also serves two purposes for professionals and advanced home users. It becomes a safe place to store data, personal cloud storage, and hybrid backup workflows in addition to streaming media. Choosing the right NAS will make sure that playback goes smoothly today and that data is managed well in the future.

Storage Space and the Ability to Expand Are Important for a Home Media NAS

Media libraries grow very quickly. A NAS should have more than one drive bay so that it can grow over time without having to replace the whole system. RAID setups keep media libraries safe from disk failure and make the most of available space.

Performance and Transcoding

To handle multiple streams and media transcoding, you need a powerful CPU and enough memory. Transcoding with hardware makes TVs, tablets, and mobile devices more compatible and lessens the load on the system.

Connecting to the Network

Gigabit Ethernet is still the standard, but support for multi-gig or 10GbE is becoming more common in more advanced homes. Faster networking makes sure that playback is smooth, file transfers are faster, and performance is better when more than one person streams at the same time.

Protection and reliability of data

Media libraries are the result of years of work. Snapshot support, automatic backups, and off-site replication keep content safe from being deleted by mistake, hardware failure, or ransomware. See how Data scrubbing helps detect and correct silent storage errors. A NAS should work well with both local and cloud-based backup plans.

Why Synology NAS Is a Good Choice in 2025

Many people think that Synology NAS systems are some of the most reliable and easy-to-use platforms for both home and business use. Their DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system is easy to use but has features that are good enough for businesses. This makes it perfect for home media servers that need to keep their data safe.

Some of the main benefits are:

  • Easy-to-use management interface
  • Btrfs offers advanced storage protection.
  • Support for efficient media streaming
  • Tools for backups and snapshots that work together
  • Updates and security patches for software that last a long time

Synology is a good choice for media-focused environments that also care about data security because it strikes a good balance between performance and reliability. Synology NAS also supports home surveillance for added protection.

Synology NAS as a Media Server

Synology NAS platforms support popular media server architectures while keeping data safe and in one place.

Access to streaming and media

You can stream media from a Synology NAS to smart TVs, mobile devices, and home theater systems. It handles multi-user access well, so different devices can play the same thing at the same time without stopping.

Managing Media from One Place

There is one place where all the media files are stored, with organized folders and metadata. This makes things more organized and makes it easier to move or grow in the future.

Performance When Under Load

Synology NAS systems can handle multiple streams at the same time while doing background tasks like backups or snapshot replication if the right hardware is chosen. This makes sure that performance stays the same even when there is a lot of use.

Protecting and backing up home media libraries

People often forget about security when setting up home media systems, but NAS systems are storing more and more sensitive data along with entertainment content. Synology platforms can do:

  • Volumes that are encrypted
  • Access controls based on roles
  • Two-step verification
  • Firewall and network separation

You can also back up media data both locally and in the cloud to protect it from physical damage or site-wide failures. Learn how Expert Synology support ensures your media server runs reliably.

Making plans for growth and future needs

When making a home media server, you should think about how it will grow in the future. Think about:

  • Extra drive bays for adding to libraries
  • Network upgrades as the quality of streaming goes up
  • Working with cloud backup services
  • Support for more containers or apps

Choosing a NAS platform that can grow with your needs saves you money on replacements and gives you long-term value. Explore Encryption fundamentals that show how NAS protects your media and data.

The best way to set up a NAS for 2025

Instead of picking one model, the best NAS choice depends on how much work you have to do and how you plan to grow. Overall:

  • A multi-bay NAS with RAID support gives you the best mix of space and safety.
  • SSD caching makes metadata and frequent access more responsive.
  • Media libraries stay safe with reliable backup workflows.

This plan makes home media use fit with the rules for enterprise-grade storage.

What is Epis Technology?

Epis Technology offers businesses and advanced home environments IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting services. The business focuses on big storage solutions, safe backup systems for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, fully managed backups for PCs, and Synology deployment and optimization. View Fully managed cloud backups protect your devices and productivity data. Epis Technology helps clients build reliable NAS environments that support media streaming, data protection, and long-term scalability by using the best practices for enterprise storage and cybersecurity.

Compare Synology NAS Models: 2-Bay, 4-Bay & More

Understanding Synology NAS Models and How They Differ

Choosing the right NAS can be confusing, especially with the wide range of Synology models available today. From compact 2-bay systems to high-capacity multi-bay platforms, each option is designed for different storage needs, workloads, and growth plans.

This guide compares Synology NAS models 2-bay, 4-bay, and beyond to help you understand the differences and choose the right system with confidence.

Why the Number of Bays Matters

A “bay” refers to a slot that holds a hard drive or SSD. The number of bays determines:

  • Total storage capacity

  • RAID and redundancy options

  • Performance potential

  • Long-term scalability

More bays generally mean more flexibility, but also higher cost and power usage. The best choice depends on how you use your data.

2-Bay Synology NAS Models

Best for

  • Home users and small offices

  • Basic file storage and backups

  • Personal cloud access

Key advantages

  • Lower cost of entry

  • Compact and quiet design

  • Simple setup and management

Limitations

  • Limited expansion

  • Fewer RAID options

  • Not ideal for large or fast-growing data sets

A 2-bay NAS is often chosen by beginners or users with modest storage needs who still want data protection through basic RAID configurations.

4-Bay Synology NAS Models

Best for

  • Families and small businesses

  • Shared storage and collaboration

  • Creative workloads (photo/video libraries)

Key advantages

  • More RAID flexibility for data protection

  • Better performance under multi-user access

  • Easier storage expansion without replacement

Limitations

  • Higher upfront cost than 2-bay systems

  • Slightly larger footprint

4-bay systems strike a balance between affordability and long-term scalability, making them one of the most popular choices.

5-Bay and 6-Bay Synology NAS Models

Best for

  • Growing businesses

  • Heavy backup workloads

  • Virtual machines and advanced services

Key advantages

  • High usable capacity with strong redundancy

  • Better performance for concurrent access

  • Longer lifecycle before needing upgrades

Considerations

  • Requires more planning for drives and RAID layout

  • Higher power and cooling requirements

These systems are ideal when data growth is expected, and downtime must be minimized.

8-Bay and Beyond: Enterprise-Focused NAS

Best for

  • Enterprise environments

  • Centralized backups and archives

  • High availability and large data volumes

Key advantages

  • Massive storage capacity

  • Advanced RAID and expansion support

  • Designed for 24/7 workloads

Trade-offs

  • Higher cost

  • Requires professional planning and maintenance

These models are often deployed in data centers or critical production environments.

Performance vs Capacity: What Should You Prioritize?

When comparing NAS models, consider:

  • Capacity needs today vs future growth.

  • Number of simultaneous users

  • Backup, virtualization, or media workloads

  • Network speed (1GbE vs 10GbE)

Choosing too small a system often leads to early replacement, while oversizing can waste budget.

Synology’s Platform Advantage

Synology designs its NAS lineup around a unified operating system called DiskStation Manager (DSM). This means a 2-bay and an 8-bay system share the same interface, security features, and management tools. Users can start small and upgrade to larger models without relearning the platform, making long-term scaling much easier.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a NAS

  • Underestimating future storage growth

  • Choosing the cheapest model without redundancy

  • Ignoring backup and disaster recovery needs

  • Not planning for drive compatibility and RAID

Avoiding these mistakes can save significant time and cost later.

How Epis Technology Helps You Choose the Right Model

Selecting the right NAS is as much about planning as it is about hardware. Epis Technology helps organizations and individuals assess data growth, performance requirements, and backup needs before choosing a Synology NAS model. The team designs optimal storage layouts, configures RAID and backup strategies, and ensures systems are deployed securely and efficiently. Epis Technology also supports future expansion, helping clients scale without disruption.

Comparing Synology NAS models comes down to understanding how much data you have, how fast it’s growing, and how critical uptime and performance are to your operations. From simple 2-bay systems to enterprise-grade multi-bay platforms, Synology offers options for every stage of growth.

With proper planning and guidance from Epis Technology, you can choose a NAS that not only fits today’s needs but also supports your data strategy for years to come.

About Epis Technology

Epis Technology provides enterprise IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting services. The company specializes in scalable NAS deployments, hybrid cloud integration, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backups, fully managed PC backups, and business continuity planning. Epis Technology helps organizations design, deploy, and optimize secure data environments.

Best Synology NAS for Home Use (2025–2026 Guide)

Choosing the Right Synology NAS for Home Users

A home NAS is no longer just a place to store files. In 2025–2026, home users expect secure backups, private cloud access, media streaming, and simple management, all without enterprise-level complexity. This is where Synology NAS systems stand out.

This guide explores the best Synology NAS options for home use, what features matter most, and how to choose a system that fits both your current and future needs.

Why a Home NAS Makes Sense in 2025–2026

Modern households generate more data than ever:

  • Photos and videos from phones and cameras

  • Work-from-home documents

  • Media libraries for streaming

  • Device and system backups

Relying solely on external drives or scattered cloud subscriptions can become expensive and hard to manage. A NAS centralizes everything while keeping you in control of your data.

What Makes Synology Ideal for Home Users

Synology has built its reputation on combining reliable hardware with an easy-to-use operating system called DiskStation Manager (DSM). For home users, this means:

  • Simple setup and management

  • Quiet, energy-efficient designs

  • Strong security by default

  • Apps for backup, media, and file sharing

  • Long-term software support

You don’t need IT experience to benefit from a Synology NAS.

Best Synology NAS Models for Home Use

1. Entry-Level 2-Bay Models

Ideal for individuals and small households.

Best for:

  • Photo and document storage

  • PC and Mac backups

  • Personal cloud access

Why choose it:
Affordable, compact, and easy to expand later by upgrading drives.

2. Performance-Focused 2-Bay Systems

Designed for users who want speed and multitasking.

Best for:

  • Media streaming (4K video)

  • Multiple users

  • Faster backups and file access

Why choose it:
Stronger processors and memory allow smoother performance without moving to a large system.

3. 4-Bay NAS for Growing Households

Perfect for families and power users.

Best for:

  • Large photo and video libraries

  • RAID protection for data safety

  • Home office and creative workflows

Why choose it:
More bays mean better redundancy and easier future expansion.

Key Features Home Users Should Look For

Storage Flexibility

Support for multiple drive sizes allows you to start small and grow over time.

Automated Backups

Back up laptops, desktops, and mobile devices automatically.

Media Streaming

Stream movies, music, and photos directly to TVs, phones, and tablets.

Remote Access

Access files securely from anywhere without relying entirely on public cloud services.

Quiet Operation

Home NAS devices should run quietly and efficiently, even when powered on 24/7.

Synology’s Home-Focused Software Advantage

Synology NAS systems are powered by DSM, which provides:

  • Simple file sharing and syncing

  • Snapshot-based protection against accidental deletion

  • Built-in backup tools for PCs, Macs, and mobile devices

  • Optional private cloud services

For home users, this means powerful features without complicated setup steps.

How Much Storage Do You Really Need?

As a general guideline:

  • Basic users: 4–8 TB total capacity

  • Families: 8–16 TB with RAID protection

  • Media-heavy users: 16 TB or more

Choosing a NAS with extra bays helps avoid full replacements later.

Security Considerations for Home NAS

Even home systems need protection:

  • User accounts and permissions

  • Automatic updates

  • Encrypted remote access

  • Snapshot recovery

Synology includes these features by default, making home data safer than typical external drives.

How Epis Technology Helps Home NAS Users

While home NAS systems are easy to use, proper setup makes a big difference. Epis Technology helps users select the right Synology NAS, plan storage layouts, and configure secure backups and remote access. The team ensures systems are optimized from day one and remain reliable as storage needs grow. Epis Technology also assists with data migration, security hardening, and long-term performance tuning.

The best Synology NAS for home use in 2025–2026 depends on how much data you have today—and how much you expect tomorrow. Whether you need a simple backup solution or a powerful home media and cloud platform, Synology offers flexible options that grow with you.

With thoughtful planning and expert guidance from Epis Technology, a home NAS can become a secure, long-term foundation for managing and protecting your digital life.

About Epis Technology

Epis Technology provides IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting services. The company specializes in NAS deployments, hybrid cloud integration, secure backup solutions, and long-term data management strategies. Epis Technology helps individuals and organizations build reliable, scalable systems that protect data and simplify everyday technology.

Link Aggregation on Synology NAS: Performance vs Reality

Many people think that link aggregation on a Synology NAS is an easy way to double or triple network performance by combining several Ethernet ports into one logical connection. In real life, though, the results depend a lot on how the network is set up, what kind of workload it is, and how the switches are set up. If your business relies on centralized storage, backups, and virtualization, you need to know how the real performance impact works.

Link aggregation, which is also known as network bonding, is set up on Synology systems through DSM. It usually uses IEEE 802.3ad (LACP) or balance-based modes. These technologies are meant to make throughput more even and add redundancy, but they don’t always make individual connections faster.

What Link Aggregation Really Does

Link aggregation takes several physical network interfaces and combines them into one bonded interface. The main benefits are:

  • Higher total throughput for many clients
  • Better fault tolerance if a port or network cable goes down
  • Better distribution of traffic in environments with more than one user

But link aggregation doesn’t automatically speed up the transfer of one file. Explore Synology NAS business file server solutions and benefits. A single client session is usually limited to the bandwidth of one physical interface. However, this is not the case when advanced protocols or multiple parallel connections are used.

What You Expect vs. What Happens in Real Life

A lot of businesses think that connecting two 1GbE ports will give them 2Gbps performance for everything. This assumption often leads to disappointment when single-user transfers stay at about 1Gbps.

What Really Happened

Link aggregation makes it easier for multiple users to access the same link at the same time, but it doesn’t speed up individual sessions. You can see real performance gains when:

  • Several people can use the NAS at the same time
  • Backup jobs run at the same time
  • Virtual machines or containers make multiple I/O happen at the same time
  • There are many services running at the same time, such as file sharing, snapshots, and replication

For workloads with only one stream, like copying a single SMB file, aggregation adds redundancy but doesn’t speed things up very much.

Link Aggregation Modes that Synology Supports

Synology DSM has a number of bonding modes, each of which is best for a different situation:

  • IEEE 802.3ad (LACP) is the best choice for managed switches and business networks
  • Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB) doesn’t need switch support
  • Balance XOR: a static distribution based on hashing MAC/IP
  • Active/Standby: This mode is more about redundancy than throughput.

LACP is the most popular choice in business settings, but it needs the right switch settings to work right.

When Link Aggregation Is a Good Idea

Link aggregation is useful when used in the right way:

In these cases, aggregation stops bottlenecks and makes the system more responsive overall, even if the individual sessions stay the same.

When Link Aggregation Doesn’t Work

Link aggregation alone is not always the best answer in these situations:

  • Fast file transfers for one user
  • Workloads that are sensitive to latency
  • Places where managed switches aren’t used
  • Modern workloads that need a steady stream of multi-gigabit data

For these situations, 10GbE or multi-gig Ethernet upgrades often give more clear and reliable performance improvements.

Things to think about when it comes to security, resilience, and backups

Link aggregation improves availability from a data protection point of view. Traffic keeps going over the other links even if a network path fails during a backup or replication job. See our Hyper Backup guide for stronger NAS data protection. This is especially important for:

  • Planning for business continuity
  • Synchronization of backups in the cloud and offsite
  • Replication of snapshots between Synology systems

But to keep cybersecurity strong, aggregation should be used with the right network segmentation, firewall rules, and encrypted backup workflows. Learn secure NVR backups and offsite solutions with Epis Technology.

Making the Right Network Architecture

To get the most out of a Synology NAS, you need to do more than just turn on bonding in DSM. Follow the full DSM 7.2 setup and optimization guide. To get the right results, you need:

  • Managed switches set up for LACP
  • Planning the right MTU and VLAN
  • Alignment with workloads for backup and storage
  • Knowing how SMB, NFS, and iSCSI work

Without this planning, link aggregation could make things more complicated without making a big difference in performance.

About the Technology of Epis

Epis Technology is an expert in enterprise IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting. The company helps businesses create storage environments that can grow, improve the performance of NAS, and set up secure backup solutions for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and endpoint systems. Epis Technology makes sure that features like link aggregation are set up correctly and in line with real-world performance and reliability goals. They do this by using their extensive knowledge of Synology deployment, network architecture, and business continuity planning.

Fixing Network Drive Disconnecting Issues: A Complete Guide for Synology NAS Users

Unstable network drives can make it hard to get work done, slow down file access, and cost a lot of money in downtime, especially for businesses that rely on shared storage for their daily operations. Network drive disconnections are a common problem in Windows, macOS, and hybrid environments. Start with a comprehensive Synology NAS setup guide. However, they can usually be fixed by properly configuring the system, keeping an eye on it, and optimizing the Synology NAS settings.

This guide looks at the most common reasons why network drives disconnect and offers technical fixes. It also talks about how Epis Technology helps businesses keep their Synology infrastructure stable, safe, and running at its best to avoid problems with disconnections.

Why Network Drives Disconnect: Common Reasons

Network drive interruptions are usually caused by a mix of system settings, unstable networks, or problems with authentication. The most common reasons are:

1. SMB Timeouts for Idle Time

After a while of not doing anything, Windows or Synology may disconnect an SMB session.

2. Wrong login information or mapped drive settings

Drives that are mapped without “Reconnect at sign-in” or that use old saved passwords often lose their connection. Learn secure credential management with Synology C2 password best practices.

3. Changes to DHCP or IP Address Conflicts

Mapped drives won’t automatically reconnect if the NAS IP changes. Read our comprehensive guide to Synology login issues.

4. Network infrastructure that isn’t stable

Intermittent connectivity can happen when Wi-Fi is weak, switches are set up wrong, or duplexes don’t match.

5. SMB Protocol Not Matching

Communication between devices may stop working if they use older or unsupported SMB versions.

6. VPN problems or firewall limits

Strict firewall rules or unstable VPN tunnels can cause remote users to lose their connections.

How to Fix Problems with Network Drives Disconnecting

1. Give your Synology NAS a static IP address

When an IP address changes, mapped drives lose track of the NAS.
To fix this, go to Control Panel, then Network, then Network Interface, then Edit, and then Set Manual IP.

Static IP makes sure that all users can always connect.

2. Turn on “Reconnect at Login” and change the saved credentials

For Windows users: Right-click on This PC, then click on Map Network Drive and check “Reconnect at sign-in.”

For macOS users, go to System Preferences and add the NAS SMB path to Login Items.

3. Make SMB session timeouts longer

You can change the SMB server’s idle timeout in Synology:

Go to DSM, then Control Panel, then File Services, then SMB, and then Advanced Settings.

Add:

  • Idle Time for Clients
  • Minimum SMB Version for Server
  • Values for keepalive

This stops disconnections when there isn’t much going on.

4. Fix mistakes in authentication

SMB sessions fail without any notice when credentials change.

Steps:

  • Open Windows Credential Manager
  • Delete old Synology login information
  • Remap the drive with new login information

LDAP/AD users may need to have their password and permission policies synced.

5. Make the network more reliable

Problems with network hardware often look like SMB disconnects.

Look:

  • Bad Ethernet cables
  • Switch loops
  • MTU that doesn’t match
  • Interference with Wi-Fi
  • VLAN settings are wrong

Epis Technology does full network health audits for businesses to get rid of bottlenecks.

6. Make sure that the Synology DSM and SMB Packages are up to date

Older versions of DSM may have SMB bugs or problems with compatibility.

Go to DSM, then Control Panel, then Update & Restore, and finally Check for Updates.

Updating DSM regularly improves performance, stability, and security.

7. Make sure the DNS and gateway settings are correct

When DNS is wrong, NAS discovery problems happen from time to time.

What you should do:

  • Use your own DNS server
  • Set the NAS gateway to the router or firewall
  • Make sure that DNS can resolve the hostname

8. Fix problems with VPN or remote access

For people who work from home:

Epis Technology helps businesses set up secure hybrid-cloud remote access so that drive dropouts don’t happen at all. 

Advanced Solutions for Business Settings

1. Set up Synology High Availability (SHA)

Stops hardware failures from causing disconnections.

2. Use Active Directory to connect

Makes it easier to sync credentials across desktops and NAS systems.

3. Move up to 10GbE or Link Aggregation

Makes workloads with a lot of data more stable.

4. Set up automated alerts and monitoring

Epis Technology sets up monitoring systems that can find:

  • Sessions for SMB that were dropped
  • Network latency goes up
  • Failed authentications
  • Bottlenecks in storage

How Epis Technology Helps Keep Network Drives from Disconnecting

Epis Technology offers enterprise-level Synology installation and troubleshooting services to fix problems with drives that keep disconnecting. Get expert Synology support for peak business NAS performance. Their experts are good at:

Professional optimization makes it possible for businesses to access files faster, have more reliable connections, and have a lot fewer drive disconnections on Windows, macOS, and hybrid networks.

Epis Technology in a Nutshell

Epis Technology offers a full range of IT infrastructure services, such as Synology consulting, hybrid-cloud deployment, secure data backup, large storage architecture, and business continuity planning. Their certified Synology experts help businesses get rid of performance problems, improve security, and set up storage environments that can grow and are strong enough to handle modern workloads.

How Data Deduplication Works on Synology NAS and Why It’s Important for Today’s Businesses

As the amount of data keeps growing, businesses are under more and more pressure to store, protect, and manage it well. Many businesses now prefer Synology NAS for storage because it can grow with their needs, is dependable, and has a lot of features. Data deduplication is one of Synology’s most powerful efficiency tools, especially for enterprise storage workflows. It is a technology that cuts down on storage use, speeds up backups, and lowers long-term infrastructure costs.

What does it mean to deduplicate data?

Data deduplication is a way to make storage more efficient by getting rid of duplicate copies of data. The system doesn’t save the same block or file over and over again. Instead, it saves one copy and makes references for blocks that are the same. Learn why common deduplication misconceptions aren’t true or impactful.

There are two main types of deduplication:

  1. Block-level deduplication removes duplicate block segments from files.
  2. File-level deduplication gets rid of all duplicate files.

Block-level deduplication is used by Synology on supported systems to give you deeper and more efficient savings. This is especially helpful for backup repositories, virtual machines, and datasets that are used over and over again.

What Data Deduplication Does on Synology NAS

The deduplication system from Synology is built into Btrfs-based volumes and works with backup solutions like:

  • ABB, or Active Backup for Business,
  • Replication of Snapshots
  • Hyper Backup (when using advanced repositories)

Core Mechanisms Include:

1. Inline Deduplication

The write process looks at the data. Before being written to disk, duplicate blocks are removed, which saves space right away.

2. Matching Based on Hashes

Hashing blocks gives them unique signatures. Synology saves a reference instead of copying data if the hash of a new block matches the hash of an old one.

3. Architecture for a Single Instance

One block is written to memory, and multiple logical pointers point to it. This saves space and makes things work better.

Advantages of Deduplication for Companies 

1. Big savings on storage costs

Organizations can free up a lot of storage space by getting rid of duplicate data, which is common in backups, virtual machine images, and shared folders.

Businesses may be able to do the following, depending on how busy they are:

  • 30 to 70 percent off of file-sharing workloads
  • 70–95% off in places where backups are stored
  • Savings of up to 99% on VDI (virtual desktop) deployments

2. Faster backup speed

Less data written means:

  • Faster backup times
  • Less traffic on the network
  • Better RPO/RTO numbers for keeping the business going

3. Fewer infrastructure needs

Deduplication helps put off expansions, use less drive space, and cut down on the need for hardware upgrades.

4. Better efficiency in protecting data

With Synology Active Backup, deduplication:

  • Reduces the size of the repository
  • Allows for more restore points
  • Makes snapshots work better

This makes sure that backup policies are cost-effective and keep data for a long time, which improves operational continuity. Explore Active Backup’s core Google Workspace protection features.

The Best Places for Deduplication to Work

1. Backup Environments (ABB, Hyper Backup)

ABB’s global deduplication finds duplicate blocks on all protected devices, which makes the repository much smaller, Also include Google Workspace backups for complete cloud data protection.

2. Virtualization Workloads (VMware, Hyper-V, and VMM)

There are often duplicate OS files in VM environments. Deduplication cuts down on the amount of storage space needed and speeds up cloning.

3. File servers that store the same data over and over

When departments share documents, images, or design files, they often make copies of them. Deduplication clears up space and makes the most of it.

4. Big Synology Storage Solutions

Businesses with multi-petabyte storage need less energy, cooling, and hardware. See how Epis technology enhances AI-driven Synology surveillance accuracy enterprise-wide.

How Epis Technology Improves Deduplication for Businesses

To do deduplication well, you need more than just turning on a feature. You need to:

  • Getting to know how workloads change
  • Making the most of storage architecture
  • How to properly set up Btrfs volumes
  • Using ABB to make backup repositories
  • Planning how much space you’ll need for long-term storage
  • Making sure that performance is not affected too much

Epis Technology’s main job is to design and improve Synology environments so that businesses can get the most out of them in terms of speed and dependability. Discover continuous Synology support and updates for secure infrastructures.

Epis Technology Gives:

  • Synology consulting and setting up for business storage
  • Using ABB and deduplication to design backup infrastructure
  • Improving backups for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
  • Planning for large-scale storage with a deduplication strategy
  • Tuning the performance of VMs, SMB shares, and storage across multiple sites
  • Ongoing Synology help for uptime and reliability

Businesses can get a fully optimized, resilient, and scalable deduplication strategy that fits their infrastructure with Epis Technology.

How to Use Deduplication on Synology NAS the Right Way

  • For full deduplication support, use Btrfs volumes.
  • For big arrays, use RAID F1 or RAID 6 with deduplication.
  • Keep an eye on system load—deduplication needs CPU and memory power.
  • Use NVMe caching to speed up hash comparisons.
  • Store ABB repositories on fast volumes.

For even more efficiency, use both deduplication and compression.

About the technology of Epis

Epis Technology offers cloud backup, data protection, Synology deployment, and enterprise-level IT infrastructure. Epis Technology helps businesses build secure, scalable, and high-performance data environments with optimized deduplication and storage efficiency. They specialize in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backups, large storage solutions, fully managed PC backups, and Synology consulting.

What Are Btrfs Snapshots on Synology NAS?

Data availability, integrity, and quick recovery are very important to modern businesses. Organizations need stronger internal safeguards built right into their storage architecture as threats like ransomware, accidental deletion, system corruption, and hardware failures become more common. Btrfs (B-tree File System) is a powerful set of protection tools for Synology NAS systems. One of the most useful features is snapshots, which help keep data consistent and make it easy to recover from a specific point in time with little disruption.

If your company has to deal with important workloads, backups, or hybrid-cloud environments, you need to know how Btrfs snapshots work. This guide goes into detail about the technology and explains why many businesses, especially those that work with Epis Technology, prefer Btrfs-based deployments for protecting their data over the long term.

What Does Btrfs Mean on Synology NAS?

Btrfs is a new, advanced file system that makes data more reliable, speeds things up, and makes management easier. Btrfs, on the other hand, is Synology’s older file system option. It has built-in features like:

  • Data checksums that fix themselves
  • Ability to take snapshots and copy them
  • Backups that happen more quickly
  • Better protection for metadata

These features let Btrfs volumes keep data more secure and let you restore it almost right away.

What Are Btrfs Snapshots?

A snapshot is a copy of a shared folder or LUN on your Synology NAS that can’t be changed. Snapshots:

  • Use as little storage as possible
  • It only takes a few seconds to make
  • Make it easy to go back to previous states quickly
  • Prevent unintentional changes or deletions

Snapshot Replication, which is a built-in package from Synology, automates tasks like scheduling, retention, replication, and recovery across devices. This makes it perfect for keeping your business running.

How to Use Btrfs Snapshots

Copy-on-write (CoW) technology is what Btrfs uses. There is no duplication of data when a snapshot is made. Instead:

  • The system marks blocks that are already there as read-only
  • New writes are kept in a different place.
  • Changes are tracked quickly and without getting in the way of work that is already going on

This makes sure that storage is very efficient and that snapshots happen quickly, even when there is a lot of I/O.

Btrfs Snapshots: Important Benefits for Businesses

1. Protection from accidental deletions or overwrites

Changes to files by mistake or mistakes made by users can make work less productive. Businesses can do the following with snapshots:

  • Bring back individual files
  • Roll back all shared folders
  • Get back on track in seconds

This saves a lot of time compared to restoring full backups.

2. Resilience against malware and ransomware

Ransomware can’t encrypt snapshots because they are read-only. Companies can just:

  • Go back to a safe snapshot
  • Get back clean copies of files that were infected

This means that Btrfs is an important part of modern cybersecurity systems.

3. Quick recovery with little effect

You don’t have to stop working when you use snapshot restores. They help IT teams quickly get systems back online after problems.

4. How well it stores things

Snapshots don’t take up much extra space because of copy-on-write. This makes it possible to keep dozens or even hundreds of daily restore points without raising storage costs too much.

5. Automated Replication for Keeping Business Going

You can use Snapshot Replication to:

  • Planned
  • Kept according to rules
  • Duplicated to a second Synology NAS

This protects your data off-site and follows the 3-2-1 backup rule.

When to Use Btrfs Snapshots in Business

Snapshots are great for places that need:

  • Versioning and restore points that happen often
  • Operations with high availability
  • Keeping safe from cyberattacks
  • Little downtime
  • Quick recovery after problems with the system

Some common use cases are:

  • File servers
  • Storage for virtual machines
  • Workloads for databases
  • Environments for development
  • Offices where files change often

How Epis Technology Helps Businesses Get the Most Out of Btrfs Snapshots

Btrfs is powerful, but how you set it up is important. Epis Technology helps companies use snapshots correctly by giving them:

• Correct RAID and volume architecture

To make sure that snapshots work well and that the data is safe.

• Policies for scheduling and keeping snapshots

Optimized for following industry standards, being compliant, and using space efficiently.

• Strategies for replicating across multiple sites

Using hybrid-cloud solutions and Synology Snapshot Replication.

• Protection layers that can withstand ransomware

Including making things unchangeable, making the network stronger, and designing automatic failover.

• Backup and continuity systems that are fully managed

Btrfs works with Active Backup for Business, cloud backups, and disaster recovery at a different location.

With Epis Technology’s help and advice, businesses can avoid problems that are common in self-managed deployments, like keeping too many snapshots, setting quotas incorrectly, or replication bottlenecks.

Businesses that work with Epis Technology get expert Synology consulting, a better storage architecture, and a complete backup system that makes sure their data stays safe and their operations keep running.

Epis Technology in a Nutshell

Epis Technology is a company that specializes in providing businesses with IT infrastructure, Synology consulting, cloud backup, and data protection services. We create and set up storage systems for businesses that are safe, scalable, and fast. These systems include backups for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, large-scale NAS architecture, fully managed PC backups, and plans for keeping the business running.

Synology Drive Starts a New Era of Working Together on Files

How Epis Technology Helps Companies Go Beyond Cloud Station

Businesses today don’t work out of just one office or device anymore. Teams work together from different places, time zones, and platforms, and they need to be able to access files quickly, safely, and reliably from anywhere. This change is exactly why Synology turned Cloud Station into Synology Drive and why more and more businesses depend on Epis Technology to set up, move, and improve these solutions for use in the real world.

We at Epis Technology help businesses turn Synology’s product improvements into safe, useful, and scalable places for people to work together.

Cloud Station to Synology Drive: An Important Change

Cloud Station was built on a simple but strong idea: data should be available from anywhere. Over the course of six years, it became a trusted private cloud solution for more than 1.6 million homes and offices. It allowed file synchronization, version history, and access from NAS servers, desktops, and mobile devices.

But as business processes changed, simple file syncing wasn’t enough anymore. Organizations needed to be able to work together in real time, have centralized control, and have a better user experience. Traditional file servers and old sync tools had a hard time providing these features.

To meet this next level of need, Synology Drive was made.

Working together is no longer an option

A lot of the time, teams today work on the same documents at the same time. They have to:

  • Get to files from anywhere
  • Work together in real time
  • Keep track of versions and keep things safe
  • Keep data in sync between offices and remote users

Synology Drive meets these needs by bringing together file access, synchronization, and collaboration into one portal. It lets centralized Synology NAS systems and multiple endpoints sync files without any problems for businesses with more than one office or teams that are spread out.

Epis Technology helps companies build and set up these environments so that working together boosts productivity without hurting security or performance.

How Epis Technology Makes Synology Drive for Business Possible

Synology Drive comes with a lot of great features right out of the box, but you need to plan ahead to make sure it works well for you. Epis Technology makes sure that Synology Drive is set up in a way that works with each company’s growth plans, compliance needs, and workflows.

Here are some of the things we do:

  • Planning to move from Cloud Station to Synology Drive
  • Design of user and permission architecture
  • Improving performance for big teams and datasets
  • Safe access from afar and syncing across multiple sites
  • Working with the current IT infrastructure

Epis Technology takes care of the hard parts so that businesses can focus on working together instead of setting things up.

Synology Drive 2.0: Ready for Business Use

The release of Synology Drive 2.0 added many new features to the platform, including ones that users had been asking for, such as:

  • On-demand sync to use less local storage
  • Backups that happen on a schedule to protect endpoints
  • Better performance and scalability
  • More ways to work together

These improvements turn Synology Drive from a simple syncing tool into a file server solution that businesses can use.

Epis Technology helps businesses plan upgrades with as little disruption as possible, making sure that everything stays the same and is stable for a long time. This is because Synology is moving development to Drive, which will officially replace Cloud Station in DSM 7.0.

Making the Move from Cloud Station Go Smoothly

Cloud Station will still get security updates on DSM 6.2 (LTS) until the end of its support window, which gives businesses time to get ready. But putting off migration can make it harder to use new features and work together.

Epis Technology helps businesses with:

  • Check how Cloud Station is being used right now
  • Think about how things will work together
  • Move to Synology Drive in stages
  • Teach users and IT teams how to use new workflows

This organized method lowers risk and makes the most of Synology Drive’s features.

The Big Picture: Working Together, Having Control, and Owning

Synology Drive lets businesses keep full control of their data while still allowing for modern collaboration. This is different from public cloud file-sharing platforms. When combined with Epis Technology’s knowledge, businesses get:

  • Collaboration in a private cloud without being locked in to a vendor
  • Costs and performance that can be counted on
  • Data access that is safe and follows the rules
  • Infrastructure that can grow with the business

Why real data durability needs more than cloud promises, You might not need to worry so much about “nines” 

Data durability has become a big topic of conversation as more businesses move important data to the cloud and hybrid environments. Cloud providers often use flashy numbers—11 nines, 12 nines, or more—to say that their services offer almost perfect protection. But even the most durable storage platforms are still at risk of one thing that can’t be avoided: human error, no matter how good the marketing is.

At Epis Technology, we help businesses look beyond the numbers and create data protection plans that are both practical and strong using Synology infrastructure. These plans work in the real world, not just in theory.

Knowing the Difference Between Availability and Durability

Cloud providers often mix two very different ideas into one conversation:

Data durability is the chance that data that is stored will stay intact and uncorrupted over time, even if there are hardware failures, bit rot, or disk errors. For instance, if you store 10 million objects, 11 nines of durability means that you could lose one object every 10,000 years.

On the other hand, service availability measures uptime. A 99.99% availability SLA still lets you be down for almost an hour a year.

It’s easy to figure out how long something will last, but it’s not easy to figure out how long something will be available. This is where marketing often goes too far.

Why “Nines” Alone Don’t Tell the Whole Story

There is no one formula that everyone agrees on for figuring out how long something will last. Most of the time, the industry uses probability models that are based on three main factors:

  • AFR (Annualized Failure Rate): The number of drives that are expected to fail each year
  • Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): How long it takes to fix broken parts
  • Erasure Coding (EC): How to spread out data and parity fragments so that failures don’t happen.

These variables affect each other in complicated ways, especially in big systems where failures happen all the time. Drives that are installed at the same time often fail close together. That’s why Epis Technology focuses on architecture, configuration, and operational discipline, not just the advertised durability numbers.

How Synology Figures Out Durability and Why It Matters

Synology C2 Object Storage uses a Poisson distribution model to figure out how long things will last. This method sees drive failures as ongoing, linked events instead of one-time events, which is a better way to describe how things work in the real world.

Currently, Synology C2 uses a 12+3 erasure coding scheme, which gives it about 9 nines of durability. Ongoing improvements in AFR and MTTR have already made things more reliable. Synology plans to switch to a 16+4 EC layout, which makes things much more durable without making them less efficient.

We keep a close eye on these Synology updates at Epis Technology and make sure our customers get the most out of them by properly deploying, tuning, and integrating them. We don’t just assume that durability means protection.

Failures in the Real World Show Why Architecture Is Important

In a real Synology C2 expansion, six drives failed in three weeks, and two of those failures affected the same object. The data stayed safe not because of marketing claims, but because of how well the design worked.

This is why Epis Technology strongly suggests using RAID 6 or better for multi-drive volumes, especially in business settings. Single-parity protection isn’t enough anymore when volumes go over six drives.

The Most Dangerous Thing Isn’t Hardware: It’s People Making Mistakes

Industry data shows that two-thirds of the time, data loss is caused by people making mistakes, not hardware breaking. No matter how high the number, “nines” can’t stop accidental deletions, ransomware, misconfigurations, or overwrites.

Epis Technology’s approach is different because we design systems with the idea that mistakes will happen and make sure recovery is quick, reliable, and tested.

How Epis Technology Helps Make Synology More Durable Real

Epis Technology connects Synology’s powerful storage technology with the needs of businesses. We make sure that claims about durability turn into real data resilience by giving:

  • Architecture planning that follows Synology’s best practices
  • RAID, erasure coding, and memory settings that are best for lowering risk
  • Using the 3-2-1 strategy for hybrid backup designs
  • Synology C2 for off-site protection
  • Continuous testing, monitoring, and recovery validation

Epis Technology doesn’t just use one platform or durability metric. Instead, they make layered protection models that can handle hardware failures, human mistakes, and operational problems.

Hedge Your Bets: Backup + Durability = Real Protection

A good data protection plan is worth more than a lot of nines. The 3-2-1 backup rule is still the safest way to go:

  • Three copies of your information
  • Stored on two different types of media
  • With one copy off-site

Synology gives you the tools. Epis Technology makes sure that they are set up correctly, kept up, and tested on a regular basis.

By combining Synology’s cutting-edge storage technology with Epis Technology’s real-world deployment experience, businesses get protection that works when it matters most, not just when the numbers look good.

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