DSM 7 vs DSM 8: Changes, Improvements, and What’s Next
DSM 7 Compared to DSM 8: What Businesses Need to Know
Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM) has long been a defining strength of its NAS platforms. With DSM 7 now widely adopted and DSM 8 on the horizon, many businesses and IT teams are asking the same question: what’s changing, and how will it affect existing NAS environments?
This article breaks down the key differences between DSM 7 and DSM 8, what improvements are expected, and how organizations should prepare without speculation or hype.
DSM 7: A Maturity Milestone for Synology
DSM 7 represented a major architectural shift rather than a cosmetic update. It introduced:
Stronger security defaults
More granular access controls
Improved system stability
Tighter integration with cloud and backup services
For businesses, DSM 7 marked Synology’s transition from a flexible NAS OS to a more enterprise-oriented platform focused on data protection, compliance, and reliability.
What DSM 8 Is Expected to Build On
DSM 8 is not expected to replace DSM 7’s foundation but to extend and harden it. Rather than radical interface changes, DSM 8 focuses on refinement, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
Key areas of change are expected to include security, performance optimization, and ecosystem alignment.
1. Security Enhancements and Hardening
DSM 8 continues Synology’s shift toward proactive security.
Expected improvements include:
Tighter authentication enforcement
Expanded protection against brute-force and lateral movement attacks
Further reduction of legacy or insecure services
Businesses can expect DSM 8 to emphasize secure-by-default behavior, reducing reliance on manual hardening.
2. Storage and Hardware Compatibility Changes
One of the most discussed areas is hardware and drive compatibility.
DSM 7 already introduced:
Stricter validation of supported drives
More visible compatibility warnings
DSM 8 is expected to:
Enforce compatibility policies more consistently.
Improve reliability through controlled hardware ecosystems.
Reduce unpredictable behavior caused by unsupported drives
While this improves stability, it also requires more careful planning during upgrades.
3. Performance and System Efficiency
DSM 8 focuses on optimization rather than raw speed gains.
Improvements are expected in:
Memory utilization
Background task scheduling
Storage service responsiveness under load
These refinements benefit multi-user environments, backup-heavy systems, and always-on workloads.
4. Backup, Replication, and Recovery Improvements
Data protection remains central to DSM’s evolution.
DSM 8 is expected to:
Improve visibility into backup health and status.
Enhance centralized monitoring
Reduce recovery complexity during system or storage failures
For businesses, this translates into faster issue detection and safer recovery paths.
5. User Experience and Administration
While the interface may look familiar, DSM 8 aims to simplify administration by:
Reducing configuration ambiguity
Making warnings and system states clearer
Improving logs and diagnostic visibility
This helps administrators act faster and with more confidence during incidents.
Synology Platform Perspective
Synology positions DSM as a long-term platform rather than a short upgrade cycle product. DSM 8 builds on DSM 7’s architectural changes by focusing on security, stability, and predictable behavior at scale. For organizations already running DSM 7, the transition to DSM 8 is expected to be evolutionary rather than disruptive—provided systems are well maintained and compatible hardware is used.
What DSM 8 Does NOT Change
It’s equally important to understand what remains consistent:
Core DSM workflows and UI structure
RAID and storage pool concepts
Package-based extensibility
Emphasis on integrated tools over third-party dependencies
This continuity reduces retraining costs and operational friction.
How Businesses Should Prepare for DSM 8
Before upgrading:
Review hardware and drive compatibility.
Ensure verified backups exist.
Test updates on non-critical systems
Audit security and access controls
Preparation is the difference between a smooth transition and unnecessary downtime.
How Epis Technology Helps with DSM 7 to DSM 8 Transitions
Planning DSM upgrades in business environments requires more than clicking “Update.” Epis Technology helps organizations assess readiness for DSM 8 by reviewing hardware compatibility, storage health, security posture, and backup integrity. The team designs upgrade paths that minimize risk, avoid unexpected compatibility issues, and ensure continuity across production systems. Epis Technology also supports post-upgrade validation, performance tuning, and long-term NAS architecture planning.
DSM-7 vs. DSM-8 is less about replacement and more about progression. DSM 8 builds on DSM 7’s security-first, enterprise-ready foundation with refinements that improve stability, compliance readiness, and operational clarity.
For businesses already aligned with DSM 7 best practices, DSM 8 represents a controlled, predictable next step, especially when supported by proper planning and expert guidance from Epis Technology.
About Epis Technology
Epis Technology provides enterprise IT infrastructure, Synology consulting, and data protection 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 secure, manage, and future-proof their data environments with confidence.