Latest news with #SynologyDrive
Android Authority
17-07-2025
- Android Authority
I tried going self-hosted but Google Drive is just too convenient
Karandeep Singh / Android Authority A network-attached storage (NAS) is supposed to give you an alternative to cloud storage — one that's safer, more private, and free from monthly subscriptions. A lot of home users may still consider those strange black boxes nerd territory, but Synology wanted to make the transition easier for Google Drive users. Its own alternative, deceptively named Synology Drive, is made to offer Google Drive-like storage. While it sounds compelling in theory and is genuinely useful in many cases, Synology's solution didn't feel quite there when I switched over. Google has mastered the art of making things seamless — something I sorely missed on my NAS. Here's how it went for me when I switched to Synology Drive — and why my fondness for Google Drive grew even more. Would you ditch Google Drive for a self-hosted alternative? 0 votes Yes NaN % No NaN % Synology Drive has got it all This wasn't the first time I tried going all-in with Synology Drive. When I first got my NAS a few years ago, I gave it a shot and came out impressed. The interface still looks quite similar to Google Drive — from the side menu and right-click options to the columned layout and shortcuts at the top. It's clearly designed to feel familiar to anyone coming from Google Drive. But Synology didn't stop there — it built its own office suite to complement Drive. You get a Docs alternative, one for Slides, and one for Sheets. Of these, I use the document editor the most because that makes up most of my everyday work. I wrote a few pieces in it, and the experience was alright — it handles basic formatting well and has most of what you'd expect from Google Docs. Synology Office even lets you share access with others — both on your local network and publicly if remote access is enabled using QuickConnect. Your collaborators can leave comments, and everyone can see each other's cursor live. Sounds familiar, right? Synology really did try to mirror Google's suite. It's got AI too — but at what cost We often talk about how good Google and OpenAI's AI tools have gotten. But Synology has also been quietly building its own platform to integrate AI into its mail and office apps. However, if you expected it to be as seamless as Gemini in Google Drive, you'd be mistaken. It inherits the DIY nature of setting up a NAS. Synology doesn't have its own large language model — the foundation of tools like Gemini. Instead, it offers Synology AI Console in beta, where you can set up AI using supported models like Gemini, OpenAI, and others. You have to get an API key (often paid) to set up your own AI server that integrates into Synology Office. I used Gemini since the Gemini 2.0 Flash API doesn't require a paid plan for a limited number of free tokens. The process to set up AI in Synology Office is too involved and technical for most people, especially someone getting their first NAS. I managed to set it up — the AI worked surprisingly well inside the docs app, helping with summaries, grammar, tables, and whatnot. But the process is too involved and technical for most people, especially someone getting their first NAS. And these AI features haven't come to Synology Drive yet. So, you can't ask questions about your files like you can with Gemini in Google Drive. Google Drive is the benchmark for convenience I don't say this lightly — Google Drive is the best cloud storage service for everyday users. It now comes with Gemini, which helps with everything. You can ask it to summarize folders, read your files, convert plain text into tables, find sources — all of it. And the best part? You don't have to lift a finger to enable Gemini in Drive — or any Google app. I can't believe I'd one day call Google force-feeding AI a good thing. At least I don't have to mess with API keys to get basic AI tools. I also don't have to deal with slow upload speeds on my home network or the risks of messing with router port forwarding that could expose my data. My modest home internet with a small router just can't match Google's enterprise-grade servers, making large file transfers painfully slow on the NAS. Synology Drive feels stuck in time, while Google has given Drive a fresh, modern look that feels like a product from 2025. On the other hand, Synology Drive looked like Google Drive when it launched — but it hasn't had a visual update in nearly four years. It feels stuck in time, while Google has given Drive a fresh, modern look that feels like a product from 2025. And I certainly don't want to be stuck in the past. Another drawback with Synology Office is its proprietary file extension. It can open .docx files, but only after converting them, which sometimes messes things up. And this format makes sharing harder, especially when someone needs to download a copy. Also, Google Drive has far, far, far more third-party integrations. For instance, a simple issue I hit was that Grammarly didn't work when editing in Synology Office. Synology Drive has its shining moment Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Like Google Drive (yeah, again), Synology Drive has a desktop client that syncs folders both ways, so changes reflect across devices, or you can back up files to your NAS. It's been fantastic for keeping my stuff backed up, especially my Downloads folder, which is overflowing with random, years-old but important files. My Synology NAS is still the main place where I store everything long-term. It's also where I back up full-quality family photos using Synology Photos. But that's where files go after I'm done using them — for archival or future reference. For everything else, including my active projects, Google Drive is the place. It's my default for everything — no other service comes even remotely close.
Channel Post MEA
09-06-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Synology Launches DiskStation DS425+ Compact 4-Bay Storage Solution
Synology launches the DS425+, a compact 4-bay storage solution that provides a fixed storage configuration of up to 80 TB of raw data, ideal for smaller-scale deployments with consistent storage requirements. For network connectivity, the DS425+ features a 2.5GbE port along with a 1GbE RJ-45 port. Additionally, it supports M.2 NVMe SSDs for either SSD caching or high-performance all-flash. 'The DS425+ offers remarkable performance and capability for its size,' said Michael Wang, Product Manager at Synology. 'They are an ideal choice for users with specific storage needs who still want the benefits of centralized storage.' DS425+ is engineered as a full-featured system to deliver consistent performance and reliability with Synology hard drives. It follows a carefully curated drive compatibility framework, backed by over 7,000 hours of rigorous testing. To ensure optimal integration and long-term dependability, DSM on the DS425+ requires compatible hard drives* for installation. Versatile features for business workloads Powered by Synology's DiskStation Manager (DSM), these systems offer versatile features to meet diverse business data management needs. Synology Drive transforms the system into a private cloud, enabling cross-platform access and site-to-site syncing for distributed teams. Active Backup Suite provides comprehensive protection for Windows, Linux, and MacOS devices, virtual machines, and cloud accounts, with flexible off-site backup options. Surveillance Station delivers scalable video management and offers real-time intelligent analytics to safeguard physical assets.
Channel Post MEA
28-05-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Synology Announces PAS7700 Active-Active NVMe All-Flash Storage Solution
Synology unveiled PAS7700, an active-active NVMe all-flash storage solution engineered to deliver uninterrupted, high-performance services for enterprise mission-critical workloads. 'PAS7700 is the culmination of Synology's 25 years of engineering experience in data management and storage,' said Kenneth Hsu, Director of the System Group at Synology. 'By combining our deep software and hardware development expertise with close collaboration with partners and enterprise customers, we've engineered PAS7700 to deliver ultra-high performance at a price point previously unseen in the enterprise storage market.' PAS7700 integrates two controllers and 48 NVMe SSD bays within a 4U chassis and can scale up to 1.65PB of raw capacity with 7 additional expansion units. It supports a comprehensive range of file and block protocols, including NVMe-oF. With memory upgradeable to 2,048GB* and support for high-speed 100GbE networking, PAS7700 delivers exceptional performance, availability, and scalability to meet enterprise storage demands. Designed for mission-critical workloads PAS7700 features an active-active dual-controller architecture, ensuring non-disruptive operations across all layers—from storage media, memory, system to network and protocols. With security at its foundation, PAS7700 offers built-in 3-2-1-1 protection capabilities, including immutable snapshots, replication, and offsite tiering and backup options, safeguarding data integrity at every level. Exceptional performance Optimized for demanding workloads, PAS7700 leverages an end-to-end NVMe design to deliver millisecond-grade low latency and exceptional IOPS. It achieves up to 2 million IOPS and 30GB/s sequential throughput. PAS7700 also supports Synology applications such as Synology Drive and Synology Office, increasing the maximum number of concurrent users by threefold compared to existing Synology product stacks. Cost efficiency Engineered to provide exceptional performance with cost efficiency in mind, the PAS7700 enables enterprises to achieve primary storage-grade performance and reliability at the cost of mainstream storage. With both inline and offline deduplication, it helps organizations strike the optimal balance between efficiency and performance. 0 0
Techday NZ
21-05-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Synology launches PAS7700 NVMe storage for high demand firms
Synology has unveiled the PAS7700, an active-active, end-to-end NVMe storage system aimed at enterprises managing primary storage and workloads critical to their operations. The PAS7700 features a dual-controller setup and incorporates 48 NVMe SSD bays within a 4U chassis. It supports scaling up to 1.65 PB of raw capacity with the integration of seven additional expansion units. The device is designed to accommodate a wide range of file and block protocols, including NVMe-oF. According to Synology, the PAS7700 offers memory that can be expanded up to 2,048GB, along with support for 100GbE networking. This configuration is intended to deliver high throughput and availability that meet modern enterprise data storage requirements. The PAS7700's active-active dual-controller architecture is described as providing uninterrupted operations at all system levels, encompassing storage media, memory, system processes, network, and protocols. The system incorporates built-in 3-2-1-1 protection features, which include immutable snapshots, replication, and options for offsite tiering and backup, all intended to protect data integrity. Performance figures provided by Synology indicate that the PAS7700 is designed to achieve up to 2 million IOPS and 30GB/s sequential throughput. "PAS7700 is the culmination of Synology's 25 years of engineering experience in data management and storage," said Kenneth Hsu, Director of the System Group at Synology. "By combining our deep software and hardware development expertise with close collaboration with partners and enterprise customers, we've engineered PAS7700 to deliver ultra-high performance at a price point previously unseen in the enterprise storage market." The system leverages an end-to-end NVMe design to reach low latency performance measured in milliseconds, which is particularly relevant for demanding enterprise workloads. Synology states that, in addition to performance benefits, the PAS7700 supports its suite of applications, such as Synology Drive and Synology Office, leading to a threefold increase in the maximum number of concurrent users compared to the company's prior product lines. Cost efficiency is a highlighted aspect of the PAS7700, with Synology stating it combines primary storage-grade performance and reliability with mainstream storage costs. The device includes both inline and offline deduplication functions, designed to allow organisations to balance storage efficiency with application performance. The PAS7700 is scheduled to become available in the second half of 2025. Synology notes that the performance figures cited are based on its internal testing, and that actual results may vary depending on operational conditions, system usage, and configuration specifics. Synology indicates that the system's overall design and feature set are based on continual development in response to partner and enterprise customer input over several years. The machine's security and data protection features position it for use in settings where high availability and business continuity are priorities.
