Initiate backup when laptop joins network

[shosterman]

Hello all,

I am getting ready to purchase a DS214se for a small office of about 10 employees. Their only requirement is data storage so I think this should be sufficient. Let me know if I am mistaken.

Anyway, my question is about backup. Most users have laptops and while the majority of them are in from 9-5, there are a few users, like the president and other management, that are in and out during the week.

For most users I think if I just setup scheduled backups throughout the day that should be fine. But for the others, is there any way to have the NAS or laptop initiate a backup automatically when the laptop connects to the network? Maybe also do a check to see when the last backup was performed?

Appreciate the advice!

 

[stevech]

Best to train users to store their data ON THE NAS' shares, not on the PC. Hard habit to change.

If they don't then the PC has to push backups to the NAS using any means, such as

• Synology's data replicator utility
• Centered Systems' SecondCopy (I use that)
• many others

And I use Acronis True Image on PCs to image the drive every few weeks, to the NAS, in case the drive fails or gets an uncureable virus.

 

[L&LD]

If any of the clients are running Windows 8 or 8.1, make sure you setup the File History option to run hourly for them. You can find this in the Action Center (little white flag on right hand side of task bar).

 

[shosterman]

Thank you both for the advice. None of them are 8 but I will remember that for someone else, it should help with another storage problem I was having.

I realized after I posted this that there is no domain, so the devices aren't "logging in" where a script could be executed. So I like the idea of a push method.

I can't find it now, but I thought I remember reading the Data Replicator app had a folder monitor that looked for changed files and backed up file revisions on detection and if offline it would sync up once online. However, I am probably getting that confused with Cloud Station.

Would Cloud Station be a proper data backup since the NAS is using Glacier for offsite?

I also like the idea of Acronis but I don't think I can do that efficiently with roaming employees and me only there for maintenance and on-call work. I could keep a couple images of laptops post Windows install and all updates and then just go from there. They don't use a lot of apps.

EDIT: And yes, having users store data on the server is what I always try to push and even when I warn, not everyone follows it. Particularly the President and I can't tell him I'm not backing up his data!
Steve