small business nas help please.

[ozskins]

I have been stumbling round here for a while now, and after discovering that we did not need a server I would be grateful if you could help in our nas selection.
We have 2-4 employees and we require a reasonably straightforward nas that can cope with not huge amounts of data to be stored centrally and can be backed up (prob ext hdd). Also remote internet access required, looked at VPN but surely the secure claims of manufacturers of secure acces should be ok? Speed is not of primary importance but thinking of gigabit connection.
Upgradeability would be a thought as we grow, but usability out of the box for vaguely competent but not expert user more important.
Access rights for different users is needed.
dual raid for protection is the thought and have come to initial conclusion that the synology ds207 seems like the likely suspect.
your thoughts and help would be much appreciated. thanks

 

[thiggins]

There are many products that meet your needs. The main selection factor in the criteria that you mention is remote access. If you are willing to do it via VPN, then you can choose most any dual-drive NAS.

If you want remote access built-into the product, then you should look at Buffalo, Seagate, Maxtor or Western Digital products. All of these have a remote access service built-in that doesn't require your setting up a VPN.

Just curious, how did you come to the Synology DS207 conclusion?

 

[ozskins]

hi thiggins

got the synology route by reading round reviews but you seem to suggest a buffalo, seagate etc for built in connectivity. I assume these are reasonably secure. What would be your preference, the buffalo? and if so which one, too many choices for the ignorant im afraid. what about Netgear ReadyNAS Duo RND2150 / 500GB / Gigabit Network Attached Storage External Hard Drive / With Free Extra 500GB Hard Drive as well?

it would be really handy to have restricted access for different users on the nas. your input would be greatfully appreciated.
thanks

 

[thiggins]

All the remote access services use HTTPs browser, so, yes, they are secure.

All products I mentioned let you set up users and set folder permissions.

The ReadyNAS doesn't have a remote access service built in.

I would go with a Buffalo. Their remote access service has been around for awhile and the latest round of products have good price performance.

If you don't need more than 1 TB, no need to go for RAID 1. The Buffalo LinkStation Pro LS-XHL has a good combination of price and performance.

 

[ozskins]

Thanks Tim

you say raid 1 not needed, but if the drive fails... or am I just being paranoid and as you say not needed. To back this up is it as simple as a plug in usb hard drive? or?? This is for a small business with aspirations of growing even in this climate 2 users.

Great site by the way, invaluable. Thanks
Austen

 

[thiggins]

RAID is not backup. If the power supply or controller board dies, both drives could be toast. Backup requires a separate device.

If you can live with 1 TB, buy a pair of the Buffalos and set one up to auto-backup to the other. This isn't as good as RAID 1 in that you could lose one day's work (the LinkStation allows only once per day). But it's better in that they are independent devices, which can be located in different physical locations (a bit of protection against fire / theft / damage / mischief.

Glad you enjoy the site. Please tell your friends and colleagues about it.

 

[ozskins]

Yes v good thought, 1 days work would not be a problem and the different location, mischief factor is v good. thanks only prob is cant find it for sale in the uk yet signed up for emails when in stock!

thanks for your help and will spread the word

 

[thiggins]

Yes v good thought, 1 days work would not be a problem and the different location, mischief factor is v good. thanks only prob is cant find it for sale in the uk yet signed up for emails when in stock!

Other/older Buffalo products also support NAS-to-NAS backup.

 

[beisser]

All the remote access services use HTTPs browser, so, yes, they are secure.

All products I mentioned let you set up users and set folder permissions.

The ReadyNAS doesn't have a remote access service built in.

hmm how about http://www.readynas.com/?cat=52 then?

 

[thiggins]

hmm how about http://www.readynas.com/?cat=52 then?

Looks like you are better informed than I. I stand corrected.

The Buffalo and other remote access solutions I have seen don't require running a client on the remote computer, however.

 

[beisser]

Looks like you are better informed than I. I stand corrected.

The Buffalo and other remote access solutions I have seen don't require running a client on the remote computer, however.

you can access the readynas remotely either via https (browserbased), or via webdav. i would think that counts as remoteacces as well?

edit: its just that readynas remote is pretty much idiot-proof and doesnt need anything except username and password.. you dont even need to know any ip-addresses or hostnames its sorta like hamachi.

 

[thiggins]

you can access the readynas remotely either via https (browserbased), or via webdav. i would think that counts as remoteacces as well?

edit: its just that readynas remote is pretty much idiot-proof and doesnt need anything except username and password.. you dont even need to know any ip-addresses or hostnames its sorta like hamachi.

What is the ReadyNAS remote software for?

 

[beisser]

you basically make a vpn-connection to your nas, allowing you to access it just like if it were on your local network. this has advantages because webdav doesnt allow you to do everything (rightclick context menus in explorer for example), readynas remote does, its just like local access.

 

[thiggins]

Understood. Thanks.

 

[thiggins]

Buffalo informs me that the LinkStation LS-XHL and TeraStationIII support "real-time/near-time" replication to both attached USB drives and other Link / TeraStations.

So that would remove the once-daily backup limitation.