When we hosted our friends from Synology at Macktez for an in-person conversation about on-premises storage, we had to start with a confession: Since work-from-anywhere kicked off in 2020, we’ve migrated dozens of clients away from physical file servers to cloud file storage solutions.
But there are definitely still circumstances where on-premises storage is the right solution for a client, and Macktez does not recommend any storage option without understanding the client’s needs and long-term goals. So it was good to clear the air with John Crone (Technical Account Manager at Synology) and hear from him what situations he finds most promising for physical storage devices.
Start with two questions
“How much data can you afford to buy?”
“How much data can you afford to lose?”
John asked these questions to begin his conversation with Macktez CEO Noah Landow, highlighting the different paths one might take to choosing the right storage solution.
For large-scale data projects, John said he sees ample opportunity for on-prem servers. He told us about a national movie chain developing a network for 4K digital storage and distribution in a hub-and-spoke arrangement that relies on regional data nodes and individual theater storage for projectors. With such a large data set (multiple petabytes of raw storage), this sort of project couldn’t rely on a cloud solution. Central and satellite servers both required a physical footprint in different form factors and capacities for their different specific uses.
That may also be true for organizations needing long-term cold storage for security cameras. Again, this can be a large-scale storage need that would be too expensive to store in the cloud.
Security
On-prem storage may also be a good solution not for an organization’s primary server, but to back up data from the cloud. Large organizations that rely on Google or Microsoft for email may need to retain mailbox backups for years even for departed employees, and a package like Synology’s Active Backup for Business may be the most cost-effective and secure way to maintain that backup on a local storage set.
With comprehensive backup strategies enabled by local storage, organizations can add layered protections against the increasing threat of ransomware attacks. Encrypted replication sets prevent access from ransomware bots, preserving recent recovery points. John said that’s just one of the reasons why healthcare organizations turn to Synology for HIPAA-compliant storage, but keeping a data backup that’s safe from attack is a good use case for any organization worried about being a target for ransomware.
Flexibility
More and more organizations rely on the flexibility and redundancy of virtual machines for network services. Storage for virtualization may be the number one reason for physical storage solutions right now — virtualization gives organizations all kinds of flexibility for catering to a hybrid workforce, but it often needs to be built on physical devices that can be accessed locally and quickly.
Bottom line
Macktez can help any organization evaluate its specific storage needs. Depending on organizational storage needs, work environment, backup priorities, and budget, we can make an appropriate recommendation.