When it comes to smart investments for small businesses, a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device—like a Synology NAS—might just be the unsung hero you didn’t know you needed. A small NAS hosted in your home office can provide your small business with improve security, resilience and productivity; without the need for a cloud provider or high costs.
At its core, a NAS provides centralised file storage accessible across your network. But modern NAS devices offer so much more than just a shared drive. Here’s why a Synology NAS could be a game-changer for your business:
🌐 Cloud-Like File Sharing (Without the Subscription Fees)
A NAS gives you your own private cloud. Staff can access files securely from anywhere—whether they’re in the office, working from home, or on the road. It’s like having Dropbox or Google Drive, but fully under your control.
🔒 Backup for Microsoft 365 and PCs
With built-in tools like Synology Active Backup, you can automatically back up your Microsoft 365 accounts (including Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint) and employee laptops or desktops. No more worrying about lost emails or files—everything is safely stored on your own hardware.
🧱 Host Websites and Run Docker Containers
Need to host a simple website, internal wiki, or CRM? Your NAS can do that too. With Docker support, you can run lightweight apps like Pi-hole (for network-wide ad blocking), password managers, or even your own project management tools—all from one box.
💷 Cost-Effective and Scalable
Unlike cloud services that charge monthly fees, a NAS is a one-time investment that pays for itself over time. You can start small and expand storage as your business grows.
Whether you’re looking to improve collaboration, tighten up your backup strategy, or experiment with self-hosted tools, a NAS offers flexibility, control, and peace of mind. For many small businesses, it’s not just a storage solution—it’s a digital Swiss Army knife.
Customer Success
Easterly recently helped a small business owner to pick the right Synology NAS and drives that were compatible, whilst giving them enough storage for now and for the future. The NAS selected was the Synology DS425+ matched with Seagate IronWolf 4TB NAS drives. These two NAS drives gave the customer enough initial storage with a RAID configuration, meaning that they had redundancy for all their data in the event of a drive failure.
The DS425 also gives growth for future data requirements with the ability of add additional disks, and as storage goes even larger, additional NAS hubs to add an additional 4Bays, but without the requirement to buy additional compute. For small businesses with only one user the DS225+ will give you plenty of options and capability at a more affordable price.
We helped the customer to setup the NAS as well as configure daily backups for their laptops, PCs and Microsoft 365 estate. As the customer was a small business based in a home office we also helped them setup a container with Pihole to block adds and create a local DNS server, whilst also implementing some other secure home services to help protect their home and work environments.
Contact Easterly IT
Thinking of setting improving your business resilience, security or just reduce your requirements for Cloud services then Easterly IT Services can help you. We can help you to choose the right model, configure it securely, and integrate it into your existing systems.