Do you have an extensive household or are you an SME? Do you not want to transfer all your data to a cloud service, but still want to collaborate with family members or colleagues and store and manage all data in a central location? It’s possible with your NAS and we’ll explain how.
The time that you use your NAS to only store data has been behind us for a while. Nowadays the devices can be used as a media center, backup tool, video surveillance system, media server and much more. Today we are looking at the possibility of configuring your NAS as a private cloud with collaboration functions. Think of central storage, agenda, Office and instant messaging. In short, roughly the same functions as Google’s G-suite or Microsoft’s Office 365, but then locally. As a result, you have no monthly recurring costs and you have all your data in-house.
These functions are available for almost every Synology NAS and we are testing the suite on the DS2419 +, a powerful 12 bay NAS.
It is very easy to install these functions. To do this, navigate to the “Package Center“, Choose”All packages“And click on the” belowCollaboration Suite“
A screen with apps specifically for the Collaboration Suite now appears and you have the option to download and install all this software for free. Choosing these applications will ensure that other components are installed in the background. So be patient.
When all apps are installed, you can start configuring the system. An account must be created for each person who works with the NAS. You do this by opening the control panel and clicking on “User” Then chooseTo make”And enter the required information (Name, E-mail address and password). Click on “Next one“And check the groups http and users On. Click again on “Next oneAnd give them access to Chat, DSM, Drive, FileStation Universal Search, Calendar, Basic folder and optionally MailPlus if you will also use the e-mail service. If you have added all users, you can go under the tab “Advanced“To set users to change their password once in a while, use 2FA andbasic directory service user ” switch on (recommended). Also check immediately “enable trash”So that users can retrieve (accidentally) deleted files.
If you have everything (and everyone) set up, the fun can begin. Log in to the NAS via the web browser, mobile app or desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) and you will arrive at the well-known Synology desktop environment. Click on the start button and open the calendar (Calendar) if you want to keep track of your calendar, “Synology Chat” if you want to chat with your colleagues and Synology Drive if you want to manage your files or work in Office. So do not look for individual office apps because they cannot be started directly from the main menu, only from Synology Drive. You can use MailPlus if the e-mail server is set up.
Feast of recognition
As soon as you get started with these applications, you will notice that there are quite a few similarities with Google’s Suite and other collaboration software and that is not a problem at all. The Office version of Synology is very similar to Google’s suite, while Synology Chat is very similar to Slack. The e-mail service (MailPlus) is very similar to Gmail. Especially the combination of services (chatting while you are processing text, for example) is very similar to the Hangouts chat screen.
You would almost think that it is Gmail
The agenda is very easy to manage
Working in a document while talking to a colleague
Switching is also a piece of cake since the Synology calendar app can import the Google calendar as well as other calendars in the form of exported .ics files with just a few mouse clicks. As a result, you do not have much work to transfer users who have been trapped in other ecosystems for some time. Synchronizing is also no problem thanks to CalDAV compatibility. As a result, users do not necessarily have to use dedicated apps, but can simply connect to the NAS using the standard software of their smartphone (from Symbian to Windows Phone and of course iOS and Android) and synchronize everything. This naturally also applies to desktop clients such as Thunderbird, Evolution, Outlook and macOS Calendar. In short, plenty of choice for everyone.
Working with colleagues and family members also works much like you are used to from Microsoft or Google. You can work with several people on a document at the same time, leave comments and share with others. Just like with Google Drive / Docs you can see on your main page which files have been shared with you.
If you also want to reach this private cloud via the internet, you can go through Synology QuickConnect. You need a Synology account for this, but it doesn’t cost you anything else. If you do not want to depend on it, you can of course also manually hang your NAS on the internet and forward the correct ports.
Maintenance
Keep in mind that if you get started with this collaboration / private cloud solution, you are also responsible for securing your server and the backups. Fortunately, many of these tasks can be performed automatically by the NAS itself. You can set to perform automatic updates and backing up can be done on a regular basis to other (linked) NASs or hard disks. You can also choose to back up your data to an online storage service, but then your data will still be in the cloud.
Conclusion
The collaboration functions of Synology work very well and ensure that you can reduce costs considerably by no longer paying monthly costs for a collaboration suite in the cloud. You can also be sure that all your data actually remains with you and is not stored with a third party. The office functions are not inferior to an Office 365 environment or G-Suite solution and switching to these services is also a piece of cake.
The idea of having everything in-house appeals to us very much and is an ideal solution for SMEs or tech-savvy families to reduce costs, while still providing a full, fully-fledged office and collaboration suite. can work.
You must of course bear in mind that, if you have everything under your own management, maintenance and security are also for your own account.