Synology has released the 2 Bay DS224+ NAS – which is an update of the very popular DS220+ from mid 2020.
As expected, the upgraded DS224+ is purportedly 28% faster at indexing photos, 54% faster at indexing files and 62% faster at accessing web applications.
With only two hard drives needed to get started, it's a good entry point for photographers into the world of NAS and the private cloud. You can run the device so that the first drive backs itself up onto the second drive, or run the two drives simultaneously for higher speeds.
As photographers, our work has so many random elements that can go wrong. From equipment, travel and weather just to name a few. But the worst has to be the loss of data. We always hear of rookie mistakes when photographers don't back up or archive properly to multiple places. This is where you need at least a basic RAID system, or better still, a NAS system to enable you to store and access your work from any location.
One of the greatest strengths of Synology products is the web based Linux operating system called DiskStation Manager. It not only enables you to have control over your storage device(s), but you can also install over 60 propriety Synology apps and nearly 50 third-party apps that make your own personal cloud system easy to use.
Apps include Synology Photos, Hyper Backup, VPN Server, Surveillance Station, Drive Server (like Dropbox) and DS Video to name a few.
The DS224+ enclosure retails for $599, while HDD or SSD prices are dependent on capacity, brand and model number.
You can find out more about the DS224+ here.