As someone who works in a media company, one of the burdens that often needs to be thought about is the company's digital storage. At our office, we have quite a lot of digital storage needs, and although cloud storage subscriptions are not foreign, there are times when we feel that having our own cloud storage is more beneficial.
This is where network storage device brands like Synoogy come with hardware like the Synology DiskStation DS 925+ which allows users to have large-sized storage that can be used by themselves or small and medium-sized companies.
Specifications And Design
The Synology DiskStation DS925+ is a NAS storage that comes with four hard disk storage spaces that can accommodate up to 80TB of digital storage at once and more if the Synology DX525 accessory is used to add five additional storage spaces. Access to this storage space can be accessed via a key that can be opened using the plastic key provided by Synology along with this storage.
Installing a hard drive in this storage space is also quite easy, and does not require a screwdriver to install it on the storage frame. Installing it into the NAS space is also very easy, and users do not need to worry about connecting to the power plug and the built-in SATA. In the meantime, the DS925+ NAS storage supports smaller 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch hard drive designs.
Other spaces include a slot for M.2 2280 SSD storage which is used as cache storage to help with faster data transfer rates. This is an additional feature that is not mandatory to use, but is quite useful if you need to access this NAS storage all the time.
In terms of specifications, the Synology DiskStation DS925+ is powered by an AMD Ryzen V1500B processor chip with a speed of 2.2GHz. It also houses a 4GB DDR4 memory. This memory component can also be changed, but you will need to use memory that has Error Correction Code (ECC) support.
On the back of the NAS chassis are two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports and one USB Type-A port and one USB Type-C port that can be used to connect external storage to the Synology storage network. The USB Type-C port can also be used to connect the NAS storage to Synology's own space-expanding accessories, such as the Synology DX525.
Operating System
The Synology DiskStation DS925+ comes with its own operating system, DiskStation Manager. Synology gives you details on how to install this operating system, but in short, you just need to connect the NAS to your network router, use the URL address provided in the guide, and you will be given instructions on how to install this operating system.
In my experience installing this operating system, it took about half an hour to download, install, and then access this system, and it is not that complicated. You can then use this NAS and introduce various types of settings and add-ons to make this digital storage work how you want it to work.
Synology also shows examples of storage systems that can be built using this NAS, and apart from just regular network storage, you can also make it a Plex server machine that can be converted into its own streaming platform, or use it as cloud storage with application support that allows you to access files using an internet connection.
User Experience
One of the advantages of using Synology NAS storage is that the installation instructions are easy to understand, and building it is also quite simple. If you get both NAS storages together with hard drives (regardless of brand), installation is as simple as opening the hard drive storage cage on the front, installing the hard drive on the cage, and locking it back in.
This process does not require any screwdrivers and can be done in as little as three to five minutes, in fact, the space for the SSD components also uses a cover that can be easily opened, and it is not something that is absolutely mandatory to do.
The process that may take a little time is when you start installing the DiskStation operating system on this NAS system. It uses a web interface, so you will need to connect this DS925+ NAS storage to your network first using a cable connection, enter the URL address that can be seen in the manual, and just follow the further instructions.
In the our office, the Synology DS925+ storage is used as a regular network storage, where different parts have their own accounts or partitions that share the built-in 16TB storage.
To facilitate the activation and shutdown process, we have also set the activation and shutdown times of this NAS automatically at 10 am and 7 pm to save electricity consumption and in case anyone in the office forgets to close this NAS storage.
If needed, we can also set this NAS to be connected to an external internet network securely and confidentially. In fact, Synology also offers access support through applications that can be used if needed. However, in my experience trying to connect this NAS to an external network, the data transfer rate is quite slow and depends on factors such as the network connected to this NAS, and also the types of files that need to be sent from the external network.
An "easy" way for you to speed up access to the data contained in this NAS is to add fast cache memory by adding SSD. As I said, this is not a requirement, but if you know you need to access data quickly, this is the easiest way to speed up access to your files.
In terms of data transfer speed, in our experience in the office using this storage, the data transfer speed can be seen as fast
What's In The Box?
This is what is offered in the box when you buy a Synology DiskStation DS925+ NAS storage
1x Synology DiskStation DS925+
1x 3-pin power cable
1x user manual
1x RJ-45 cable
Hard Drive Brand Issue
Early last year, Synology issued a statement that they would begin limiting the use of Synology NAS storage to their own hard drives only. This caused many users to look for other network storage solutions.
The decision does not mean that other hard drives cannot be used, but various scanning and storage management functions are locked unless you use Synology's own storage, which is a rebranding from another hard drive manufacturer.
However, a few days later, this decision seems to have been reversed, and with the DiskStation Manager 7.3 software update, users can go back to using other brands of hard drives and still retain all the additional functions on Synology NAS without issue.
Conclusion
If you or your company needs a NAS network storage that is not too expensive and easy to use, and comes with easy upgradeability, Synology DiskStation DS925+ is a NAS storage that may be a good choice for you.
With an easy-to-install storage mechanism and easy-to-understand operating system software, in my opinion it is a suitable product for those who want a personal network storage product for small and medium-sized companies.
This storage can be purchased through local IT hardware stores or online stores on Shopee and Lazada at a price range of RM2500-RM3000, but this price is only for the price of the NAS itself. Hard disk storage will have to be purchased separately, and while previously only Synology hard drives could be used, with the latest DiskStation Manager 7.3 update, you can use any hard drive without any problems.
Pros:
Installation is easy and quick
Easy to understand operating system
Additional features that make it more attractive to use
Capacity can be increased with additional accessories if needed
Hard drives from other brands can now be used with the DiskStation Manager 7.3 update
Cons:
Hard drives sold separately
Slow data transfer rates depending on storage configuration
