The Backblaze alternative to Amazon S3 is out of beta with new support for Synology Cloud Sync. I’ll be sticking with my Amazon Cloud syncing because it works for me and is cheaper. But I have to say the Backblaze B2 option is pretty compelling. By my calculations it would only cost about $35 per month to store 7TB of data.
Synology’s DSM 6 has reached “RC” status. Now’s probably an OK time to consider it. Try at your own risk, but I’m envious if you do.
The latest Synology DSM update out this week adds some critical security fixes but there’s also a nice update to the Cloud Sync application.1 If you are using Amazon’s new Cloud Drive service your Synology can now automatically sync (both directions) with the service.
The Amazon Cloud Drive is free for unlimited storage of photos and videos with a Prime membership. Or, you can sync an unlimited amount of data of any kind for $60 per year.
BitTorrent Sync, Dropbox, Amazon Cloud, Google Drive — There’s no shortage of ways I can store files on the Internet. I’ve been a dedicated Dropbox user for many years and continue to pay for their “Pro” consumer product. The announcement of a new Amazon unlimited storage option is compelling but the lack of options for access as well as limited app support will likely keep me using Dropbox.
But, I find myself using my own hosted Cloud Station on my Synology NAS more often as my way of getting files moved between devices.
The Synology 5.2 beta is available and they are moving in a very interesting direction. DSM 5.2 will add support for Docker apps and a Synology SSO. A new self-hosted task manager is also making a premier with this version of the NAS operating system. There’s plenty to complain about with Synology but their OS progression is impressive. A Synology NAS is really just a ready-to-deploy network machine that holds disks.
I’ve used the Surveillance Station on Synology for a couple of years now and it’s great. It’s revealed misbehaving teenagers, dishonest house sitters, rafters of turkeys, and drunk trash can bulldozers. I’m mostly happy when I don’t need it but when I do use it, I’m really impressed by the features available in a piece of software that comes with my NAS.
Version 7 is a minor step forward for my use but I’m thrilled that it keeps improving.
Synology 1815+ I’ve used the Synology 1812+ for 2 years and upgraded to the 1815+ the day it was released. The 1815+ is an 8-bay NAS device powered by the Synology DSM software and is currently around $1,000 on Amazon without any drives. The 1812+ originally cost me about the same amount and I’ve had no issues with it since the original purchase.
Why upgrade Does anyone ever really believe their reasons for upgrading?
Synology is emailing registered users regarding the Synolocker ransomware I mentioned.
The short version:
It impacts older versions of DSM and the hole was patched in 2013.
The long version:
Dear Synology users,
We would like to inform you that a ransomware called “SynoLocker” is currently affecting some Synology NAS users. This ransomware locks down affected servers, encrypts users’ files, and demands a fee to regain access to the encrypted files.
