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Question

NAS Server with Cloud backup / access

Sep 7, 2015 1:35AM PDT

Morning everybody (at least it is where I am).

I've just started with a new company and as the most IT literate member of staff I've been tasked with sorting out their IT infrastructure.

I come from a networking background and have good basic knowledge of PC's/printers/NAS servers etc. but I was wondering if you could help point me in the right direction for what NAS server to use (or an alternative).

There are around 5 people working here, all of which access a shared directory of files to work from (spreadsheets, word documents etc.).

At the moment the entire company is running off Dropbox which works to an extent but has some shortfalls.

The biggest issue is that the connection speed here is very slow - a basic DSL running at about 2Mbps download, and 0.5 upload. I'm looing to see if there are any alternatives using WISP linking but I'm not holding out any hope, and there certainly isn't the budget for a leased line.

The biggest issue with this is that sometimes if someone is working from one of the bigger spreadsheets and saves a change, it can take a long time for this to sync with everyone's dropbox on their PC's, and if someone else needs to use it urgently it's a bit of a nightmare.

A NAS would seem like the obvious choice but actually a few people wor from home so Dropbox' cloud set up is pretty good for this.

I'm looking for a sort of half way house really, a NAS server that can sit locally for everyone to work from in the office, which then syncs with a cloud directory for anyone to access externally. This would also act as a good offsite backup. Accessing the NAS server itself remotely wouldn't really be viable due to the connections speeds mentioned before.

Does anyone have any ideas or options?

Cheers
Ben

Discussion is locked

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Answer
To me this screams "my own dropbox."
Sep 7, 2015 9:23AM PDT

And not a NAS. As you know a NAS is just one part of the puzzle and you added what we get when we have a server to host apps to do all you asked. However once in a while a manager doesn't want to have a server and then we call the server a NAS just to, well, you know.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-self-hosted-dropbox-alternatives-tested/ is the usual that I could set up and approach DropBox functionality.

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Thanks for that
Sep 8, 2015 2:26AM PDT

Good information there, I've had a basic flick through but will give it a proper read when I get a chance.

At a glance it seems that these are all either based on connecting the PC's directly or having them access the cloud, whereas in reality what I'm after is sort of a bit of both.

What I'd like is for everyone to work from files saved and accessed locally (hence the original question about a NAS but if a PC-based piece of software is better suited that's fine) but for that central directory to then be sync'd with the cloud, with remote access to the cloud data possible.

Remote access to any device onsite here isn't really what we're after due to the DSL connection we have.

Thanks for your help though, I'll give the article a proper read and do some more research.

Cheers
Ben

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Let me dwell on this sentence.
Sep 8, 2015 5:38AM PDT

"Remote access to any device onsite here isn't really what we're after due to the DSL connection we have."

That's exactly why Dropbox wins this round. My Dropbox folder is a local copy so that network work is vastly reduced compared to a NAS. Also, the way Dropbox syncs means that it's pretty low traffic.

A NAS would be the highest amount of traffic and since you have DSL, that's why I offered these alternatives.

-> I think you are falling into that management that doesn't want a PC. This is exactly where we get some box that doesn't look like a PC, call it a NAS but inside is a PC that hosts the apps we need to reach the goals.

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Example "NAS"
Sep 8, 2015 6:30AM PDT
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NXL662Y is an example where your manager wants no "server" to do all the things you need a server for. I've used such in situations before but not this model. For me I've returned to using low wattage PC server rigs to get the solution that was called for.

Maybe you are not looking for a NAS but a NAS Server plus apps to keep the network load light like Dropbox does.
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A bit confused now
Sep 15, 2015 8:15AM PDT

Thanks for the continued response, I might need to get back to basics a bit here as I've got a bit confused. Let's forget the NAS for a moment and I'll approach this with a more open mind.

Basic premise:
We have a team of around 5 people, all are primarily office based but some do work from home occasionally (usually to catch up with work on evenings / weekends).

We have a nasty old DSL thats dog slow, especially on uploads (less than 500Kbps).

All staff access the same files and folders, sometimes at the same time. This is currently done using a single dropbox account (I didn't realise that at the time of writing) loaded onto different PC's, with the files saved locally.

I agree the way dropbox syncs is great for low network utilisation, but it's reliance on everything being sync'd centrally in the cloud can cause issues for us when someone updates a file which then must sync with all other PC's in the office.

I've had some experience of basic NAS' before and my main concerns with buying a basic off the shelf unit is:
1) network utilisation, especially if external access is set up either using DDNS, VPN's or just simple port forwarding
2) Management of shared files - ie locked if in use or corrupt if two users save an updated file at the same time (or creating multiple conflicted versions)

If we can have some method of file sharing software (or an all in one piece of hardware) that manages those in a similar way to dropbox then I'm sure we could live with the slow external access. I really like the locally saved dropbox files on your PC, so a local server which works in a similar way would be great.

Offsite cloud backup is preferable, but I'm not sure if it's essential.

Thanks again for the help and advice, it's much appreciated.

Cheers
Ben

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Sorry no.
Sep 15, 2015 8:35AM PDT

I've yet to see this in a friendly ready to use form that met all those requirements.

You wrote "similar to dropbox" but then piled on more requirements. Good luck in your search.

I like dropbox and those "your own cloud" systems when a business is on slow DSL. But you see the issues and have not found perfection. There are some cloud workgroup solutions but they have failed in ways such as cost. That is, dropbox has more storage but I think you didn't want to pay.

Good luck in your search.