Need a robust consumer NAS system required
Need a robust consumer NAS system required
Hello everyone, due to difficult family circumstances I was appointed as the IT representative for the household. In reality I’m a technical specialist, specializing in DevOps and enterprise service support for large organizations. I’m familiar with designing robust IT environments, including setting up mirrored RAID NAS systems for personal and professional use. My goal is to ensure reliable backup options and accessible utilities so my mother can securely manage family archives and work remotely. Security remains a top priority when sharing data online.
My challenge isn’t technical skill but the gap in consumer-friendly tools. I understand concepts like building similar setups with Synology, OpenVPN, and certificate-based security zones on Samba shares, yet I’m unsure if ready-made solutions exist to match my needs. My requirements are straightforward: simple access across devices, both local and remote, without compromising safety.
I’m based in Eastern Europe, earning a higher standard than typical Western salaries, so I aim for reliable performance. I plan around 2 terabytes of storage on a dual-disk mirrored RAID configuration. If setup proves complex, maintenance should be minimal—only security updates needed.
Thank you for your guidance and support!
I agree with that. Ease of use doesn't guarantee safety. Anything connected to the internet is at risk; it's only a question of time.
She uses multiple devices and regularly syncs data across them. Her setup includes several external drives and HDDs, which adds complexity but also potential security layers. Since she isn’t a high-profile figure handling sensitive national information, the risk of a major attack is low. Implementing a VPN with a personal certificate and strong credentials would significantly enhance protection. Restricting access to local networks further strengthens security. It seems your approach could be quite effective.
These attacks aren't focused on specific targets anymore; they're automated bots searching for vulnerabilities and sending reports back to their owners. This approach could be effective. It's a concern. You're adding another element to the mix. She might already have 10 external drives and 11 additional hard drives. You should guide her through proper data management before introducing any VPN credentials or passwords. (I've seen 300 users who are very disorganized... more tech isn't their priority right now.) Learning basics first, then technology.
I understand the bots are part of our internal quarterly audits and annual external reviews. While enterprise cybersecurity bots may lag behind hackers, we have exposed services reaching about 1.5 million requests daily. If she isn’t a security expert, I’m somewhat familiar with the situation. A VPN could help. I’d like to simplify her workflow by centralizing her tech under a domain—though I’m not sure if that’s Windows or Linux—and provide her with a USB drive containing all her data. Organization should be the core benefit, keeping our family memories safe via RAID1 and restricting access to her home LAN IP only.
You understand her better than anyone else, so is she open to this approach? Will she tolerate the VPN login problems, or will she simply continue using what she already knows works? That’s the only question you can really answer. Your idea sounds solid, but teaching her to use it properly presents its own challenges.
I agree with your approach. It would make sense to divide everything into two parts. For the family memories, a Synology NAS could handle the migration and cold backup, while keeping the data isolated. For her work files, a RasPI with Samba access would allow remote copying, plus daily local backups on her PC. This way, only a day of work is lost if something goes wrong, and the family memories stay completely safe with a separate backup. I’d treat the Raspi as a secure DMZ node to prevent any bot access issues.