The 3-2-1 backup rule is the industry standard for disaster recovery. It requires keeping 3 copies of your data, stored on 2 different types of media (such as a NAS and an external drive), with 1 copy kept offsite (such as the cloud or a remote server). This strategy ensures that even if you suffer hardware failure, theft and a ransomware attack on your primary network, a recoverable copy remains safe and accessible.

Immutable snapshots utilise WORM (Write Once, Read Many) technology to lock your backup data for a specified period, making it impossible for anyone, including hackers or administrators, to modify or delete the files. With ransomware attacks occurring every 19 seconds and often targeting backups to force payment, immutable snapshots allow you to "roll back" to a clean state instantly without paying a ransom.

Yes. Using Active Backup for Business (ABB), you can back up your entire computer, including the operating system, settings and applications. In the event of a crash or hardware failure, you can use the Synology Recovery Media Creator to create a bootable USB drive and restore your entire system to the same or dissimilar hardware.

BeeStation creates a personal cloud in your home with no monthly fees. It features a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) which boosts AI processing speed, meaning your photo recognition of people, pets, and objects happen locally on your device without sending data to the cloud." A single 4 TB BeeStation acts as a centralised hub, replacing current subscription costs with a one-time hardware purchase.

Synchronization (like Dropbox or OneDrive) updates files across devices in real-time; if you accidentally delete or corrupt a file on one device, that error syncs everywhere immediately. A true backup retains historical versions of your data, allowing you to restore files from a specific point in time before the corruption or deletion occurred.

Yes. When using Hyper Backup to send NAS data to a BeeStation and C2 Storage, you can utilise secure, encrypted during data transfer and while at rest. This ensures your data is encrypted on your device before it leaves your network, meaning not even Synology can decrypt or view your files stored in the cloud.

Yes and it is highly recommended to protect against accidental deletion or retention policy gaps. Active Backup for Microsoft 365 and Active Backup for Google Workspace allow you to download and own off-line copies of your emails, contacts, calendars and Drive files directly to your Synology NAS, completely license-free.

Synology Tiering (available in DSM 7.3) optimizes your backups by automatically moving, or "tiering," infrequently accessed data from a high-performance SSD hot tier to a cost-effective, high-capacity HDD cold tier. It boosts performance for active data while managing storage costs. Policies can be customized based on file age or access frequency to automate this process.

For NAS/DSM users, Active Backup for Business can verify backups by automatically booting up your backup image in Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) and capturing a video of the successful boot process. For BeeStation users, a recovery drill involves logging into the BeeProtect portal from a separate network and successfully decrypting and downloading a file to a local device.

Deep Search is an AI-powered feature that runs locally on your computer to index your backups. It allows you to find photos using natural language descriptions (e.g., "sunset at the beach") or locate documents by searching for text within them, even if you don't remember the filename,. This processing happens locally to ensure your privacy.

You must use drives listed on the Synology Products Compatibility List to ensure system stability and technical support,. While Enterprise-grade drives are recommended for business environments due to higher workload ratings, Synology offers a range of validated drives, including the HAT3300 series for home and SOHO users, to ensure reliability.

Synology NAS units using the Btrfs file system employ "self-healing" technology. Btrfs stores checksums for data and metadata, allowing the system to automatically detect silent data corruption (bit rot) and recover the correct data from a mirrored copy (RAID) without user intervention.

Yes. Surveillance Station transforms your NAS into a Network Video Recorder (NVR) compatible with over 17,000 IP cameras and peripherals. You can set up event triggers (like motion detection), archive footage to the cloud for a tamper-proof offsite copy and manage everything through a centralised dashboard.

If you follow the 3-2-1 strategy, you have options. You can restore your data from your offsite copy (C2 Storage or secondary NAS) using Hyper Backup Explorer to a PC. For high-availability environments, Synology supports Snapshot Replication to a secondary server for rapid failover and Synology High Availability (SHA) for instantaneous service continuity.

Select Synology products, including BeeDrive and BeeStation, come with a complimentary three year license for Acronis True Image Essentials. This software provides comprehensive cyber protection for your computer, including antivirus scans and ransomware defense, complementing the hardware backup provided by the Synology device.