The Synology DS1522+ is a New Compact Desktop 5-Bay NAS

Synology has announced a new five-bay network-attached storage (NAS) array called the DS1522+. It has a relatively small footprint, can be expanded to up to 15 drives, and supports NVMe SSD caching and 10GbE networking.

In short, NAS are an on-site way to handle large data backups. Many data specialists argue for a “3-2-1” approach to backups. That means maintaining at least three copies of data, two of which are stored at separate locations and at least one copy stored offsite. The NAS fits into the middle section and should be considered one of the two separate on-site locations.

NAS systems from Synology don’t work the same as drives that are attached via a USB or Thunderbolt connection and are instead attached to a network like a house or office internet connection. Data is sent for backup over that connection and can be accessed either locally or, because it is connected to the internet, offsite.

Systems like the DS1522+ are managed through Synology’s DiskStation Manager software and can be used as a dedicated local backup solution. Synology says the five-bay (that is to say, it holds five HDD or SSD drives) DiskStation DS1522+ is easy to scale and expand as needs change. It supports 10GbE networking and NVMe SSD caching and can be upgraded with up to 15 drives through the company’s DX517 expansion systems. When created as a separate volume, Synology says the DX517 provides a great backup solution to its local hard disks in case of system failure.

While there are hardware features like the 10GbE networking and the promise of over 736 MB/s sequential read speeds and 796 MB/s sequential write speeds that makes the DS1522+ a compelling option, Synology leans heavily on its software as its main value-add. Synology says its storage systems can easily be configured to become a cross-platform private cloud while still giving users complete control over their data.

The company says that Synology Drive enables intuitive file management and synchronization between platforms like Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and keeps data accessible no matter location or operating system.

Synology Photos is the company’s photography-specific software support solution that enables hobby photographers looking to manage their growing collection to quickly pull and back up media from their phones, sort and organize pictures, and make them easily shareable with what it calls “robust” permissions control.

Synology devices are considered to be higher-end and more reliable, which means they aren’t cheap. The Synology DS1522+ doesn’t come with any drives (those have to be purchased separately) but still costs $700.

Spending upwards of $1,000 on backup storage may seem like a big price to pay, but cheaper options have proven to be far less reliable. Last year, multiple major vulnerabilities in Western Digital’s consumer-level NAS solutions were discovered that led the company to discontinue support for a wide range of older devices, leaving many customers out to dry.