Overview

A small business NAS should be simple to manage, resilient, and easy for staff to use from day one.

This guide focuses on shares, permissions, storage planning, and backup so you avoid common pitfalls.

Plan the scope and roles

Define which teams and data live on the NAS and who maintains it.

• Map departments and shared folders such as Admin, Finance, Projects, and Archive
• Nominate an internal owner and backup owner for the NAS
• Choose support contacts for vendors and integrators

Users, groups, and permissions

Set permissions once and keep them tidy with groups.

• Create groups per department and assign users to groups
• Use read only access for reference folders and write access where needed
• Enable recycle bins with quotas to protect against accidental deletes

Storage layout and growth

Pick a layout that balances safety, performance, and cost.

• Use RAID 5 or RAID 6 depending on bay count and risk appetite
• Keep an Archive share on a slower tier and a Projects share on a faster tier
• Add SSD volume for hot indexes or VM files when justified

Networking and multi gig options

Plan the wired path and switch ports so everyone can work without delays.

• Adopt 2.5 GbE at the switch and on key desktops
• Use short quality cables and avoid unmanaged powerline links
• Keep WiFi for light clients and wire heavy users

Apps that help small business

Limit app sprawl and select a few that provide clear value.

• Synology Drive for team sync and external sharing
• Active Backup for Business for endpoint protection
• Hyper Backup for NAS data to a second NAS or cloud
• Synology Office for basic docs and sheets where appropriate

Backup and disaster recovery

Follow the 3-2-1 rule and test restores regularly.

• Hourly or daily snapshots for quick rollback
• Nightly backup to a second device or cloud
• Monthly test restores for each data class
• Document recovery steps and keep them printed in the office

Security and compliance basics

Keep access controlled and audit trails clear.

• Use unique admin accounts and enable two factor authentication
• Restrict remote access to named services and review quarterly
• Enable security notifications and apply updates on a schedule

Operations and maintenance

A light touch routine keeps systems healthy.

• Monitor storage growth and plan drive replacements in pairs
• Review permissions and group membership quarterly
• Maintain a small kit with spare cables, screws, and a cold spare drive

FAQs

Quick answers for owners and managers.

• Can we use the NAS for email? Use it for file serving and backups, leave email to managed services
• Do we need 10 GbE? Adopt it when specific workstations require it end to end
• How quiet is it? Drive choice and placement matter most