NAS Infrastructure

Vendor-Agnostic NAS Deployment

Network-attached storage (NAS) infrastructure for businesses needing reliable, scalable storage. We're vendor-agnostic - recommending the right platform (QNAP, Synology, TrueNAS, Unraid) based on your specific requirements, not sales commissions.

NAS Platform Selection

We work with all major NAS platforms and recommend the best fit for your needs:

• QNAP - Best for surveillance-heavy environments. Strong QVR Pro NVR software, excellent multi-stream recording performance, and hardware transcoding. We recommend QNAP when camera count exceeds 16 or when clients need integrated surveillance and general storage in one appliance
• Synology - Best for small-to-mid business file sharing and backup. DiskStation Manager is the most polished NAS OS available — intuitive for non-technical users to manage. We recommend Synology when the primary use case is departmental file shares, automated backups, or cloud sync
• TrueNAS - Best for enterprise-grade data integrity. ZFS filesystem with built-in checksumming prevents silent data corruption. We recommend TrueNAS for mission-critical data storage, database backend storage via iSCSI, and environments where data integrity is non-negotiable
• Unraid - Best for flexible mixed-use deployments. Allows mixing different drive sizes without penalties and runs Docker containers and VMs natively. We recommend Unraid for media storage, development environments, and situations where storage needs to grow incrementally with mismatched drives

RAID Configuration & Data Protection

RAID configuration depends entirely on the workload. For surveillance recording where write performance matters most, we typically configure RAID 5 or RAID 6 depending on drive count — RAID 6 for arrays with 6+ drives where the rebuild time on large drives creates an unacceptable risk window. For database storage requiring high IOPS, RAID 10 provides the best read/write performance at the cost of usable capacity. For archival and backup storage, RAID-Z2 (TrueNAS) or RAID 6 provides the right balance of protection and capacity. Every deployment includes at least one hot spare drive so rebuilds start automatically when a drive fails, and we document the recovery procedure specific to your configuration so your team knows exactly what to do.

Massive Data Storage Expertise

Our experience with petabyte-scale systems (2PB video platform at Tempest Telecom) translates directly to NAS infrastructure planning:

• Capacity planning for multi-terabyte and petabyte storage
• Performance optimization for high-throughput workloads
• Backup and disaster recovery strategies for massive data
• Network design to support storage bandwidth requirements

Integration with Applications

NAS systems rarely operate in isolation — the value comes from how they integrate with your applications and workflows. We configure SMB shares for Windows-based file access with Active Directory permissions, NFS exports for Linux application servers, and iSCSI targets for database servers that need block-level storage performance. Surveillance integration connects IP cameras directly to the NAS recording engine, eliminating the need for a separate NVR appliance. For custom applications, we set up API access and scheduled tasks for automated data ingest, processing, and archival. Backup integration includes configuring the NAS as a target for Veeam, Windows Server Backup, or rsync-based backup scripts with retention policies and off-site replication.

Use Cases

Common NAS infrastructure projects we deploy:

• Surveillance Recording - Multi-terabyte storage for IP camera footage
• Backup Systems - Centralized backup target for server and workstation backups
• File Sharing - Department file shares with permission management
• Application Storage - Backend storage for data-intensive applications
• Media Storage - Large media file libraries with streaming capability

Installation & Configuration

Installation follows a structured process. We arrive on-site, rack-mount the NAS hardware, install and configure drives, and set up the RAID array. Network configuration includes assigning static IPs, configuring VLANs if needed, and testing throughput to ensure the network can support the expected workload. Shares and permissions are configured to match your organizational structure — department folders, project spaces, and restricted areas with appropriate access controls. Backup schedules are configured and tested with a verified restore before we consider the installation complete. Every deployment includes documentation covering the hardware configuration, network settings, share structure, user permissions, and step-by-step procedures for common administrative tasks.

Typical Projects

Common NAS deployment scenarios:

• Surveillance storage - High-capacity RAID arrays optimized for continuous multi-camera recording with extended retention
• Business file servers - Shared storage with department-level permissions, remote access, and automated versioning
• Database backend storage - All-SSD or tiered arrays providing low-latency iSCSI targets for SQL Server or PostgreSQL
• Media production storage - Large-capacity systems with organized storage pools for raw footage, active projects, and deliverables