You’ve added a Synology Network Attached Storage (NAS) Device to your tech stack, but you may be wondering how to protect your files from ransomware, natural disasters, or accidental deletion. Saving your data to cloud storage can help protect you from the painful consequences of data loss. But now you may be wondering whether to backup or sync your data to the cloud. The answer to that question will largely depend on your own individual needs. If you are looking to keep an additional copy of your regularly changing data at an off-premise location to maintain the 3-2-1 backup strategy, then backing up your data to the cloud is the way to go.

If, however, you need your files in a place where everyone in the organization can access them at any moment, where edits to any files can be shown across all devices in real time or you need up-to-the-minute versions of your files off-site, then syncing your files to the cloud will be sufficient.

Your Synology NAS has applications for either backup—Hyper Backup—or sync—Cloud Sync—which we will explain in greater detail below. Understanding the distinction between the two functions is an important part of setting your tech stack up for success. And setting your tech stack up to connect to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage, gives you greater security, accessibility and off-site peace of mind at a fifth of the cost of other cloud providers.

Read on to learn the differences between backup and sync, how they work with your Synology NAS, and how to connect your NAS to Backblaze B2.

Backup vs. Sync

As mentioned before, understanding the difference between backup and sync is a crucial step in determining how you will pair your NAS with an offsite cloud storage solution like Backblaze B2. As such, it may help you to have a full understanding of the difference between the two.

A backup lets you create copies of files and other digital assets, which are then sent from a NAS to another device or an off-site storage location such as a public cloud. Allowing for either incremental or full backups of the contents of your NAS on a customized schedule, this method allows you to retain a copy of the most recent version of a file, while also being able to retain previous versions. This can also be an effective strategy to combat malware or ransomware, as you can simply delete infected files and restore from a clean backup. In addition, maintaining storage off-site protects your data from any natural disasters that might befall your immediate vicinity.

By contrast, a sync strategy consists of one or more devices working in unison, updating files in the same way across each device and/or a cloud storage location. The benefits of syncing files come from the ability to instantly see updates on files and provide easy access to changes in files to people across your organization. If you connect your NAS to Backblaze B2, you can easily access and download files anywhere you are through native applications or another Backblaze partner integration like Veeam, Iconik, and Cyberduck. The drawback of syncing is that it does not offer effective protections against accidental deletions, unauthorized access or malware.

There are essentially two different ways to sync your files: one-way or two-way. In a one-way sync, when a file from Location A changes, the same file at Location B is updated; however, if something on the file changes in Location B, the file in Location A will not be updated. On the other hand, in a two-way sync, regardless of where the file changes, the other location will automatically update to mirror the other. And in most cases, this means the entire file will be re-uploaded.

It is not uncommon for an organization to use both backup and sync strategies simultaneously, relying on one over the other as needs change. Thankfully, Synology has two relevant proprietary applications that serve the various needs of backing up and syncing data which can be seen in the table below.  Whether you plan to utilize the backup and sync features Synology offers via Hyper Backup and Cloud Sync, securing your files to the cloud will help you create an effective 3-2-1 Backup Strategy, protecting your digital assets. Now we’ll take a closer look at how you can connect your Synology NAS to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage.

Setting Up Your B2 Cloud Storage Account

Regardless of whether you use Hyper Backup or Cloud Sync, you can get set up in minutes with B2 Cloud Storage. You can follow along with the directions in this blog or take a look at our video guides. Pat Patterson, Chief Technical Evangelist, demonstrates how to get your data into B2 Cloud Storage in under 10 minutes using either Hyper Backup or Cloud Sync.

Here’s a video tutorial for Hyper Backup:

And here’s one for Cloud Sync:

The first step is to create a Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage account so your data has a location to be securely stored. You can sign up for an account and get started with 10GB of storage for free.

We’ll continue to show the steps after you’ve signed up for a Backblaze B2 Account in order to access your new bucket, Application Key ID, and Application Key. This will only take a few clicks, a couple names, and less than a minute.

1. On the Buckets page of your account, click the Create a Bucket button.



2. Give your bucket a name and enable encryption for added security.



3. Click the Create a Bucket button and you should see your new Bucket on the Buckets page.



4. Navigate to the App Keys page of your account and click the Add a New Application Key button.



5. Name your Application Key and click the Create New Key button—make sure that your key has both Read and Write permissions (the default option).



6. Your Application Key ID and Application Key will appear on your App Keys page. Make sure to copy these somewhere secure as the Application Key will not appear again!

Backing Up or Syncing Your Synology to Backblaze B2

By now you have created the location for your data to be either backed up or synced to and obtained your Application Key.

If you want to backup your data, then follow this integration guide or the video mentioned above that takes you step-by-step on how you can use Hyper Backup to backup your data from your Synology to B2 Cloud Storage.

If syncing your data is what you need, then follow this integration guide or the video mentioned above that takes you through how you can use Cloud Sync to sync your data from your Synology to B2 Cloud Storage.

Once you have built the connection between your Synology to B2 Cloud Storage either through Hyper Backup or Cloud Sync (or both!), you can begin backing up or syncing your data for greater protection and accessibility no matter the location.

Summary

Creating and implementing an effective backup strategy, sync strategy or hybrid of the two can be an effective way to protect your data. A thorough understanding of the benefits, drawbacks and strategies involved, and the ways your Synology NAS can utilize both Hyper Backup and Cloud Sync, will hopefully get you on your way to securing your data.

At a fifth of the price of competitors, with setup that takes less than 10 minutes, Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage is a great complement to your Synology NAS.

The post How to Connect Your Synology NAS to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

If you’re backing up Windows Server data, you should know that Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage and MSP360 work together to seamlessly back up your data to the public cloud (while also saving you money on storage costs). Following a 3-2-1 backup strategy, your data stays safe from natural disasters, ransomware, accidental deletion, computer crashes, and more. But what about when you’re backing up five Windows Servers? Or 50? Or 500? The good news is that options exist. Let’s talk about one.

Backblaze B2 with MSP360’s Managed Backup Service (MBS) Integration

With Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage and MSP360’s Managed Backup Service (MBS) integration, you can:

• Access advanced backup features and easy-to-manage cloud storage to protect your data.
• Safeguard your data with ransomware protection, including Object Lock for Immutability at no extra cost.
• Centralize monitoring of your backups into a single interface.

MSP360’s Managed Backup solution offers cross-platform backup and disaster recovery that leverages the Backblaze B2 public cloud for protection of cloud, virtual, and physical workloads. With centralized management, monitoring, and reporting, Managed Backup enables data protection for Windows, Linux, macOS, VMware, Hyper-V, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace. When MBS is paired with Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage, professionals managing multiple Windows servers can deploy Object Lock, synthetic full backups, and server-side encryption for greater backup security and efficiency.

Managed Service Providers

Smaller organizations that don’t have an IT department or the expertise to manage their computer systems and servers often rely on a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to do the IT heavy lifting. One of those IT functions is to manage the backup process for their clients, with the added responsibility of making sure the data from each client is kept separate and protected.

The MSP360 Managed Backup service allows an MSP to set up and manage all of their clients from a single user interface. A centralized management system is in place for reporting and monitoring clients. MSPs can ensure data security and optimize backups for each client by individually configuring backup plans.When data on a given Windows Server needs to be stored off-site, the MSP simply selects Backblaze B2 as the cloud storage destination for that system. The MSP360 backup plan ensures the data to be backed up is first encrypted and then routed to Backblaze B2 for cloud storage, where it resides until it is needed. Data can be restored as soon as it is uploaded to B2 Cloud Storage by using the MSP360 MBS console.

How to Set Up Backblaze B2 with MSP360 Managed Backup

Backing up data is a critical goal for both MSPs and businesses in general, which is why Backblaze has a process that is simple and easy to set up.

First create your Backblaze B2 account. Click on the red Start Now button. You will be led to a page that allows you to select whether you are backing up a single server or multiple server.

Select Multiple Servers, then enter your information to simultaneously create an account with both Backblaze and MSP360.

After you log into your account, you will be prompted to verify your phone number in order to continue.

Next, create a new Application Key by navigating to App Keys on the left hand side under Account, then click on Add a New Application Key.

Enter a name for the key, and then click on Create New Key. Once you have your new Application Key, it is important that you copy both the keyid and applicationKey and keep them in a safe location.

Check your email for a message with the subject line “Managed Backup Service Login Information.” This will contain username and password to log onto the MSP360 Admin Console and download the Windows server build software. From there you can go through the general settings to change your password.

To add B2 Cloud Storage as the target for your server backups, click on Storage, select Storage Accounts, and choose Backblaze B2. You will then be prompted to enter your Key ID and Application Key from earlier.

Create a new bucket, assign a name to it, click on Users, then select your user to allow them access to your B2 Cloud Storage Bucket.

At this point, you have created your B2 Cloud Storage account, MSP360 Managed Backup Service account, and built the connection between the two. The last step is to download the MSP360 installer onto your server so you can begin your a free, full-featured trial to back up your server data. Simply enter your MSP360 account credentials, select which files to back up and encrypt, set up a schedule, and click Finish.

If you need more instructions, check out our Quickstart Guide for Multiple Server Backup with Backblaze B2 and MSP360 for further details regarding the final step of backing up your server data, or check out out video tutorial.

Summary

Utilizing Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage with MSP360 Managed Backup is an ideal solution for server backup. Together, we bring to the table:

1. Advanced Features: Customizing your server backup lets you select specific files to back up, with flexible scheduling and synthetic full backups that allow you to have the latest version of your data.
2. Ransomware Protection: Protect your data from ransomware with object lock and encryption.
3. Simple, Centralized Data Management: Organize your management of data with a centralized location so you can maintain control with an easy-to-use backup solution. Use Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage with MSP360’s Managed Backup to safely backup Windows, Linux, macOS, VMware, Hyper-V, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace.

An effective backup plan is proven to save companies time and money, so you can focus on your business while knowing your data is safeguarded.

The post Managing the Backup of Multiple Windows Servers appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.