Synology Launches DiskStation Manager 6.0, DS416slim NAS For 2.5″ Storage Drives

With the announcement of DiskStation Manager (DSM) 6.0’s general availability, Synology brings multiple new and exciting features to its already robust NAS platform. In beta for a few months, 6.0 is the Taiwanese company’s latest version of its award-winning NAS operating system and ushers in features that align its products with the needs of data professionals.

Introducing productivity tools like SpreadSheet (think Microsoft Excel) and Note Station (Microsoft Word), office collaboration via DiskStation is that much easier. With Snapshot Replication, DSM 6.0 provides businesses with near-continuous data protection, as well as multi-site replication for more comprehensive protection. Additionally, the Synology Hyper Backup package can now perform multi-version backups to all types of destinations.

One exciting feature new to 6.0 is Virtual DSM and Docker DSM. With these features, organizations can run multiple instances of DSM. Both features are in beta, but expect a closer look in the near future. Another new feature new to 6.0 is the all-new mail functionality. With the MailPlus and MailPlus Server packages, users can now setup a secure, reliable, and private mail server while enjoying a modern mail client for receiving and sending messages. This gives a company complete control over their data without being reliant on expensive software or third-party services.

Not ones to settle for one big announcement, Synology has also announced the release of its latest small form-factor NAS, the DS416slim (~$290 at Amazon). Built for use with 2.5” drives, the DS416slim boasts 512MB of DDR3 RAM, a dual-core CPU, and a pair of gigabit NICs. With link aggregation enabled, DS416slim delivers up to 170.23 MB/s for reading and 77.62 MB/s for writing. Reading through a single Gigabit LAN speed goes up to 112.77 MB/s.

The small stature of Synology’s slim lineup of NAS boxes lends itself well to portable storage with the powerful DSM operating system driving the experience. The size of the DS416slim also begs to be used in an entertainment center (give us HDMI!). I personally have been toying around with the idea of buying one of these slims, packing it with moderately sized SSDs, and feeding my ESX environment at home with a capable datastore with an absurd amount of IOPS. Sure, this solution can be done with any NAS, but this form factor just begs to be given SSDs.

Finally, to complete the hat trick, Synology has also recently announced that it was awarded the top overall ranking for midrange NAS quality. Featured in the 10th Quality Awards survey for NAS systems by TechTarget, Synology was given high marks in the product features and initial product quality categories, allowing the younger company to outscore other established enterprise-level storage vendors. That’s gotta feel good!