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Apart from the all-new and exciting Wi-Fi 6 router, Synology today also announced a few major news in its network-attached storage (NAS) front, including the release of DSM 7.1 and Surveillance Station 9.0.
DSM 7 came out early this year and proved to be a significant release that rang in better performance, a more robust interface, better security, and many other improvements.
But it also causes some compatibility issues. This 7.1 release will, expectedly, iron out the kinks. But it seems Synology aims much higher than that.
Synology DSM 7.1: Faster, easier, and more secure
Synology says the 7.1 incremental upgrade offers new advanced tools for business applications, such as better file-sharing performance and ease of use via the support for SMB multichannel and DFS.
Multi-site business owners can use Synology's Hybrid Share to reduce local bandwidth and collaborate better. On top of that, Synology Drive, which has been buggy since the debut of DSM 7, will also get a light overhaul in both the back and front ends.
DSM 7.1 is slated to have other improvements, too, with new bandwidth control capabilities, a more advanced Active Backup for Business, and the support for Virtual DSM deployment in MailPlus.
And there'll also be full server backup support, making it easier for administrators to protect and restore an entire Synology system more efficiently.
And Synology stresses that with DSM 7.1 it intends to provide a secure cloud for everything via its recently launched C2 cloud services, which, for now, includes:
- C2 Backup: Designed for device and data backup including bare-metal backup
- C2 Identity: New directory services with a secure and low-latency hybrid approach, providing management, SSO services, and locally deployed LDAP nodes for local, intranet-only servers and devices. C2 Identity supports both Windows and macOS device management
- C2 Password: A simple password management. This is a free service for individuals and costs $4.99 USD a year for password sharing between up to six accounts—all without limitations to the number of devices connected.
- C2 Transfer: A service that makes sharing sensitive files with external parties easy and secure.
Synology says it will offer more C2-based features in the future.
However, the most exciting thing about DSM 7.1 is the introduction of Surveillance Station 9.0.
Synology Surveillance Station 9.0: Now, with cloud recording and much more
The Surveillance Station has been one of the most useful apps of any Synology NAS server. In my book, it's the best DIY surveillance system.
The app has remained at version 8.2 since September 2018 and worked across DSM 6 and DSM 7. The upcoming version 9.0 will be the first that DSM 7-exclusive.
According to Synology, Surveillance Station 9.0 will have a new and more refined user interface that makes working with its myriad of features less daunting.
For example, you'll be able to add "hundreds of cameras within minutes" thanks to the new option to import or copy settings.
Version 9.0 also includes a new Monitor Center that centralizes all important feeds allowing users to playback recorded videos and manage alerts easily. There's also a better map integration for users to efficiently keep tabs on multiple sites.
What's most significant, however, is the fact the app will support a new Synology C2 Surveillance service that allows recording security footage both locally and securely to Synology C2 cloud simultaneously.
Among other things, this capability means you'll be able to manage multiple sites in one place.
Finally, Synology also unveils a new DVA1622 network video recorder (NVR) explicitly designed for Surveillance Station 9.0 that has "advanced AI-powered surveillance analytics."
Apart from being generally robust surveillance hardware, Synology says the DVA1622 NVR has facial and license plate recognition capabilities.
Availability
Synology says DSM 7.1 and Surveillance Station 9.0 will be released in the first quarter of 2022 as a public preview, with the final versions coming later in the year. Both will be free updates to the existing server that run DSM 7 and Surveillance Station 8.2.
For more, check out Synology's 2022 AND BEYOND event that starts today.
What is this DSM 7.1 of which you speak? I have a DS220+ currently running DSM 7.0.1 with automatic updates. However, after reading about 7.1 here, I tried to manually update my DSM and I received a message back that my NAS was “up to date”.
Read the post, Tom.
Ah! My bad. I missed the reference to DSM 7.1 availability date in your last paragraph. I guess I was focused on the Surveillance Station language.
Hopefully they update their mobile apps cause its been a looooong time since they were 😢
Yeap, I hope so, too, and apps for other platforms, too, like Fire Stick, etc.
Woohoo
The gift that keeps on giving
Agreed 🙂