Synology DSM 7.2 NAS OS with Immutable Storage and Full-Volume Encryption

Synology, Inc. announced the DSM 7.2 NAS OS.

DSM 7.2 offers a range of enhancements to address IT challenges, including immutable storage and backup, full-volume encryption, performance improvements, stricter access controls, and storage planning capabilities.

“At Synology, we are committed to continuous improvement and innovation to ensure that organizations have the tools they need to manage their data with confidence and ease,” said Shamrock Ko, product manager.

Immutable storage and backup
License-free immutable storage and backup makes its way to DSM 7.2 with WriteOnce shared folders and Immutable Snapshots. Leveraging WORM technology, these features allow organizations to safeguard their data from malicious attacks, tampering, and accidental deletions by creating an unalterable copy of their data. This capability is for industries such as healthcare, finance, and government, which must comply with strict data retention policies.

Fast Full-Volume Encryption
It encrypts data at rest, including shared folders, LUNs, and package data. This feature ensures data privacy and security in the event of a security breach or theft, as data stored within is rendered unreadable without the decryption key. Additionally, KMIP is supported to simplify and centralize key management.

Full-Volume Encryption provides an up to 48% writing performance boost when compared with applying Shared Folder Encryption to all eligible data stored on a volume. Between the 2 modes, users now have efficient options to protect specific data or entire file systems against unauthorized access.

Increased performance and efficiency
DSM 7.2 adds support for M.2 NVMe SSD storage volumes on more systems, allowing for more flexible use of built-in M.2 NVMe slots. SSD de-dupe sees improvements with the implementation of inline zero-block removal, providing up to 25% faster de-dupe times by reducing the amount of data that needs to be stored.

Meanwhile, the implementation of full-system backups in Hyper Backup provide a bare-metal backup option to the cloud, USB devices, and other destinations. Using block-level storage technology, initial full system backups are 2x as fast.

More secure and convenient access controls
Adaptive multi-factor authentication makes its way to firm’s systems, providing an approach to security by assessing various contextual factors such as device, location, time of day, and user behavior to determine whether additional verification is needed.

Security measures are further enhanced with the implementation of Auto Block for connections through SMB and QuickConnect. Auto Block provides protection against brute force attacks by blocking IP addresses with repeated failed login attempts. QuickConnect can globally ban IP addresses, bolstering overall security against potential threats.

Better management
Active Insight includes storage capacity forecasting. This feature helps IT administrators and MSPs anticipate future storage needs by providing insights into their current storage utilization and predicting future capacity requirements.

In addition, DSM system notifications see improvements with more flexible notification settings and added support for Microsoft Teams and LINE notifications.

Ecosystem-wide improvements
DSM 7.2 also includes several major enhancements to applications and services, including: