Schoenmann IT Services & Consulting used the QNAP TS-259 Pro+ to enhance file sharing security, data backup, and establish an efficient information management system
“We realized that it is absolutely possible to achieve a maximum data security by deploying the TS-259 Pro+,” - Dieter Schoenmann, the owner of Schoenmann IT Services & Consulting.
Company background：
Schoenmann IT Services & Consulting is a specialized digital camera test laboratory, which is known as “dkamera.de” on the Internet. Founded in 2006, dkamera.de has developed its test scope with many multi-faceted test programs. The test scope of dkamera.de not only covers most of the digital cameras currently on the market, but also contains peripheral devices in the photography field. dkamera.de provides comprehensive data sheets and buying advice for shutterbugs to access information on the wide supply of digital cameras on the market. dkamera.de maintains the credibility of its product reviews with standardised test procedures and a 100% independent in-house testing laboratory. Many in the German digital camera market view dkamera.de’s reviews as influential on their buying decisions.
Challenges：
Previously, dkamera.de’s staff stored their files on their own computers separately. Storing this valuable data on different computers made it difficult for staff to share and protect the data in a coordinated manner. For example one day, a computer crashed unexpectedly and all of the data stored on it was completely lost. The accident, therefore, interfered with the ongoing schedule of product reviews and hampered the progress of many projects. It was clear then that dkamera.de required an effective back-up solution.
Unconsolidated file sharing between individual computers was another drawback of dkamera.de’s IT deployment. While all the data was saved and distributed across different computers, it made file sharing extremely inefficient. This situation may be acceptable for small offices in the short term but as dkamera.de had scaled its business over the years, this inefficiency was no longer acceptable.
Solution：
After referring to review articles extensively and the recommendations of colleagues, the IT administrators of dkamera.de decided the QNAP Turbo NAS was the ideal NAS solution. They adopted the QNAP Turbo NAS TS-259 Pro+ because of its proficient storage capacity and high performance: the TS-259 Pro+ can house up to two 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA hard disk drives, incorporates an Intel® Atom™ 1.8GHz Dual Core processor and 1GB memory, and is capable of delivering high performance, reliability, and lower power consumption during intensive data transfers.
Data backup and efficient data sharing are the major goals for dkamera.de. With the help of the TS-259 Pro+, dkamera.de enjoyed the large storage capacity of 3TB using two 3TB drives configured in RAID 1 mode to back up its files and prevent the risk of data loss. In terms of data security, the IT administrators could create multiple users and specify their password by simply uploading the batch file in TXT or Excel CSV format to the TS-259 Pro+, defining the access authority of staff according to their responsibilities to ensure that only the right person could access and share the right data respectively in the review procedure.
Additional benefits reported by dkamera.de IT administrators include: the eco-friendly design of the TS-259 Pro+ with the Wake on LAN which enabled the company to turn on its units by QNAP Finder remotely and schedule to wake up the TS-259 Pro+ automatically according to the working hours. This smart design not only reduced the energy consumption, but also ensured data security outside of working hours. To doubly back up their important files, dkamera.de’s staff regularly executes the instant backup via the eSATA external hard disk once a week.
Benefit：
dkamera.de leveraged the TS-259 Pro+ to increase its efficiency on file sharing and daily operation. With a web-based graphical user interface, the IT administrators in dkamera.de could explore new features easily. dkamera.de has become an advocate of QNAP and continues to update its systems with QNAP firmware updates. After using the TS-259 Pro+, dkamera.de saved time on system administration and data backup, raising its productivity by 33%.