NAS for in-shop use - what can I do with it

[cstech]

Ok so I am looking for outside the box thinking on this. I am going to be getting a readynas or synology NAS in the near future for my home office shop. The standard mapping drives and such for running backups to (using D7's datagrab) or storing files and updates as a offline updater, a FTP server for sending reports and files to and from as well as storing a backup of my portable apps if my flash drive were to go bad on an onsite. Things like that even the use as a webserver for intranet or even basic web interface of a help desk system. What I am wondering is what do you use your NAS for that may be a non-standard use for it? Trying to see if there are things that I could do with one for in-shop or even for customers that is a little unique. I am trying to branch more into business class services with NAS, and the small servers work part of the in-shop NAS is something to experiment with. Plan to get a SBS as soon as I can justify it to branch into that work as well. There are no techs in my area offering these things and I know it is needed. I am starting with Datto for business continuity and offering offsite replication services with the readynas for those that won't accept the monthly fee for a Datto type service. So does anybody have any unique things they use a NAS for?

 

[DataMedics]

Personally I'd highly recommend that you go with the Synology option. It's got dozens of plugin apps that can do everything from being a security system to a web / dns / ftp / email / backup / whatever server. Plus the interface works awesome when run in an iFrame on your webpage. I use it for customers to login and preview their files that I recover from failed hard drives.

Check it out: http://www.data-medics.com/customer-portal.html

login: test
pass: test

 

[SAG]

NFS a share and use it for a datastore to play with ESX?