Synology rolls out new productivity apps for its NAS platform

Synology's NAS platform, DiskStation Manager (DSM), is a great suite for controlling everything on the home or office server. Part of the OS is a package manager that allows one to easily download and install packages (or apps) to expand the functionality of the NAS server. Synology has rolled out Moments, as well as new versions of Drive and Office. Now, it's possible to keep data private and secure, synchronize photos and do some writing on the side.

Let's kick things off with the new Moments package. This allows NAS owners to back up photos from a PC or smartphone to the server. Like photo management suites on other platforms, the package uses deep learning and automatic organization features to identify objects and faces in photos to more efficiently sort them without manual intervention. Not only does this make it really easy to search for that one photo you wish to view, but also makes it painless to back shots up from iOS and Android.

Synology Drive

The file synchronization suite Drive has been revamped to simplify data management. With the latest update installed, NAS owners will be able to synchronize data across multiple devices and enjoy better office collaboration support. Some highlights include:

  • My Drive for centrally managing all personal files and set different permission for each one if necessary.
  • Team Folders to allow teams to work together on different documents and keep them neatly organized within the shared folder.
  • The desktop client is supported on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, allowing users to conveniently sync files from all folders, including folders shared with them, to their PC.
  • Drive is now a central hub for Office, making team collaboration and building collaborative documents easy and organized.

Finally, speaking of Office, this package has also been refreshed with slides support. Perfect for cooking up a presentation or two. These three new packages can be found in the Package Center.

Synology DS218+ review

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.