DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Synology NAS Backup – Amazon Glacier vs Synology C2

Apr 21, 2019 by JP Danko 22 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Synology NAS

In this article we will review the pros and cons of Amazon S3 Glacier vs Synology C2 to backup data from a NAS directly to the cloud. While the focus is on Synology products, if you use another brand of NAS, the Amazon Glacier backup options may still be of interest to you.

Headless Synology NAS Cloud Backup

If you’re storing all of your creative industry business data to a Synology NAS, you probably already backup locally to an external drive (or a series of external drives). However, in the event of a local disaster at your home or office (fire, flood, theft) you still need an offsite cloud backup.

Most creative professionals have data backup requirements that far exceed consumer-level users (and most businesses as well). In my case, I have roughly 5 TB of data that is growing by nearly another TB every year (no matter how hard I try to delete my sh!t and unused files).

Up until recently, there were many unlimited cloud backup solutions available. Now, most cloud backup plans seem to top out around 1TB before substantial fees are added for additional space.

Further, most of these applications are designed to backup individual computers (and many are not even compatible with network storage), and they must be run from an application on a specific computer (the head).

Up until recently, I used SOS Online Backup to backup my Synology NAS to the cloud. However, since SOS canceled unlimited backup and the pricing became unreasonable, I was forced to find an alternative solution.

While I was generally happy with the SOS backup app, it was always an annoyance that I had to keep my desktop computer running simply to run a cloud backup on my Synology NAS, which is already always running and has its own built-in operating system and suite of applications: DiskStation Manager.

Since I was looking for a new cloud backup solution anyway, I wanted one that did not rely on a separate computer and could run headless, directly from the NAS itself. In my opinion, this is a much more reliable option and drastically simplifies network backups.

While the selection is much more restricted, Synology does offer a number of supported headless NAS backup applications.

Synology DiskStation Manager includes built-in support for headless backup from both Amazon S3 Glacier and Synology C2 (and Backblaze B2 can be added as well).

In addition, DiskStation also supports a number of third-party headless backup applications for the following services:

  • Acronis True Image
  • Archiware P5
  • Data Deposit Box
  • Elephant Drive
  • IDrive
  • NAKIVO Backup and Replication

Synology 3rd Party Backup Apps

I only briefly reviewed these services for two reasons: First, once you get into the several-terabyte-level of storage space required, most of these services cost substantially more than Synology C2 or Amazon Glacier. Second, I don’t trust any of them to be as compatible or reliable with Synology’s own built-in cloud backup C2, or Amazon Web Services.

Synology C2 Cloud Backup

Synology C2 Cloud Backup

Synology C2 cloud backup is built into Synology’s DiskStation management platform, so it is very easy to setup using Synology’s Hyper Backup application (which you likely already use for local backups). Here is a complete tutorial for setting up Synology C2 cloud backup.

Here is how Synology describes C2 cloud backup:

Synology C2 is designed to offer the most integrated and cost-effective cloud backup solution for your Synology NAS. Its data center is located in Frankfurt and meets the high privacy standards required by EU regulations. The security of data being transmitted and stored on C2 can be ensured with the support of our rigorous encryption technologies.

A few important features of C2 backup are client-side encryption (your data is encrypted as it’s uploaded), hourly backups and backup rotations.

C2 offers data recovery through Synology’s Hyper Backup application – however, this requires a functioning Synology NAS, which you may no longer have after a disaster. A web based application is also available for recovery, although reports indicate that it may only be possible to recover one file at a time. If you’re talking about your entire NAS, this obviously isn’t feasible.

If you’d like more information on Synology’s C2 Cloud backup solution, this article goes into much more depth.

Amazon Glacier Cloud Backup

Amazon Glacier Backup

Amazon S3 Glacier is the industry standard for many corporate level cloud backup solutions. In fact, many third-party cloud based backup providers simply re-brand their applications and use Amazon Web Services as their data storage solution anyway.

Here is how Amazon describes Amazon S3 Glacier:

Amazon S3 Glacier is a secure, durable, and extremely low-cost cloud storage service for data archiving and long-term backup. It is designed to deliver 99.999999999% durability, and provides comprehensive security and compliance capabilities that can help meet even the most stringent regulatory requirements. Amazon S3 Glacier provides query-in-place functionality, allowing you to run powerful analytics directly on your archive data at rest. Customers can store data for as little as $0.004 per gigabyte per month, a significant savings compared to on-premises solutions. To keep costs low yet suitable for varying retrieval needs, Amazon S3 Glacier provides three options for access to archives, from a few minutes to several hours.

It is important to note that Amazon S3 Glacier is not meant to be used for regular file retrievals. Instead, it is intended to be a reliable long-term backup to provide data redundancy in the event of an emergency.

While the Synology C2 cloud backup is built right into the Synology DiskStation Manager Hyper Backup application, the Amason S3 Glacier application is a native Synology app and is also included with DiskStation Manager (just download from Package Centre).

Package Centre Amazon Glacier App

If you decide that you would like to use Amazon Glacier, the best step by step tutorial that I have found to take you through the process of configuring your Synology NAS to Glacier S3 Backup is here.

Synology C2 vs Amazon Glacier Pricing

Since this article is focused on creative industry professionals, we’ll skip any consumer level plans.

Synology C2 cloud backup pricing is listed as 69.99 Euros per terabyte (TB) per year, or roughly $6.60 USD per TB per month.

Amazon Glacier cloud backup pricing is listed at $0.004 per GB per month (depending on your location), or $4.00 USD per TB per month.

Both services are relatively similar in pricing, although Amazon also charges $0.03 per GB for retrieval – but since this is intended to be disaster recovery only, I’m not too concerned about a premium on retrieval pricing.

Other Considerations

One major issue that you may want to consider is the physical location of the backup servers where your data will reside. Synology’s C2 servers are located in Frankfurt Germany and are therefore subject to European Union privacy laws. While Amazon has servers world wide (I selected Canada as my location), Amazon is a US corporation so I don’t have a lot of confidence that my data won’t end up in the hands of the NSA (who knows what kompromat is buried in 20 years of family photos, tax returns and emails).

This is a very serious consideration for many users, and it is no accident that Synology uses European Union privacy laws as a key marketing point.

Conclusion

While both Amazon S3 Glacier and Synology C2 are relatively similar in price, once you get up to several TB of data, Amazon S3 Glacier is a little bit more affordable (even more so in Canada as I have to convert everything to Canadian dollars).

I think that either service is the top choice for cloud backup of a Synology NAS, and a much better option than running a backup application on a separate computer.

After much consideration, I decided to go with Amazon S3 Glacier, mainly because Amazon Web Services is such a well trusted cloud data service provider.

But what would you choose?

Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

How To Automate Your Backup With NAS, Dropbox, Gdrive, OneDrive And Many Others Quick tip: This single setting will dramatically increase your backup to the cloud backup speed Amazon Now Lets You Backup 50 Terabytes of Data With a Sci-Fi Suitcase Seagate Ironwolf NAS SSD overview

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Amazon Glacier, Amazon S3, backup, backup workflow, synology

JP Danko: from diyphotography.net

About JP Danko

JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.

JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.

« World Press Photo disinvited photographer from the awards ceremony over “inappropriate behavior”
The Zhiyun Crane 3 LAB is the best gimbal I’ve laid my hands on »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • A pigeon scares a meteorologist as it photobombs a live camera
  • Photographer files lawsuit against NFL receiver and teams after shoving incident
  • Comparing iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 for astrophotography
  • Don’t buy a Z8 directly from Nikon, customers say
  • YouTube is killing off “Stories” to focus on Shorts and Live

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy