Public sector organisations are under increasing pressure to deliver better services while managing tighter budgets, stricter compliance requirements, and growing volumes of data. Whether you’re a local authority, housing association, NHS organisation, education provider, or emergency service, information is one of your most valuable assets.
Yet many organisations still face the same fundamental challenge: their data is difficult to manage.
Files are spread across different locations, teams struggle to access information, storage costs continue to rise, and cyber threats remain a constant concern.
This is where Synology can help.
Rather than thinking of Synology as simply a storage device, it’s better understood as a central platform for storing, protecting, sharing, and managing organisational information. Here’s how it addresses five of the most common data challenges facing the public sector today
Five Common Public Data Challenges
- Information Stored in Too Many Places
Many public sector teams store information across desktops, laptops, USB drives, email attachments, and various cloud platforms.
This makes it difficult to find documents, increases duplication, and can create compliance risks.
Synology centralises information into a single platform, making it easier for staff to locate, access, and manage the latest version of a document.
- Growing Data Volumes
Public sector organisations create and retain more data every year, from case files and reports to photographs, videos, and operational records.
Synology provides scalable storage that can grow alongside organisational requirements without forcing a complete infrastructure overhaul.
- Rising Cloud Costs
While public cloud services offer convenience, ongoing subscription costs can become significant as storage requirements increase.
Synology allows organisations to retain control over their data and storage infrastructure while avoiding some of the escalating costs associated with purely cloud-based approaches.
- Data Protection and Resilience
Public services rely on information being available when it is needed.
Whether it’s accidental file deletion, hardware failure, or a ransomware attack, losing access to critical information can have serious operational consequences.
Synology includes backup and recovery capabilities designed to help organisations restore information quickly and maintain business continuity.
- Supporting Hybrid Working
Flexible working is now a normal part of public sector operations.
Staff need secure access to documents whether they are in the office, working remotely, or visiting service users and partner organisations.
Synology helps provide secure access to files and collaboration tools without forcing users to work from a single location.
What Is Synology ActiveProtect?
At its core, Synology ActiveProtect is a physical appliance that sits on your network, much like a traditional server, but is significantly easier to deploy and manage. It combines storage, backup, file sharing, security, and collaboration capabilities into a single platform.
Most organisations install an ActiveProtect device directly into their existing IT infrastructure. It connects to the network alongside your existing servers, Microsoft 365 environment, user devices, and backup systems, rather than replacing everything you already use.
A simple way to think about Synology ActiveProtect is:
It’s like having your own secure private cloud on-site, under your control, but without the complexity and cost often associated with traditional server infrastructure.
For public sector organisations, ActiveProtect can be used to:
- Centralise file storage
- Back up Microsoft 365 data
- Protect servers and endpoints
- Share files securely
- Support remote and hybrid workers
- Store surveillance footage
- Provide disaster recovery capabilities
Rather than staff storing documents on individual computers or across multiple locations, information can be managed centrally through the Synology platform.
Does Implementing Synology ActiveProtect Disrupt Business Continuity?
One of the reasons Synology is popular with organisations that have limited IT resources is because it can typically be introduced alongside existing systems without major disruption. Existing file servers, Microsoft 365 environments, backup solutions, and user devices can continue operating while data is migrated in a planned and controlled way
A typical implementation often follows this approach:
- Install and connect the Synology appliance to the network.
- Configure user access and security settings.
- Synchronise or copy data from existing storage locations.
- Test access and backup processes.
- Gradually migrate users and departments.
- Decommission legacy storage if required.
Because the platform can run in parallel with existing systems during migration, organisations can minimise downtime and reduce operational risk.
In fact, the primary objective of most Synology deployments is the opposite of disruption: improving business continuity. Features such as automated backups, file versioning, replication, and disaster recovery capabilities are specifically designed to help organisations remain operational when hardware failures, accidental deletions, or cyber incidents occur
Public Sector Takeaway
For public sector leaders, Synology ActiveProtect is best viewed not as “just another storage device,” but as a business continuity and data management platform that integrates with existing infrastructure. It helps organisations centralise information, strengthen resilience, and gain greater control over their data without requiring a large-scale overhaul of existing systems.
Why 101 Data Solutions and Synology Are a Strong Partnership for the Public Sector
Synology provides the technology to centralise data, strengthen security, improve backup and recovery, and support business continuity.
101 Data Solutions brings the expertise to help public sector organisations implement and manage these solutions effectively. We understand the unique challenges around limited resources, compliance requirements, cyber security, and service continuity.
Together, 101 Data Solutions and Synology provide a practical, cost-effective approach to modern data management, helping public sector organisations protect critical information, reduce complexity, and ensure staff have secure access to the data they need, whenever they need it.