Synology confirms it is cracking down on third-party NAS hard drives

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Synology introduces controversial policy

Group of hard disk drives
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • Synology’s 2025 Plus range only works with certain hard drives
  • It says this is for lower failure rates and compatibility issues
  • Older models won’t be affected by this new policy

Taiwanese NAS-maker Synology has confirmed a new policy that requires Synology-branded hard drives to be used for full compatibility within its 2025 Plus series of network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

From launch, the policy states Synology-branded hard drives will need to be used, but the company promises to “update the Product Compatibility List as additional drives can be thoroughly vetted in Synology systems,” a company spokesperson said(via Ars Technica).

In the meantime, this could spell out reduced choice and increased cost for customers, with potential sustainability issues stemming from users’ inability to use hard drives they might already have, rendering them unusable.

Synology NAS devices hard drives

Synology has nine products in its Plus range, supporting all the way up to 24 hard drives, however users will be required to use approved storage drives only.

The company said that “Synology systems are at less risk of drive failure and ongoing compatibility issues.”

Chad Chiang, the Managing Director of Synology’s Germany and UK businesses, noted: “With our proprietary hard disk solution, we have already seen significant benefits for our customers in various deployment scenarios.”

Despite the change for 2025-onward models, the company confirmed that older models sold up to and including 2024 (excluding XS Plus series and rack models) remain unchanged.

Interestingly, Synology doesn’t manufacture its own hard drives, instead choosing to rebrand models from popular brands like Toshiba and Seagate.

This could be good news, indicating the possibility that further Toshiba and Seagate models might appear on the approved list of third-party drives at a later date, however it could also mean that drives from other brands might be less likely to appear on the list.

Of course, this is speculation only, but we’ve contacted Synology for further details in the hope that we can get access to a list of pre-approved third-party drives.

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Craig Hale
Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

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