Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture (LWG)

Through the easy integration with the Active Directory we could save a lot of time, money and nerves. We don't regret choosing a Synology NAS and therefore can do nothing but highly recommend these systems. Florian Wunderlich, IT

The Company

Since 1952 existing Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture (LWG) is responsible for applied research in viticulture, horticulture, landscape planning, gardening and landscaping in Bavaria. The close cooperation with professional associations is an important stimulus for new research projects. Thereby environmental compliance, ecology, landscape and nature protection are of a very high priority.

The second main emphasis of the 350 employee state institute is the education of master and technician in the fields of viticulture, floriculture, tree nursery, gardening and landscaping. As competent authority for the Bavarian ministry of nutrition, agriculture and forestry (BayStMELF), LWG is training disseminators, provides expert advice for gardening and landscaping businesses, aswell as informing amateur gardeners in Bavaria.

The Challenge

In 2011, the entire faculty of the Department of Computer Science and Automation moved to a new building called Zusebau. The department contained faculties from 9 divisions. To have the building entirely well-equipped, not only fundamental architectural technology was required, but also the storage system needed to be robust, solid, and of high quality. In short, reliability was an important factor of consideration when purchasing a NAS system. It should be able to ensure smooth operation that can sustain a long period of time. Furthermore, flexibility of the NAS system was on the top list as well since the 9 divisions had different requirements for a NAS server. Lastly, it was expected to have a storage system that requires minimum administrative efforts.

The Solution

After exploring several different test units on the market, the LWG has decided to go for Synology NAS server DS1813+. "The system was integrated without problems into the existing network infrastructure as well as into the existing Active Directory environment," Florian Wunderlich, IT staff of LWG, commented.

Thanks to the easy configuration, the setup process of shared folders on the NAS was smooth and streamlined. Access rights are controlled via the AD group, which is a great advantage because the access permissions must only be maintained through one system. The Bavarian LWG currently uses a volume of 16 TB for storage. Thanks to the Synology expansion unit DX513, it can scale up to 72 TB, which makes the company being optimistic for future needs.

To backup all data on the DS1813+, it has been decided to install a second DS1813+ and synchronize the data with the built-in backup function, protecting invaluable data from a potential server failure.

The Benefits

Fast setup & AD integration

One of the main advantages was the easy configuration of the whole system. Helpful wizards guide through the whole process and the system was set up very fast. In addition, the integration of the NAS system into the existing AD environment was done without any complication.

High value and scalability

An important aspect of a cost efficient system was the need to offer scalable storage capacity. As testing data are piling up, it's necessary to plan for the future and the extensions units DX513 provide an affordable yet flexible solution.

Easy maintenance & stability

Next to a simple configuration, the administration also needed to be easy to handle or even better did not need much attention at all, so people can focus more important tasks. Since the initial setup, the systems have been running stably and smoothly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Recommended Models

  • DS1813+

Recommended Features

  • Easy configuration
  • Scalability
  • AD integration
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