LSU Libraries secure knowledge with Synology

The LSU Libraries play a pivotal role in supporting LSU’s mission of generating, preserving, and sharing knowledge across Louisiana and around the world.

In addition to managing stacks of books and quiet study spaces, LSU Libraries also maintain a robust digital infrastructure built to manage their website, backup and protect digital archives and departmental files. Looking to streamline and improve their digital workflows, LSU Libraries sought a new solution to ensure everything was cataloged, organized, accessible and secure.

To keep their shelves of data neatly ordered, LSU Libraries turned to Synology. They deployed a Synology SA6400 as their VM server to house the LSU Libraries’ website and a Synology RS3618xs as their dedicated backup server.

Using Synology Virtual Machine Manager, LSU Libraries was able to replace their costly VMware stack and can now manage and maintain their website with no annual fees. Using Snapshot Replication, point-in-time copies of data are replicated to RS3618xs, ensuring minimal restoration time in the event of a ransomware attack or accidental data deletion. This setup not only secured the website information, but also protected additional workloads and the library’s digital archives.

Utilizing Synology’s Hyper Backup software, they can then create copies of that data stored in their secure data center, completing a 3-2-1 backup environment and ensuring they can recover critical data in the event of a disaster.

By modernizing with Synology, LSU Libraries achieved:

• Cost savings: By eliminating VMware licensing and utilizing Synology’s built-in backup software, LSU Libraries was able to virtually eliminate subscription costs.

• Reduced IT overhead: The intuitive DSM interface and streamlined backup processes lowered the workload for the Libraries’ system administrator.

• Integration: Seamless fit into LSU’s existing Windows Active Directory architecture made adoption straightforward.

• Resilience: Active Backup Suite and Hyper Backup ensured data from the website, archives, and departmental files remained secure, restorable, and immutable.

With Synology, LSU Libraries not only reduced costs and simplified management, but also future-proofed their digital infrastructure. And just like the physical library, the digital one is well-organized, resilient, and always open for research.