How do I calculate the optimal storage size for the Active Backup suite?
How do I calculate the optimal storage size for the Active Backup suite?
Purpose
This article shows you how to calculate your backup storage requirements and choose the appropriate Synology configuration for your needs. These calculations and recommendations apply to Active Backup for Business, Active Backup for Microsoft 365, and Active Backup for Google Workspace.
Resolution
Before you start
The following factors may impact backup performance:
- Backup window: The time frame backups are expected to complete. If the backup window is set during peak hours, it may impact backup performance.
- RTO (Recovery Time Objective): The amount of time it takes to recover data after a disruption. A longer RTO requires a lengthier recovery process, which can impact the system’s ability to perform other tasks.
- RPO (Recovery Point Objective): The amount of data that can be lost without causing significant damage to the organization. A short RPO requires frequent backups and can take up more resources and impact system performance.
To optimize backup and recovery performance, we recommend the following:
- Make sure that the backup server and your physical or virtual devices are located in the same on-site location.
- Make sure that your bandwidth can support the amount of data transmission required.
- Make sure that the total amount of data to be backed up, (hereafter, "total backup data") does not exceed the value recommended in Choose the best Synology configuration for your needs.
Calculate your backup storage requirements
Use the following formula:
Estimated storage requirement
|
Total backup data |
x |
(1 - Deduplication rate) |
x |
(1 + Daily data change rate x Retained versions) |
|---|
To determine the values for daily data change rate, retained versions, and deduplication rate, refer to the following table1:
|
Small-scale deployments
|
Large-scale deployments
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Backup target
|
Physical/virtual devices
|
SaaS apps
|
Physical/virtual devices
|
SaaS apps
|
|
Total backup data2
|
200 GB/device
|
90 GB/account
|
200 GB/device
|
15 GB/account
|
|
Daily data change rate
|
5%
|
5%
|
7%
|
10%
|
|
Retained versions3
|
60
|
60
|
60
|
60
|
|
Deduplication rate
|
50%
|
60%
|
50%
|
60%
|
Notes:
- These statistics are based on telemetry data and may vary depending on your company's usage.
- The total backup data refers to the total amount of data to be backed up from your physical or virtual devices, Microsoft 365, or Google Workspace. Refer to the table or How to estimate the total backup data for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for more information.
- The suggested number of retained versions is intended to support 1-year of GFS retention or 60 daily backups.
Choose the best Synology configuration for your needs
The following table shows the recommended Synology models based on the capacity, total backup data, number of devices, and number of SaaS users required for your backup needs. Refer to the product page for the recommended configurations.
|
Tower servers
|
Rackmount servers
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Model
|
DS1823xs+
|
RS2423RP+
|
RS3621xs+
|
|
|
Total capacity (TB)
|
32 TB
|
28 TB
|
56 TB
|
|
|
Total backup data (TB)
|
19.5 TB
|
17.0 TB
|
33.5 TB
|
|
|
Number of devices
|
60
|
50
|
100
|
|
|
Number of SaaS users
|
140
|
400
|
800
|
|
Notes:
- The total capacity refers to the storage space required for backup retention and data.
- The total backup data depends on the amount of data that can be backed up at the same time.
- Exceeding the recommended number of devices or SaaS users will negatively impact backup and recovery performance.