Why Synology thinks India is ready for private cloud and AI-driven security

Why Synology thinks India is ready for private cloud and AI-driven security

As organisations in India rethink their IT strategies in an era of growing cyber risks and cloud fatigue, Synology sees an opening. Once regarded primarily as a NAS (network-attached storage) provider for consumers and SMBs, the Taiwanese company is now repositioning itself as a full-fledged ecosystem provider—delivering everything from enterprise-scale storage and AI-powered surveillance to on-premise productivity tools.

In a conversation with Digit, Michael Chang, Regional Sales Manager for APAC and MEA at Synology, outlined how the company is tailoring its roadmap to meet the evolving priorities of Indian enterprises. “We see the APAC region, and India in particular, as high-growth markets. There’s still a lot of headroom when it comes to market maturity, especially compared to the US or Europe. That’s why we’re increasing our investment in localised events, marketing, and education,” he said.

A shift towards private cloud

One of the most prominent themes in Synology’s pitch to Indian customers is the move away from dependency on public cloud providers. While solutions like Google Drive and Microsoft 365 dominate today’s workplace, Chang believes there’s an untapped opportunity in on-premise private cloud alternatives.

“Not everyone wants to have their data or files in the public cloud,” he explained. “We strive to further enhance our productivity solutions to make it more seamless and to also integrate AI.” This ambition is backed by offerings like Synology Drive (a private cloud file server), Synology Office (an in-house document suite), and Synology MailPlus (a secure, AI-enhanced email solution). The company has also developed collaboration tools such as Synology Chat and Synology Meet, both of which are hosted privately to give businesses control over internal communications.

Synology Office
Synology Office

The motivation, Chang suggests, is not just about data ownership. It’s also about productivity and security. “Think of it like Zoom or Google Meet—but hosted on your premises. You don’t need to worry about security, because everything stays internal and encrypted,” he said.

Surveillance that works with what you already have

India’s appetite for smarter surveillance—spanning smart cities, campuses, and industrial zones—hasn’t gone unnoticed. But Chang is quick to point out that many enterprises already have existing camera infrastructure and are hesitant to replace it.

“To address this, our NAS can act as a network video recorder (NVR) and supports ONVIF, the widely used surveillance protocol,” he said. This ensures seamless compatibility with legacy camera systems, avoiding costly upgrades. At the same time, Synology offers its own line of AI-powered cameras, giving customers flexibility to modernise on their own terms.

With advanced features such as facial recognition, people counting, licence plate detection, and intrusion alerts, Synology’s surveillance solutions are designed to go beyond passive monitoring. “The goal is to shift from a reactive posture to a proactive one,” Chang emphasised. “Once the system detects something, it immediately triggers alerts based on the rules you set. This saves hours of manual video review.”

To scale with demand, Synology recently introduced the Rack DVA—a rack-mountable AI surveillance solution built for larger deployments like airports and industrial campuses. “All models, from our small desktop units to large rack systems, are compatible with our surveillance software. Everything can be centrally managed,” said Chang.

Integrated data protection

The ActiveProtect appliance is another area Synology is betting on. Aimed at SMEs and enterprises alike, it combines hardware and software for streamlined backup and recovery. “It’s an integrated, plug-and-play solution that simplifies installation and monitoring,” said Chang. Customers can also use it to back up Microsoft 365 data or deploy Synology’s Active Backup suite for other SaaS services and endpoints.

A case study in India underscores the relevance. “We worked with a large education institution that used our private cloud solution to manage data across multiple campuses. They were able to safely disseminate information while maintaining control over their infrastructure,” said Chang.

Enterprise, without abandoning SMBs

While Synology is clearly building out its enterprise portfolio—with products like the PAS Series (dual-controller, NVMe architecture for mission-critical workloads) and GS Series (11PB+ scalability)—Chang reiterated that the company is not moving away from its roots.

Synology BeeStation and BeeStation Plus
Synology BeeStation and BeeStation Plus

“Our bread and butter since 2000 has been the tower-type NAS for SMBs. We’ll continue to support that segment with products like the Bee series,” he said. “We’re growing into the enterprise, not growing out of SMB.”

Clearing the misconceptions

For Chang, one of the biggest barriers to adoption in markets like India is perception. “There’s a misconception that Synology solutions are expensive. But if you look at long-term ROI—no recurring fees, better data ownership—it actually saves money. Also, we’re not just a storage brand any more. We’re a full ecosystem provider,” he stressed.

As enterprises in India become more discerning about where their data lives, who controls it, and how it’s protected, Synology appears to be positioning itself as a credible localised alternative—one that combines enterprise-grade reliability with private cloud flexibility.

Or, as Chang summed it up: “We’re not trying to be the next Microsoft or Google. We’re trying to be the best Synology we can be—for those who want control.”

Mithun Mohandas

Mithun Mohandas

Mithun Mohandas is an Indian technology journalist with 14 years of experience covering consumer technology. He is currently employed at Digit in the capacity of a Managing Editor. Mithun has a background in Computer Engineering and was an active member of the IEEE during his college days. He has a penchant for digging deep into unravelling what makes a device tick. If there's a transistor in it, Mithun's probably going to rip it apart till he finds it. At Digit, he covers processors, graphics cards, storage media, displays and networking devices aside from anything developer related. As an avid PC gamer, he prefers RTS and FPS titles, and can be quite competitive in a race to the finish line. He only gets consoles for the exclusives. He can be seen playing Valorant, World of Tanks, HITMAN and the occasional Age of Empires or being the voice behind hundreds of Digit videos. View Full Profile

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