SystemSerenity

Work / Case study

Agency File Server — QNAP NAS as System of Record

Operational Since December 12, 2025 Infrastructure

Led the business case, procurement and deployment of a centralized network-attached storage (NAS) system that became the agency's system of record for client data.

~67,000client-file items consolidated
RAID 1mirrored storage
3platforms evaluated
Quarterlybackup cadence

Business impact

Consolidated scattered client files into a single, access-controlled system of record, addressing data-loss, privacy and E&O exposure and making automated compliance scanning possible.

Problem

Client files were scattered across personal drives and laptops, creating data-loss, privacy and E&O exposure and slowing retrieval.

Solution

Ran a vendor evaluation, secured owner approval and deployed a QNAP TVS-h674 on QuTS hero (ZFS) with two 4 TB WD Red drives in RAID 1. It has per-employee accounts, a designed folder-permission model, a least-privilege service account for automation, VPN-based remote access and quarterly backups.

Results & highlights

  • Evaluated three NAS platforms across price and capability tiers and presented a recommendation to ownership (July 2025)
  • Authored the FY2026 Technology Budget Proposal, including the storage line item (October 2025)
  • Procured in October 2025; built and brought to production in-office (November–December 2025)
  • Improved data resilience: mirrored storage (RAID 1) plus a quarterly backup cadence
  • Applied least-privilege access: a file-sharing-only service account for automation
  • Consolidated about 67,000 client-file items under a weekly automated compliance scan (see FileGate); the NAS also hosts the staff training web platform

Competencies demonstrated

  • Vendor evaluation & business case: Compared three NAS platforms across price and capability tiers and presented a recommendation to ownership.
  • Budget ownership: Authored the FY2026 Technology Budget Proposal, including the storage line item.
  • Storage administration: QNAP TVS-h674 on QuTS hero (ZFS), with two 4 TB WD Red drives in RAID 1.
  • Access control: Per-employee accounts, a designed folder-permission model and a least-privilege service account for automation.
  • Business continuity: Mirrored storage, a quarterly backup cadence and VPN-based remote access.

Architecture

  1. Staff + VPN usersleast-privilege access
  2. NASRAID 1 mirror
  3. Weekly compliance scanservice account, file sharing only
  4. Quarterly backupscheduled cadence
Design-level view. Hostnames, addresses and account details are intentionally omitted.

Notes

  • Share names, addresses and accounts are intentionally omitted.

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