Environment assessment
Inventory the hardware, volumes, shares, permissions, applications, network dependencies, administrative access, alerts, support status, and business workflows tied to the system.
Discovery
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Shared storage and file continuity · Greater Boston
Shared files need a known owner, a tested backup, and a plan.
Founder-led support for Greater Boston small businesses using network-attached storage or a small file server for shared work, archives, large files, local applications, or backups—and for teams deciding whether that system should stay, change, or move to the cloud.
Describe the storage environmentGreater BostonOn-site and remote
What we handle
Treat the storage, network, access, and recovery path as one system.
A NAS is not safe merely because it has multiple drives, and a file server is not supportable merely because staff can still open a folder. We document what the system holds, who depends on it, and how the business would recover.
NAS and shared-storage design
Size capacity and performance, define shares and ownership, plan network placement, choose practical redundancy, and separate storage decisions from backup claims.
DesignPermissions and identity
Align access with roles, remove stale accounts, reduce shared credentials, document administrators, and connect identity cleanly where the platform supports it.
AccessMigration and cutover
Map source data, remove avoidable clutter, test permissions and applications, sequence the move, validate user access, and keep a defined rollback or recovery path.
MigrationBackup and restore planning
Define what is protected, where independent copies live, how long versions are kept, who receives failure alerts, and how representative restores will be tested.
ContinuityLifecycle and remote access
Review firmware, drive health, warranty, capacity trends, secure administration, remote-work requirements, and the point at which repair or expansion stops being responsible.
OperationsRedundancy is not recovery
A healthy array can still hold deleted, encrypted, or inaccessible files.
We separate uptime, backup, versioning, off-site protection, and recovery testing so leadership understands what each control can—and cannot—recover from.
Known ownership and recovery
The business knows what is stored, who can reach it, and what happens when it fails.
That clarity makes day-to-day support easier and turns a future migration or incident into a managed process rather than an emergency discovery exercise.
- An inventory of storage, shares, owners, administrators, and dependencies
- Permissions tied to people and roles instead of inherited guesses
- Backup expectations separated clearly from drive redundancy
- A tested, documented path for representative file restoration
- A lifecycle decision based on risk, capacity, support, and business need
Common questions
Before changing a shared-storage system.
Does RAID mean the NAS is backed up?
No. Drive redundancy can help a system remain available through certain hardware failures, but it does not create an independent historical copy or protect against every deletion, corruption, account compromise, theft, fire, or ransomware scenario.
Should we move everything to SharePoint?
Not automatically. SharePoint is strong for many document and collaboration workflows, but large files, specialized applications, archive patterns, permissions, path dependencies, and internet constraints can make a NAS or another platform the better fit. We assess the workload before recommending a destination.
Can you recover a failed NAS or hard drive?
We can assess accessible data, configuration, backups, and safe recovery options. If hardware is failing, making unusual sounds, physically damaged, encrypted, or no longer readable, we may recommend stopping use and referring the media to a qualified data-recovery laboratory rather than risking further damage.
Can we keep the existing NAS and just improve the backup?
Often, yes. If the hardware is supported, healthy, appropriately sized, and secure, a focused project can improve monitoring, permissions, independent backups, restore testing, and documentation without replacing the primary system.
What information is useful before discovery?
Share the manufacturer and model, approximate age and capacity, number of users, key file types, current backup destinations, remote-access method, recent warnings, and whether any application stores data on the system. Do not send passwords through the website.
What does the business depend on this storage system to keep?
Describe the hardware, users, data, current backup, and the decision or problem in front of you. If a drive is failing or data has disappeared, stop avoidable writes and say so in the first message.