Thai Nippon Foods Mitigates Operational Disruption Risks Through Synology

Thai Nippon Foods used to store and transfer operational data using private servers. For data protection, in addition to local backup of all data, they backed up their important files to the cloud. However, when the data has got attacked by ransomware, the data and backup data stored on the same server will be encrypted and cannot be accessed. Also, it could take up to days due to the internet limit to restore.

After experiencing an event that brought their servers down and disrupted operations at their plants, the company decided to upgrade their file servers to a redundant configuration and to implement backups over the local network for higher speeds and reliability. The goal was to minimize any downtime in case of server problems and restore PCs and VMs in the shortest time possible to ensure business continuity.

The company decided to look for a file server solution that supported a high-availability architecture, as well as a reliable, on-premises backup and restore solution to replace their existing cloud backup solution. The backup solution would also need to support high availability, to make sure no backups were skipped and restoration was always available.

The IT team deployed six Synology servers for both the new storage and backup solutions based on their support for Synology High Availability, the powerful data protection and restoration features on Synology Active Backup for Business, and the simple licensing model making for a transparent and attractive total cost of ownership.

For the production servers, two identical 16-bay RackStation units were set up in a Synology High Availability active-passive configuration at company headquarters in Ayutthaya and two 8-bay RackStation units were deployed in Phitsanulok, also in a high-availability configuration. The new configuration ensures low-latency local access to files and data at both branches and guarantees minimal annual downtime, with a passive server always ready to take over in case of planned or unexpected downtime on the active server.

A dedicated backup cluster was set up to back up PCs and virtual servers at headquarters by configuring two additional 16-bay rackmount units in a Synology High Availability configuration. Active Backup for Business allows admins to configure and monitor protection for all their endpoints from a central console and to quickly restore entire devices or machines from their Synology servers. With a passive server always ready to take over in case of disruptions, the company can rest assured that no backup points will be missed.

Thai Nippon Food leveraged Synology High Availability (SHA) to increase service availability, enable continuous production, and guard against business interruptions in case of planned or unexpected downtime on the active server.

The company rolled out Active Backup for Business to automatically protect business data through scheduled backups of all their PCs and VMs, managed from a powerful central console.

The solutions Thai Nippon Foods use are license-free and provided at no additional cost for compatible Synology devices. The IT team now save money on monthly cloud service and data forwarding fees, as well as time spent managing and renewing backup software licenses.