Synology Reverses Drive Validation Policy

Synology announced the release of DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.3, adding several useful new features to its network attached storage (NAS) device operating system. But the bigger news, perhaps, is that the company is reversing the drive validation policy that required customers with newer Synology NASes to use only its hard drives (HDDs).

“As data grows rapidly, advanced solutions are needed to manage, process, and unlock its full value,” Synology director Kenneth Hsu says. “DSM 7.3 helps customers confidently address evolving data management challenges on a platform that is secure, reliable, and ready to support AI transformation.”

Key new DSM features include:

• Synology Tiering, which automatically manages files so that the most frequently used are stored on high-performance storage while the least used are stored on more cost-effective tiers.
• Synology Office improvements that include shared labels, streamlined file requests, enhanced file locking for teams, and email moderation and domain sharing in MailPlus.
• AI Console improvements like custom data masking and filtering, and, coming soon, support for OpenAI-compatible APIs for integrating private AI with cloud-based AI services.
• Improved security through the adoption of industry-recognized risk indicators, including KEV, EPSS, and LEV, for stronger threat prioritization and protection. Synology notes, too, that it has proactively applied over 40 security updates in the past 12 months.

DSM 7.3 also introduces what Synology describes as expanded storage flexibility. Synology is collaborating with drive makers to expand the range of storage media that is certified to work reliably with its NAS products. And it is opening up its 2025 model-year DiskStation Plus, Value, and J-series NASes running DSM 7.3 to work with third-party drives.

DSM 7.3 is now available as a free update. You can view the release notes and learn more about the new drive compatibility policies for DSM 7.3 and up on the Synology Knowledge Center.