Turning Complex Challenges into Seamless Business Solutions

Overview

A Mid size designing and drafting agency (20-40 employees) needed a secure, on premises file sharing solution that would allow staff to work from home without compromising data integrity or compliance.

Solution Overview

• Assessment & Design - Mapped the existing network topology and identified critical data assets. Designed a NAS architecture (Synology) with redundant power supplies, 10 GbE uplinks, and local SSD cache for performance. Provides a scalable foundation that can grow with user demand.

• User & Group Policy - Created AD groups aligned to departmental roles (Marketing, Finance, HR, Engineer). Configured NTFS permissions on shared volumes to enforce least privilege access. Eliminates accidental data exposure while keeping collaboration fluid.

• Authentication & VPN Installed - Windows Server 2019 as an Azure AD connected domain controller. Set up OpenVPN Server on the NAS and generated client profiles for every employee laptop, ensuring mutual TLS authentication. Guarantees that only verified users can reach the file server, regardless of location.

• Deployment & Training - Rolled out VPN clients via Intune scripts, provided a quick start guide, and conducted a live demo session. Monitored connection logs for 48 hours to validate reliability. Reduces onboarding friction and builds confidence in remote access.

Outcome

• 98 % of staff connected within the first week, with zero reported data loss incidents.

• VPN throughput remained above 90 Mbps on average, enabling smooth file transfers even during peak hours.

• The agency’s IT team praised the solution for its “plug and play” nature and minimal maintenance overhead.

Key Takeaway

Choosing the right hardware is the most important and value added pactice for the client and reducing the clusters on premises.