Can Synology NAS Replace OneDrive for CAD Teams?

A missing Revit model, a locked DWG, or a slow upload before a client deadline is not a minor IT inconvenience. It can hold up an entire design team. So, can Synology NAS replace OneDrive? For many CAD, BIM, and engineering teams, it can replace part or most of the file-sharing role. But it is not a like-for-like swap, and the right answer depends on how your team creates, accesses, and protects project data.

OneDrive is a cloud productivity service designed around individual users and Microsoft 365 collaboration. A Synology NAS is business-owned storage that your organization manages, usually from the office or a data center. Synology Drive adds file synchronization, sharing, versioning, and remote access capabilities that can feel familiar to OneDrive users. The difference is ownership and responsibility: with a NAS, your business controls the hardware, storage capacity, permissions, backup design, and recovery process.

Where a Synology NAS Can Replace OneDrive

For a small or mid-sized technical team that primarily works with office-based files, a Synology NAS can be a strong OneDrive alternative. Synology Drive allows users to synchronize selected folders between workstations, access files through a browser, share files with controlled permissions, and restore earlier file versions. This supports common workflows for drawings, specifications, PDFs, rendered images, manufacturing documents, and completed project packages.

The biggest operational advantage is local performance. Large CAD assemblies, point-cloud files, rendered output, and BIM-related folders can be slow to upload, download, and resynchronize through a public cloud service. When staff work on a properly configured local network, files stored on a NAS are usually much faster to open and save than files that must travel through an internet connection.

That matters for teams working with AutoCAD, Revit, CAM data, simulation outputs, and supporting project documentation. A centrally managed NAS can also reduce the bad habit of keeping the only current project copy on a designer's workstation or external drive.

A Synology NAS is particularly suitable when your organization needs to retain control over confidential project files, client data, intellectual property, or contractual records. It can be configured with user groups, folder-level permissions, storage quotas, activity logs, and multi-factor authentication for remote users. For businesses with predictable storage growth, it also offers a clearer long-term path than continuously expanding per-user cloud subscriptions.

Why It Is Not Always a Full OneDrive Replacement

OneDrive has advantages that a NAS does not automatically reproduce. It is closely connected to Microsoft 365, Windows user accounts, Teams, Office applications, and browser-based document collaboration. If your staff regularly coauthor Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files in real time, OneDrive remains the easier environment.

Remote access is another consideration. A Synology NAS can support remote work, but it must be designed correctly. Your internet connection needs sufficient upload bandwidth, remote access must be secured, and staff need a reliable method to connect to files. A NAS located in one office will not perform like a local file server for someone working from another state or country. For large design files, latency can quickly become frustrating.

There is also a support difference. With OneDrive, Microsoft operates the underlying cloud platform. With a NAS, your business or IT partner is responsible for hardware health, operating system updates, storage alerts, account security, backup monitoring, and disaster recovery. That control is valuable only when it is matched by proper management.

For design teams, it is equally important not to confuse file synchronization with multi-user project collaboration. A synchronized folder is not automatically a safe place for several people to edit the same live CAD or Revit content. Sync conflicts can create duplicate files or overwrite changes when users work offline or edit the same file at the same time.

Can Synology NAS Replace OneDrive for Revit and AutoCAD Work?

For AutoCAD DWG files, a NAS can work very well as a central file location when permissions and naming practices are controlled. Multiple users can access a shared project folder, provided the team understands file locking, reference paths, and who owns each drawing at a given time. Local network access is generally the preferred setup for active CAD files.

Revit requires more caution. A Revit central model and its local files rely on consistent connectivity and supported collaboration workflows. Storing a live central model in a general-purpose sync folder can create corruption risks, especially when team members work remotely or synchronization is delayed. Synology Drive should not be treated as a replacement for a dedicated BIM collaboration platform when several users need to work concurrently on the same Revit model.

A practical approach is to use the NAS for project archives, linked documents, exports, families, templates, standards, issued drawing sets, and controlled internal file shares. Use an appropriate Revit collaboration solution for active multi-user models where cloud worksharing and external consultant coordination are required.

The same principle applies to other engineering tools. A NAS is excellent for governed storage and fast local access. It is not automatically the right system for every application that needs transaction-level file control, real-time collaboration, or vendor-hosted project coordination.

The Best Model Is Often Hybrid, Not Replacement

Many businesses get better results by assigning each platform a defined job instead of forcing one tool to do everything. A Synology NAS can become the central on-premises storage platform for active office files, local backups, archives, and high-capacity project data. OneDrive can remain available for Microsoft 365 documents, lightweight external sharing, and staff who need simple access to business files from different locations.

This hybrid model also improves resilience. If an employee accidentally deletes a file from a synced OneDrive folder, having a separate NAS copy may provide another recovery path. If a NAS has a hardware issue, an off-site cloud backup protects the organization from a single-location failure. The objective is not to maintain unnecessary copies. It is to make sure a project can be recovered when a device fails, an account is compromised, or an office becomes inaccessible.

For larger teams, a NAS can also support a structured storage model: active projects, read-only issued sets, client records, libraries, templates, and long-term archives. Clear permissions prevent junior staff, external parties, or unrelated departments from changing approved deliverables. That is a business control, not just an IT feature.

What Must Be in Place Before Migrating

Replacing OneDrive with a NAS should begin with a workflow review, not a hardware purchase. Identify which folders contain active collaborative documents, which files are large or performance-sensitive, which users require remote access, and which data must be retained for contractual or compliance reasons.

Before migration, confirm these operational requirements:

• A NAS sized for current data, projected growth, and redundant storage capacity rather than only the raw file total.

• A tested backup strategy with a separate off-site copy, because RAID protects against drive failure but is not a backup.

• Named user accounts, role-based permissions, multi-factor authentication, and a process for removing access when staff leave.

• Reliable network infrastructure, including managed switches, suitable workstation connectivity, and internet capacity for remote users.

• A documented file structure, naming standard, and training plan so staff know where to save, share, and archive project data.

The final item is often overlooked. Even the best storage platform cannot correct inconsistent drawing names, uncontrolled folder permissions, or staff who continue saving critical work to local desktops. Technical systems deliver value when teams are trained to use them consistently.

Cost, Control, and Support Considerations

A Synology NAS requires an upfront investment in the enclosure, drives, network equipment, power protection, setup, and backup destination. There may also be ongoing costs for maintenance, replacement drives, cloud backup storage, and IT support. OneDrive typically shifts more of that spending into predictable subscriptions and reduces infrastructure responsibility.

The right comparison is not only the purchase price. Consider the cost of slow access to large project files, the impact of lost data, the time spent resolving sync conflicts, and the risk of downtime during a deadline. For a technical business, storage should be evaluated as part of the operating environment that supports design delivery.

BLY Technology can help design-focused organizations assess the hardware, network, access controls, and user practices needed to support CAD and BIM file management. The aim is to match the solution to actual project workflows, not simply replace one storage product with another.

A Synology NAS is most valuable when it gives your team faster, more controlled access to the files that keep projects moving, while your backup and collaboration tools cover the risks it cannot solve alone.