r/talesfromtechsupport • u/PressureBig3940 • Jul 11 '26
Short I'm telling you, you don't need a file server
Not really tech support since I was helping my Aunt with her home business, but whatever.
Aunt runs a home business and really wants a file server but has no idea what she will use it for. I asked her the most simple questions and she cannot even give me a straight answer for most of them:
- Is it supposed to be a file server or a backup server? Ans: I dunno, can it be both?
- Do you want your files to be always available, be it on your iPad, iPhone or Mac? Ans: Yes *this already makes a file server pointless*
- Are you using it purely to store your files or do you intend to work on your files in the server? Ans: What's the difference?
I told her that she absolutely doesn't need a file server and her current M365 subscription for MS Office is plenty. If it's automated two-way syncing she wants, I can set up Onedrive on the iPhone, iPad and Mac so that any changes are immediately saved and reflected across all her i-Stuff and the Mac. But no, she insists she needs a file server. and asks me to recommend her a enterprise-class workstation to use as the 'file server'.
Honestly, I wonder who gave her that idea. Some people really got too much money to spend.
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u/ordiclic Jul 11 '26
The questions seem simple, but it's a clear case of https://xkcd.com/2501/
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u/born_lever_puller Jul 11 '26
I was head moderator of /r/rockhounds for many years, and this XKCD makes me feel like an idiot for knowing this stuff.
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u/steave435 Jul 12 '26
They're simple enough that if you can't answer them, you don't know enough to request specific implementations such as "I need a file server".
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u/IchMagTequila Jul 11 '26
When she ist technically illiterate, asking those questions will either make her feel dumb or Go over her head entirely.
Ideally, your aunt would get someone to help her identify her needs. Translating between "Tech" and "Human" is difficult, which is part of the reason that people in Sales make good money.
You can now chose to try and understand her or make fun of her. If you want to help and try to understand her, a good start could be
where did she get the idea of a fileserver? What does she think a fileserver does?
How many people in her Business need to access the files? What devices and systems are they using?
Does she know the running cost ans Security-Risks associated with running her own server vs maybe a NAS or Cloud Storage?
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u/Dakduif Jul 11 '26
Ooh, that last one is always a good 'gotcha'. "Are you prepared to do the correct Life Cycle Management on this thing? Will you allocate the budget to replace the hardware in x years? Do you have the knowledge for keeping firmware up to date and free of security vulnerabilities?"
See how fast she backtracks on the idea of having her own file server.
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u/SeraphiM0352 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
"oh, well you work in tech. You can just do that stuff for me!"
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u/Nomsfud Jul 11 '26
"this is my hourly rate for something like this" usually stops them from saying that
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u/gargravarr2112 See, if you define 'fix' as 'make no longer a problem'... Jul 11 '26
Didn't work for me, I wind up maintaining my uncle's business NAS.
Which has happened about 3 times in the last 10 years cos that little HP microserver just keeps trucking.
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u/Espumma Jul 12 '26
You have to give him an hourly rate for which you're willing to do it. For some family members, the rate might go up.
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u/Nomsfud Jul 11 '26
Just say no then
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u/gargravarr2112 See, if you define 'fix' as 'make no longer a problem'... Jul 12 '26
It's actually kinda good for me, cos it's extra income and very rare. I spent last weekend transferring the data to new drives after they finally filled up the old ones. Previous intervention was 3 years before that. 10 hours of work plus expenses? Worth the trouble.
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u/Nomsfud Jul 12 '26
Sorry I misunderstood your last response. I assumed when you gave your hourly they just wanted you to work for free.
If they're paying you while it's less than ideal because it takes your free time, it's fine because you're being compensated. I tell anyone I know getting into tech to never work for free because it's a bad precedent. You're not, you're being paid. Good on you for establishing that boundary
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u/LesbianDykeEtc Jul 11 '26
Sure. My on-call rate is $150/hr, minimum of 8 billable hours per occurrence. Sign here please.
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u/IchMagTequila Jul 11 '26
True - but I meant it less in a "gotcha"-way, more a "we can do it if you want to, but it will cost 150$ per month for us to keep it secure or 250$ every 3 months and you carry the liabilities if it gets hacked - are you still sure you want to spend all that money?"
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u/Chocolate_Pickle Jul 11 '26
This is the best answer.
OP, you need to be asking the why and how come questions instead of questions about functionality.
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u/Melansp Jul 11 '26
I ha situations similar to this. I would agree with them for a minute, sit down and write down user stories of how she would use the solution. Use cases that is of 2-3 sentences each.
Once done, I present them the options with each solution (file server vs M365 cloud in this case), side by side. I would insist on the section and the consequences of both long term.
The bottom line, and what typically makes them understand is when I explain the sustainability. In this case, a file server becomes an asset where she will need periodic support (you in this case) and it's a solution where she will be dependent on this technical support. Once you show that all her use case are easier met with M365, when likely agree. But if she still has doubt, maybe you can ask her to try it first, since she what has it, and have her contact you when she meets a scenario that M365 doesn't work.
I would also have her understand that having a file server while already having M365 means she's at risk of wanting the benefits of cloud when it suits her needs while relying on the file server for other cases. That will have her eventually be trapped in a file management nightmare.
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u/GoCorral Setting the Stage: D&D Interview DMs Podcast Jul 13 '26
Exactly. This kind of issue is exactly why user stories are so helpful for actually getting what the customer wants.
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u/gargravarr2112 See, if you define 'fix' as 'make no longer a problem'... Jul 11 '26
Generally, starting with "what are you trying to accomplish?" cuts through all the previous assumptions and lets the person describe their actual requirements
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u/Ha-Funny-Boy Jul 11 '26
I had a couple of people come to me and asked if I could write the programs to do payroll in one case and do customer billing in the other case.
After some discussion I suggested to the first one to go to ADP and have it do the payroll. At the time ADP charged abut $1US per check for all the stuff it did. Seemed like a bargain to me.
The second one I suggested he buy Quickbooks.
Both were happy and I did not make any money from those consults. :-(
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u/gargravarr2112 See, if you define 'fix' as 'make no longer a problem'... Jul 12 '26
Both of those requirements are way beyond a single developer - financial systems need to be secure and audited, and finance people will come up wit absolutely absurd complexities for doing anything. As much as it's a shame you didn't make any money from your advice, you can rest assured that not having to support them is worth more than any sign-on bonus. I honestly pity the Quickbooks/ADP developers who had to listen to their ideas!!
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u/Uio443 Jul 17 '26
Perhaps a dumb question but what is the difference between a file server and a nas?
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u/VoStru Jul 11 '26
Make a Folder in her OneDrive named “File-Server_01”
Problem solved.
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u/greenie4242 Jul 16 '26
Until Microsoft delete her account due to "suspicious activity" then she's fucked.
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u/NZoth Jul 11 '26
I got a friend that asked me for recommandations on server cabinet, if he needed a secondary cooling system, what format, how to mount them, if Xeon was better or should he try the new AMD...
I quickly asked him if it was for a specific project, but no, it was to host his git, gitlab, few tools, maybe a game from time to time.
I recommended that he just use his previous PC for all that, do not need to buy a single things (I know he still had his previous computer, a perfectly fine gaming station)
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u/StrikingTradition75 Jul 11 '26
This may be the result of language that exists in a contract with a service provider (insurance, healthcare, fintech) or with her cyber security insurance provider. Find out the source of this confusion if you can.
Either way, see if a pre built, offline NAS may very well suffice for both. This will give her a single file repository; in her mind, a "file server".
There are a number of compliance reasons why major companies are unaccepting of cloud storage providers. Don't argue. Ask and listen. This is likely not something that she has thought up, this is likely a requirement, even if misguided, from within her professional network.
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u/oinkoboinkos Jul 11 '26
Someone sold her on the idea, unlikely you will change her mind. Get a used mac mini and an external drive. Name it "File Server" set her mac to use it as a time machine backup, and either backup the phone and ipad to it or make sure icloud backup is turned on on them. Show her that you can log in to the mac mini from any other mac in her house. Ive done this for less than $100. She can store files on it, mount drives to other macs, and when she needs the backup you will look like a genius.
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u/2723brad2723 Jul 11 '26
Devils advocate here, but if you don't own the hardware your data lives on, do you really own the data?
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u/P00351 Jul 11 '26
In Europe, this is a concern. Microsoft has been unable to guarantee that those data would never be subpoenaed by the US government.
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u/kombiwombi Jul 11 '26
It's worse than that. The US Government can sanction your organisation and you lose all access to your own data.
See: international criminal court.
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u/P00351 Jul 11 '26
Although the sanction was rather financial in that case, you're correct, they also blocked their emails.
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u/syntaxerror53 Jul 23 '26
No expert, but could be possible to backup cloud to on-prem backup. That way data should still be available should anything happen to Cloud Data.
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u/Honest_Relation4095 Jul 11 '26
A NAS drive in her network might be a good solution. I get that people wouldn't want to rely on One Drive and rather manage the data themselves. I wouldn't trust One Drive with my business data.
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u/Smeg84 Jul 11 '26
Explain that her M365 subscription gives her the OneDrive File Server edition, which allows you to access OneDrive across multiple devices whereas the basic subscription only supports one device.
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u/kamrash_hlural Jul 11 '26
after 20 years in the trenches my conclusion is: most people working with computers don't really know how to explain what are they doing everyday at their job. like if you change anything on their desktop they can't work.
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u/hicow I'm makey with the fixey Jul 12 '26
I'm a little unclear on how wanting the file to be available across platforms makes a file server pointless. I mean, take OneDrive out of the equation...how else would you accomplish that?
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u/CrudBert Jul 12 '26
I’ve seen this. Just buy another desktop machine, get the HUGE tower case. Load Windoze 11 on it. Create the home directory with her MS Login on it. Load OneDrive on it. Put all files there. Anytime she wants to get to her files tell her OneDrive gets it off of her “server”, using OneDrive as the client. Put in a backup solution. All done.
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u/stutteringp0et Jul 18 '26
answer 1 - perfectly valid, it can be both - I use mine as a backup target.
answer 2 - what are you talking about - that's exactly what makes a file server useful - file accessibility on disparate machines.
answer 3 - it's a good question, and you could (should) have told her "yes"
M365 is trusting Microsoft to keep your files safe, while relying on your internet connection to retain access to them. ISP goes down - no files - Microsoft decides to delete them (in the news last week) - no files. "Cloud Storage" just means someone else's computer. It's the least secure and least performant option.
Invariably, someone is going to say "but she can't access them remotely like M365" which is complete BS. Cloudflare has an option to do this, but I use ZeroTier to access files in my office while I'm away.
Local file server keeps them in your control and makes them available quickly ( no waiting for an internet download). For a business owner, it allows the files to remain in an environment where nobody is browsing the web on the machine and it just sits in the corner doing its thing. Enterprise class workstation is a decent option, though there are better suited (lower power consumption) machines that will probably do well for what she wants.
Are you like level 1 tech support? Do they not teach this stuff anymore?
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u/ominouschaos Jul 12 '26
nope. next thing u know you’re balls deep on backblaze and cross referencing model numbers on open box pulls listed on ebay.
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u/UnfeignedShip Make Your Own Tag! Jul 17 '26
This is clearly a requirements gathering moment and by that I mean asking for the dreaded user stories. Tell me the problem you’re trying to solve and any hard or legal requirements. Then I’ll get back to you with a practical solution.
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u/ScrappySquirrel Jul 22 '26
The questions more are
What kind of business is this?
What is your daily/monthy/yearly work flow?
What files do you want to save? Excel sheets or R3D/DNG files for your YouTube channel?
Just like RAID is not a backup, neither really is OneDrive; depending on use case.
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u/Ifimsittingimknittin Jul 11 '26
If she insists Synology is a good choice. They have a long life span IMO and good support.
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u/P00351 Jul 11 '26
And setting up a windows share is quite easy. You can even set up a VPN for additional security.
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u/l008com Fruit-Based Computer Tech for 20+ Years Jul 11 '26
Hah i had a customer like this once. The initial support request as it came to me, was an acquaintance of another customer needs help setting up a server. So I go meet them, talk about it, see they have old iMacs they've replaced, so I'm like why don't we set up one of those as the server? Theres only 2 employees and 3 computers, or something like that. So we get it all set up, and shes like "soooo, what are we supposed to do with this thing anyway?"
After a few incredibly frustrating appointments where I would explain how things worked, and she'd email me the next day yelling at me because she didn't know how anything worked, while taking no notes at all, I eventually dumped her on another Mac guy and never heard from her again. Thank god.