At COMPUTEX 2026, the discussion around artificial intelligence shifted from cloud-centric models to the critical need for localized, secure, and resilient data infrastructure. Synology made waves at the event by announcing the next chapter of DiskStation Manager (DSM), featuring deep AI integration designed to streamline enterprise workflows.
We sat down with Jason Sin, Country Manager of Synology Malaysia, to discuss how the company is positioning itself as the “beating heart” of local AI inferencing for mid-market businesses, its trickle-down strategy for prosumers, and the crucial safety nets keeping automated AI agents in check.
1. Empowering the AI Foundation: Storage Meets Local Inferencing
Q: Synology has announced the next chapter of DSM with more AI integration here at the show. How is Synology positioning itself against other server or vendor giants as the ‘beating heart’ of local AI inferencing for mid-market businesses?
Jason Sin: Primarily, Synology positions itself in an empowering role, building the foundation for AI. Take our latest PAS7700, for example. It is an incredibly powerful, fast storage solution engineered to eliminate single points of failure while ensuring continuous service availability. With a heavy focus on NVMe flash performance, low latency, and enterprise resiliency, it supports both file and block storage protocols. This makes it ideal for virtualization, databases, AI workloads, and large-scale applications. Ultimately, it gives customers the robust foundation they need to integrate our system into their own AI engines.
Alongside this, we introduced the DP7400, a purpose-built backup appliance under the ActiveProtect family. Unlike traditional NAS-based backup deployments, the DP7400 arrives preconfigured with ActiveProtect Manager, offering a single integrated platform for centralized data protection across physical servers, VMs, databases, SaaS applications, and remote sites.
For enterprises seeking a comprehensive, turnkey Synology solution specifically for local inference, we also announced the RackStation 26-series alongside AI Station, which features dedicated GPU support.
2. The Tech Trickle-Down: Bringing AI to SMEs and Prosumers
Q: What if SMEs or prosumers want to integrate AI into their current Synology setup? Are we going to see DiskStations with GPUs anytime soon?
Jason Sin: It is simply a matter of time. While I cannot comment on future DiskStation hardware roadmaps right now, Synology traditionally deploys features using a top-down methodology. We first meet the demands of enterprise users, and then slowly trickle those features down to SMEs and prosumers.
However, that does not mean we are leaving smaller businesses or prosumers in the dust. Right now, we offer robust AI integration within DSM via the AI Console. Through this, users can link their favorite cloud-based AI services, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, directly into their Synology environment. This unlocks an AI-powered productivity suite capable of content generation, email summaries, live translations, and meeting recaps.
To address data privacy concerns, one of the standout features of the AI Console is De-identification. This tool automatically masks sensitive user data—like credit card numbers, names, or ID numbers—before prompts are transmitted to public cloud AI providers, ensuring business data remains secure.
3. Securing the AI Agent: Guardrails Against Prompt Poisoning
“If your front-facing security is compromised, you have a much bigger problem on your hands than AI prompt poisoning.”
— Jason Sin, Country Manager, Synology Malaysia
Q: During the Synology briefing on “The Next Chapter of DSM”, the demo of the DSM AI Agent showed how it could streamline routine workflows, validate backups, and investigate security incidents. Because it has enough authority to change user account statuses, what safety nets exist against rogue AI agents or prompt poisoning?
Jason Sin: You have pointed out a very critical aspect of modern tech security. Right now, DSM is fiercely protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA). This acts as our foundational barrier, preventing malicious actors from gaining the access required to inject harmful prompts or command the AI agent. Look at it this way: if your front-facing security is compromised, you have a much bigger problem on your hands than AI prompt poisoning.
That being said, we absolutely plan for worst-case scenarios where an entire system might be compromised. This is where Synology’s immutable backups come into play. IT administrators can tighten security controls on the fly and safely restore the environment to a clean state.
Looking ahead, we are also integrating malware detection directly into the backup process. This is a highly requested feature from our enterprise customers because it actively prevents malicious elements from sneaking into backups, ensuring that your recovery points remain completely untainted.
The Road Ahead for Secure Local AI
As the lines between data storage and data intelligence continue to blur, Synology’s showcase at COMPUTEX 2026 highlights a clear trajectory: the future of enterprise efficiency lies in localized AI infrastructure that refuses to compromise on security. By pairing high-performance hardware like the PAS7700 and AI Station with intelligent, privacy-first guardrails like DSM’s De-identification tool, Synology is bridging the gap between cutting-edge automation and ironclad data sovereignty.
While enterprise users will be the first to leverage these dedicated local inferencing tools, the promised trickle-down effect ensures that smaller businesses and prosumers won’t be left behind. In an era where data is a company’s most valuable asset, Synology is ensuring that businesses of all sizes can step into the next chapter of AI safely, resiliently, and on their own terms.
