Software Features
Early in the setup process QNAP SMB systems ask if the system will be used in a business or home. Your answer dictates the initial system configuration and the applications installed. At any point you can add business or home applications depending on your need. I almost always choose business because I don't use all of the applications for home users.
Over the last quarter QNAP released QTS 4.2 Beta, our first look at the upcoming operating system GUI that sets the stage for years to come. QTS 4.2 isn't a radical departure from previous releases but it does look and feel a little different.
QNAP's QTS software ships with several pre-installed features from the factory. The loaded QPKG packages, QNAP's version of an app for your NAS, are enough to get you started. The company has more than 160 additional QPKG apps available for free. Users can download the applications from the NAS operating system via a dedicated page. The software will automatically download the application and install it without hassle. The apps offer a good mix of client software, the things you may use in your home, and pure business applications. You can see the full list here.
QNAP's software also goes beyond the NAS as well. A number of mobile apps for iOS and Android allow users to take the content stored on the NAS on the road through an Internet connection. The transcoding feature in the TVS-863+ plays an important role when streaming video to remote locations. The mobile applications support much more than just video. You can see the full list of mobile applications here.