Store windows files on ubuntu

Question

A small accounting firm (70-80 people) needs to store different files (.pdf, .xlsx, .doc, etc) in a single point and access it via the internet (everything would be hosted at home on a dedicated server, after purchasing it :)). The problem is that a Windows server for active directory would be too expensive, it would have to be active 24/7 and some older people working in the field would need to have easy access (network mapped drive), not other software, so the solutions on which I would consider are:

1) Samba, but I don't really know if it handles continuous data transfers or transfer speeds. There would be two users because the files generated from their accounting programs are shared by most employees and the administrator who would have access to delete to avoid accidental deletion)

2) TrueNas - I'm not familiar with how secure it is or how I could write a script for automatic backup

3) SFTP - but are you going to make an Ubuntu server with this protocol to transfer any type of files from windows, and it's not slower?

4) Cloud - but it seems a bit expensive - you need to store around 5TB plus backups

I know I'm not well documented but I would appreciate at least some advice and in which direction I could go.

Answer 1

The application you should consider is Dropbox for Teams Advanced option.

I have no relationship with Dropbox other than as a private user in the ubuntu environment having considered a number of options including NAS with all it's associated requirements in a non IT professional environment.

The Advanced option is 15€ per user per month with unlimited storage space and a number of features you will find useful in an accounting business environment, particularly maintaining files in a secure location, as opposed to the associated risks with locally based NAS solutions where data/hardware theft might be of concern.

Dropbox is capable of running on multiple platforms.

The link to Dropbox is here and there is an option to initially try it for free before committing to a plan and there are of course free plans too where appropriate.