Editorial Independence & How We Make Recommendations
No vendor can pay for rankings, recommendations or verdicts. Here's exactly how we make decisions and what commercial relationships we have.
Every product recommendation, ranking, and "best of" conclusion on Need to Know IT is based on editorial judgement. Not commercial relationships.
How we make recommendations
Our assessment criteria:
- Performance and specifications. Real-world capability against the use case, not marketing claims
- AU market availability. Products must be genuinely purchasable in Australia at reasonable lead times
- AU pricing and value. Assessed against AU RRP, not US pricing converted at spot rate
- Warranty and support. AU statutory warranty, local distributor support, and vendor track record
- Fit for the stated use case. A product that is technically excellent but wrong for the reader's situation will not be recommended
Rankings are determined by these criteria alone. A product will not be ranked higher because we have an affiliate relationship with a retailer that stocks it. A product will not be excluded because we don't.
Affiliate links. What they are and what they don't do
Some pages on this site contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission from the retailer at no extra cost to you.
Every page that contains affiliate links carries a disclosure statement at the top of the page.
What affiliate relationships do not affect:
- Which products are included in a comparison
- How products are ranked
- The conclusions we reach in reviews or buying guides
Every best-of guide on this site includes at least one product for which we have no affiliate relationship. This is a structural rule, not a guideline. It is the proof of the editorial standard we hold ourselves to.
Commercial relationships we currently have
| Relationship | Detail |
|---|---|
| Amazon Associates | ID: ntkit-22. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We earn a commission on qualifying purchases via Amazon AU links. |
| UGREEN (via Impact.com) | We earn a commission on qualifying UGREEN NAS purchases via UGREEN AU links on this site. UGREEN also supplied the HA100 HomeAgent unit we covered. |
We will update this table as new commercial relationships are established.
What we do not have and will not accept:
- Pay-for-placement arrangements (no vendor can pay to be ranked higher, to be included in a ranking, or to be included in the brand directory). Our directory of NAS setup providers is a separate listing service with its own rules, set out under "Provider directory" below.
- Sponsored rankings or "partner" product slots within editorial content
- Exclusivity arrangements with any retailer or vendor
- Any arrangement that requires editorial approval by a commercial partner before publication
Review units and vendor-supplied products
We may accept review units from vendors. A unit never changes what we recommend, and the page says how we used it.
When a review unit is used:
- The review page will carry a clear disclosure: "Review unit provided by [vendor]. Editorial independence maintained."
- If the hardware has problems, we will report them. Acceptance of a review unit is not acceptance of a positive review.
- The vendor has no right of review, approval, or amendment of content before or after publication.
Sponsored content
We do not currently publish sponsored content. We accept enquiries about clearly labelled sponsored features.
If we publish one, it will be:
- Clearly labelled as sponsored on the page
- Separated from editorial content
- Subject to a 90-day blackout from editorial coverage of that brand or topic following publication
- Never placed within or adjacent to editorial rankings
Provider introductions
If you ask us for help with a NAS installation, migration or backup setup, we may suggest a specific Australian provider who takes small jobs. We name the provider and ask you first. Nothing is passed on unless you agree to that provider.
We do not currently receive referral fees or any other payment from service providers. If we agree one, we will add it to the table above and tell you before you agree to an introduction. No provider can pay to be suggested. We suggest a provider because of the job and their published services, prices and coverage; a referral arrangement is not a quality endorsement.
Provider directory
Our directory of NAS setup providers lists Australian businesses that asked to be listed and confirmed their own details. We check each business on the Australian Business Register. We have not tested or endorsed any provider's work, and you deal with the provider directly.
Providers are shown in alphabetical order within the area and service you choose. Listing is free while the directory is being set up. Later, providers will pay a monthly fee to stay listed. That fee pays for a listing, never a position: it does not change the order, it does not make a provider more likely to be suggested when you ask us for help, and it has no effect on anything else we publish. When fees start, we will add them to the table above.
Who runs this site
Need to Know IT is an independent Australian publisher focused on storage, infrastructure, and data management. All content is published under the "Need to Know IT Team" byline. The site operates as an independent entity with an active ABN and ASIC registration.
We do not accept direction on editorial content from employers, clients, vendors, distributors, or advertisers.
Contact
If you have a question about how a specific recommendation was made, or want to flag a potential conflict of interest, contact us via the Contact page.
Last updated: 26 October 2026