What is “File Server Enablement” (Cloud Enabling the File Server)
For years the file server has been the authoritative location of corporate data. But with increasingly mobile businesses and enterprises, accessing files through a virtual private network (VPN) or file transfer protocol (FTP) can seem both inefficient and inconvenient.
“File Server Enablement,” or cloud enabling the file server, is a feature offered by business-grade cloud sync products that allows syncing to occur between the file server and the cloud. File Server Enablement adds the cloud productivity layer to the file server, allowing employees to access business-critical documents from their phones, tablets and laptops, anywhere and at any time.
File Server Enablement will map the entire file and folder structure to users or team shares in the cloud. The files are synced completely once, and from then on, any and only the revisions are synced to the cloud.
Benefits of File Server Enablement – Saying Bye to FTP and VPN (and Dropbox)
Cloud enabling the file server allows users to access, read and change corporate data located on the file server using web and mobile applications on their preferred devices. In addition, they can revise, share and collaborate on files located on the file server like never before. By providing anytime, anywhere access to business assets, File Server Enablement can radically increase employee and organizational productivity; employees no longer have to grapple with the file server, manually downloading and uploading versions of files.
In this way, File Server Enablement reduces the dependence on traditional (outdated) ways of accessing the file server, including FTP and VPN, which can be slow, complicated and inconsistent. Additionally, File Server Enablement is a viable alternative to risky employee end-runs, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, etc.
As an IT administrator, cloud enabling the file server gives unprecedented control and transparency. For example, administrators, can easily block or give file server access to new employees, view the activities of existing users, track a file’s revision history or even throttle bandwidth usage. Rather than deal with individual users accessing the file server through VPN or FTP, cloud enabling the file server gives IT administrators a global view of their clients and the file servers they manage. This type of insight can reduce redundancies, lost data, and ultimately, labor.
And best of all…
While all of these benefits are being achieved because of the cloud, businesses can maintain the file server as the single authoritative location for all corporate data.