Have you realized that the obvious solutions like Dropbox, Google Drive, and SharePoint often come with hidden costs and challenges because of their limitations compared with traditional file servers?
Dropbox and Google Drive don't have the same level of centralized control as a file server. You may find yourself missing those NTFS permissions and the ability to know where your data is, who has access to it and what they're doing with it.
SharePoint also has some surprising limitations that affect scalability and migration time – mainly when used with the OneDrive sync
client (e.g., No more than 100,000 objects per site, 5,000 items in a folder, 400 characters in a file path, etc.)
Amazon WorkSpaces is an excellent solution for DaaS, but the GPUs required for engineering docs cost $755 - $999 per user per month, which is much higher than keeping the on-premise file servers.
Amazon WorkDocs does not migrate NTFS permissions or handle file locking well. The missing features will translate into higher training costs and other costs related to daily workflow changes.
The SharePoint limitations often manifest as synchronization or performance problems that prevent the OneDrive client's use after the migration is over. Or they can cause the migration to be delayed or abandoned because of impractical requirements for data reorganization and modification.
File server migration comes with limitations, time delays, and hidden costs in various forms. The migration process is something you would like to avoid if you know the limit ahead of time. So what are the migration benefits that motivated you to start migration in the first place?
Once files and folders are in the cloud, for example, in SharePoint, it is much easier for employees to get access to from remote locations.
It is much easier to send and receive files from business partners when the files are in the cloud without the corporate firewall limitations.
When files are in the cloud, they can serve as the second copy of the primary file server content, so there is a backup solution in case of a disaster.
If there is a solution that cuts down the migration time to zero, remove all these file server migration limitations, and enable your remote workers to access files and folders from their fingertips instantaneously. It is as secure as your current file servers. Would you like to see the solution today?
Why choose Gladinet?
With the Gladinet solution, the file-sharing solution is interoperable with existing file server network shares. It comes with Active Directory integration, cloud drive mapping, global file locking, and the NTFS permission control integrations. All these native integrations make the file-sharing solution more like an extension of the current file server instead of another data silo that takes data away.
Mapped drive over HTTPS channel to the corporate file server is a crucial feature. Employees are familiar with a mapped drive, and no additional training is required.
Corporate users already have corporate identities in Active Directory and related Active Directory federation service and SAML single-sign-on. They don't need yet another set of credentials to access a file-sharing solution.
Most of the file-sharing solutions offer manual file locking in the forms of "file check-in" and "check out." Gladinet provides automatic file locking by detecting file opening requests. When Microsoft Word is opening a file, the file locking process will be initiated automatically and finished automatically when the file editing finishes.
Finally, the ability to integrate with Active Directory and NTFS permission makes it so much easier for system administrators to set up the permission control. The permission features make the Gladinet solution stands out among the peers.
Because migration can happen in the background without affecting the user's actual daily work. Unlike other solutions, that migration is the foremost step to get the additional benefits working. With us, you can empower the remote workers first and do the background file server migration later. The productivity gain is right away, while the business continuity can take longer as a background task.
Other solutions are competing with the current file servers by taking data away from the file servers and retiring the file servers. Here at Gladinet, we say the cloud solution shall extend the existing file server and mimic file server functionalities to 100% possible. For example, we use Amazon S3 and Windows Azure blob storage as one of the building blocks and use existing file server network shares and Active Directory. As a result, the solution is compatible with current file servers and extends the file servers with cloud capabilities.
Step 1 - Gladinet software and service put a cloud layer over your existing file servers. It leverages your existing IT infrastructure to provide mobile and remote access and file-sharing capabilities. This way, your remote employees can use files and folders immediately from web browsers, mobile applications, and small computing devices without a VPN.
Step 2 - Option cloud backup feature enables backup of current file server content to cloud storage services such as Amazon S3 or Windows Azure blob. These generic cloud storage services are scalable and reliable without limits.
Step 3 - It is up to you to keep the current business operation or if you want to migrate to the cloud entirely. In between, remote employees use the existing file servers AS-IS, so there are familiar user experiences.
Gladinet software adds an intelligent web server front end to existing file servers. The web layer enables HTTPS-based file operations.
Optionally, the business can backup file server content to Amazon S3 or Windows Azure, or other private cloud storage services.
Once you migrate the data to the cloud in the background, businesses can decide whether to stay as-is or operate 100% from the cloud.
Ready to elevate file servers online and boost mobile workforce productivity?