CentreStack transforms traditional file servers into cloud file servers

Are your users struggling with VPN-based access to file shares from AWS Storage Gateway ? For many enterprises, AWS Storage Gateway is a killer service that allows them to create a local file server that is really a gateway that connects to AWS storage services, such as Amazon S3, Amazon S3 Glacier, Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive, Amazon EBS, and AWS Backup, providing storage for files, volumes, snapshots, and virtual tapes in AWS. In other words, you can build a local file server that is a very convenient front end for these cloud-based storage services. So what’s the problem? The trouble is that remote access needs remain the same as a real file server that is fully on-premises. VPN-based connections are the standard but users tend to have trouble with them and generate lots of support calls and tickets. There were the exact issues faced by the Atlanta Regional Commission after finding that about 20% of their staff were facing constant connectivity issues with their VPN con...

Are you paying for a Cisco or Palo Alto firewall with a VPN client like AnyConnect? Switching to CentreStack can turn those costs into profits or savings. The amazing thing is that CentreStack is also easier to use, faster and more secure.   Does this sound too good to be true? Are you wondering how we can offer more security than a VPN? And what if you’re locked in with a multi-year contract for your VPN\Firewall? Or what if you need the VPN or even RDP to run applications? Keep reading and we’ll address each of these issues.   Service provider reduces firewall and VPN costs by 80% I recently spoke with one of our MSP partners. They had a large law firm as a client. The firm was using a Cisco Firewall and the AnyConnect VPN client to allow remote workers to access files. After switching 115 users to CentreStack, costs were reduced by more than 80%. More importantly, it was a much simpler experience for remote workers which eliminated VPN-related tickets.   ...

Eliminating Ransomware Threats Many CentreStack users are starting to leverage the platform as a way to make their business ransomware proof and virtually guarantee they'll never have to pay another ransom. In fact, many of our MSP partners are gaining traction by combining CentreStack's productivity benefits with its ability to eliminate the threat of ransomware . For example, they'll use a combination of points like these:  Simpler to Use: More employees are working from and creating VPN support tickets. You are essentially managing each user's home network. CentreStack simplifies remote access and reduces VPN tickets to zero. Better Performance, Management and Security: CentreStack simplifies remote access with WAN optimized drive mapping  that allows you to focus on managing the corporate network, is faster than a VPN and has better security and connectivity Ransomware Proof: The platform uses versioning and behavioral heuristics to guarantee you'll never...

Businesses face many options and challenges when figuring out how to send documents securely online. While consumer-centric options may prove tempting with their ease of use and low cost, they may also expose organizations to otherwise avoidable security risks. Here’s a closer look at the challenges of sharing files securely in business, and how to identify a cloud-based option suitable for a professional environment. The Challenges of Sharing Files Securely Employees need to share files between themselves to get work done. However, finding a file sharing option can prove tricky. Unlike private consumers, companies face a load of extra challenges and requirements they must consider. Two prominent challenges relate to governance and include: 1. Staying Compliant Businesses that handle healthcare, legal, or financial information will fall under legal compliance requirements regarding how they handle their data. Among the many regulations may include requirements for data...

CentreStack now offers an upgraded iOS client that can automatically backup photos and videos from company-owned iPhones and iPads to a company-controlled file server or fully encrypted private cloud. This allows enterprises to maintain complete control of sensitive photos and videos by replicating them to corporately owned file servers. Or, if enterprises replicate the data to a private cloud, control is preserved by maintaining control of the private keys used for encryption, thereby preventing third party access. Consumer oriented media backup solutions such as iCloud and Google Photo usually fail to meet these requirements by forcing enterprises to store corporate data on third party servers. Though convenient, this may not serve an organization’s best interests if iOS devices capture sensitive recordings, photos, plans and schematics that should remain private. Even in less sensitive situations—like an architect using an iPad to take pictures of buildings, real estate agents ...

In the United States, an estimated 42 million workers can work from home . That’s about 29% of the entire workforce. While the network infrastructure that makes up the internet's backbone probably won’t break, the residential and home networks will suffer. More devices connecting to the same Wi-Fi network and more families using the same residential cable or copper wire connections will lead to remote workers experiencing slower speeds. When compared to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), cloud file sharing can reduce the lag and help employees remain productive from home. Why VPN File Sharing Solutions Add Overheads to Organizations VPNs enable remote access to company file servers by assigning a private, encrypted tunnel between the nodes via the internet. While these connections are secure, they have a variety of issues. When bandwidth is a problem, VPN will exacerbate the issue. Configuring a VPN is also a complex process and even with the best IT engineers, it ...

Across the globe, companies are rushing to implement work from home solutions that can help staff stay productive while working remotely. One of the easiest ways to get staff up and running is by using the same method they’ve been using in the office – mapped drives . Users in the office already know how to map a network drive or folder to their file explorer. By binding the file or folder’s Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, every time the user logs into the Active Directory (AD) on the domain, they’ll have access to all their mapped folders. Remote access requires users to authenticate with the AD before they can access any internal network resources. One way to do this is with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) but setting them up can challenge even the most experienced IT professional. Some companies may opt to use the WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) protocol. This is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to allow co-authoring and mana...

Accessing Windows SMB shares from Mac OS X is notoriously problematic. Connecting to the SMB share from a Mac OS X device is at first fairly straightforward. All you have to do is open Finder, select the 'Go' dropdown and then find the item called 'Connect to Server'. It will then prompt you for a path to the server The problem is that these connections are not very reliable and tend to get disconnected frequently or run into other issues. For example, you might find that the mapped drive responds very slowly. CentreStack offers a better approach that resolves these and other issues and is generally much more reliable. The Windows share is mapped as a drive over HTTPS using the CentreStack Mac client. The client also caches files on the local drive on demand and can work in offline mode to further enhance performance. In other works, working from the Windows SMB share becomes exactly the same as working from your local drive because it is the same! Cen...

We recently had the chance to speak with JR Tinney, CIO for BGB Group, a pharmaceutical company migrating from file servers in a private data center to Microsoft Azure. They had recently completed a merger with a company that already completed their migration to Azure and this made them realize that moving data from their servers into Azure would save them money, especially if they could move the data into Azure Files or Azure Blob storage instead of hosted file servers on Azure VMs. JR found us after trying to complete the migration with Azure Files and hitting a roadblock when he realized that Azure Files would only work when joined to the Azure AD domain. So he at first came to us looking for a client that would map a drive to Azure Files or map a drive to Azure Blob storage. But he was really trying to solve a broader set of issues which were all related to providing a seamless migration experience that would not disrupt the company’s business. His ...