CentreStack transforms traditional file servers into cloud file servers

We recently worked with an engineering company that had accumulated 300TB of data on-premises. They have over 1,000 employees across 83 locations generating about 10 TB of new data per month as they provide analysis of design failures and expert testimony for any associated legal proceedings.  By their estimates, housing this data on-premises costs them an average of $2,000 / TB / month after adding up all the management and infrastructure costs associated with the required deployment.  They decided to migrate all 300 TB to the cloud to cut costs since SharePoint's costs per TB are comparatively low at $190/TB. However, they soon realized that they really didn't require constant, expensive access to all 300 TB so they elected to save even more by moving the majority of their storage to a cloud-based archive.  But there was a catch. Even though they were essentially archiving the data, they needed it to remain easily accessible as if it were still on a file server.  U...

We just released an article explaining how to use  Cloudflare with Triofox  servers so you don't have to provide your own SSL certificates. And of course, the same approach can be used to simplify CentreStack installation. However, an additional benefit of this approach is that you're also taking advantage of the Cloudflare CDN to accelerate access to your content.  According to Cloudflare's CDN Performance Article : "Virtually everyone on the Internet has experienced the benefits of a Content Distribution Network ( CDN ). The majority of technology companies including companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft use CDNs to reduce latency in loading web page content. A CDN will typically place servers at the exchange points between different networks. These  internet exchange points (IXPs)  are the primary locations where different Internet providers link to each other in order to provide each other access to resources on their different networks. In addition to ...

A significant challenge when using Dropbox as a sync and backup solution for a file server with a large data set is that your daily productivity can be significantly reduced if the file server and Dropbox ever lose synchronization. This can happen because of bugs, natural disasters, or power outages. In this article, we explain how one company learned this the hard way after their business was virtually on hold while waiting for 2 weeks to resynchronize data. We'll also explore how they guaranteed it would never happen again by using CentreStack for remote access to their file shares with cloud backup enabled.  One of our MSP partners recently asked us to help them demo CentreStack to a customer that specialized in construction photography. The company had generated more than 10 TB of data as they documented the construction of skyscrapers in New York. This data was stored on their local file server but they needed a way to solve three issues: Remote photographers n...

  Secure file sharing is a major challenge of remote working. Organizations with branches distributed across different locations need a unified, secure means of communication that can enable seamless collaboration between various branches, partners, and stakeholders.   There are various methods to combat this challenge, but each carries distinct disadvantages ranging from cost to complexity. Additionally, most of the effective solutions require complementary services that make extraneous products necessary, leaving gaps that create more problems in the long run. However,   our corporate cloud solution, complete with sync and share features for data centralization, provides an optimal, comprehensive solution. Flexible and efficient, using a cloud-based file server as a centralized data repository and access point is the best solution for businesses whose needs align with the benefits of cloud-based storage services. Nevertheless, given the fairly new development of ...

  Cloud computing is not a new trend for small businesses, although it is a fast-growing one. According to Cisco, Cloud data center traffic is expected to represent 95% of total global data center traffic by 2021. And, as more businesses open up to full cloud migration, many feel the need to engage managed services providers to cater to their IT needs. These needs differ so it is vital to understand the client’s IT infrastructure and workload requirement in order to deliver on a cloud solution that fully supports their business.  But cloud migration doesn’t have to be a nightmare for either party. So in this article, we will share ways to eliminate migration complications as well as how MSP partners can completely simplify the process for their SMB clients. Background One Drive and SharePoint are two reputable cloud service platforms, however, they do have scalability limitations. For example, the problems below were experienced by an MSP partner reselling both Dro...

For  many  companies, Amazon WorkDocs and WorkSpaces are two of AWS’s most interesting options for cloud collaboration and computing. Amazon’s Desktop-As-A-Service (DaaS) solution, Amazon WorkSpaces , enables engineering teams to work without workstations. It provides a cloud-based virtual desktop and has WorkSpaces bundles that meet the requirements for running design and engineering applications such as AutoCAD.  Unfortunately, there are some painful limitations that accompany file server migrations to these services. For instance, Amazon WorkDocs aims to address network file share migration but fails to preserve file ownership and permissions. Workspaces, on the other hand, can become very expensive for graphically intensive workloads  This article explains how to navigate these migration problems using architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) firms as a reference example.  File Server Migration to Amazon WorkDocs   Amazon WorkDocs offers...

1. What is Google Drive? Google Drive allows you to store, share, and access files on Google servers. These files range from documents, presentations and spreadsheets to photos, audio, and videos. Data stored in Google Cloud is encrypted at the storage level by an AES256 or AES128 encryption. Google Drive can act as a backup solution for your files, allowing you to free up some of the storage on your computer. When you upload your files on Google Drive, you can access them from anywhere and from any device. Offline access is also available. To view your files offline, you need to right click on the file and turn on "Available offline” option. Google Drive allows you to cross collaborate and share files with your team. All files are private unless you provide access to other viewers, who can then edit, suggest, comment, or download those files. Google Drive’s standard plan is the free plan that allows 15GB storage. This is enough if you plan to use occasionally to store so...