CentreStack Year 2017 Review Upcoming 2018 Advances


Another successful year has passed for the development team at CentreStack. This article will cover the enhancements and new features added during 2017 and I also share some goals for improvements coming in 2018.

CentreStack continues to focus on file server security and control and continues to bring the traditional file server security (such as NTFS permission) to the modern file sync and share access model.

Our developers are producing updates at breakneck speed. These new builds are released weekly, so our customers always have access to the best possible CentreStack experience. 2017 updates provided more than 3,000 changes, enhancements, and fixes to this robust platform.
50 Weekly Builds and More than 3,000 Code Check-ins!
This article will focus on several areas of improvement: Ease of Use, Integration Enhancements, Security Enhancements, Mobile Access, Client Updates, Performance & Stability Improvements, and Opportunities for Growth in 2018.

Ease of Use

Management Console and Tenant Management is now more aligned with the needs of a Managed Services Provider (MSP) methodology. As a MSP, you can now access most features and services in a more direct way, making it easier for you to improve the services you offer to your clients (Tenants). The web portal for both Tenant and Cluster management is improved and streamlined. We regularly receive feedback from our customers that provide ways to reduce the number of steps required to accomplish their goals.

Additional ease-of-use enhancements include the addition of “My Favorites” in your File Dashboard, New Theme support and better Reporting options.

Integration Enhancements

As a Microsoft Partner we have integrated Share Point (On-Premise/Online) along with Office Online. We have also integrated support for Azure cloud computing. On the Amazon side we support S3. In-place versioning support is included on both S3 and Azure. 

We have also added user interface (UI) support for other languages: German, French and Italian.

Security Enhancements

Secure Data Room: We now provide a setting which allows you to limit access to Web-Portal-only, on a Tenant-by-Tenant basis. Advantages include the elimination of local file storage which can create a security risk for confidential information. Likewise, Encrypt Client-Side Cache gives you some added security for the drive where your users’ files are stored.

When you migrate a local share in Server Agent (SA), permissions for both the folder and AD users are synced with CentreStack and cluster-level group policy is enforced on all tenants or tenant-by-tenant. 

Additionally; 2-Factor Authentication is now included for native clients, support for Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory (AD) support is implemented, Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) Single Sign-On (SSO) is now supported, and we have added a feature which reduces your exposure to a ransomware attack.

We have integrated support for Access Control Lists (ACLs) “deny” filtering.

Administrators can now convert users between Native, AD, Proxied AD and Guest, providing strict control over permissions and feature access. And, you can restrict file-sharing on a user or tenant basis.

Mobile Access

We have improved file access when browsing on a mobile device and provided an easier way to view shared files. Our mobile clients for both Android and iPhone have been improved as well.

Client Updates

We have integrated the option to integrate a custom start-up or shut-down script in the Client Setting Manager under Default Group Policy settings.

Performance & Stability Improvements

We now use a remote synchronization (rsync) technique to evaluate and copy the changes to large files rather than the entire file. This produces improvements in efficiency when syncing local and remote folders and files.

We now provide support for linking root folders, locking files on the File Server side with editing in CentreStack, conflict detection when multiple users are accessing the same file, and Sync Scan/Conflict Resolution if simultaneous editing takes place.
There have literally been hundreds of tweaks, fixes and enhancements implemented to improve the look, feel, stability and performance while using CentreStack and the supporting clients.

Other Important New Features

Deep Branding: Customized graphical and textual branding is enhanced on Cluster and Tenant Portals as well as client downloads. Partner Portal branding options for all clients (tenants).

Multi-Language Support: Built-in language support for English, Chinese, German, French and Italian; and, extended support for most other languages where you can provide your own local translation for whatever language you wish to use.

Preview Updates: Preview integration has been improved or integrated for several file-types: .mp4, .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .eml and .msg.

Enhanced Interface Graphics: The icons and other symbols of the UI are now vector graphics which means the web portal now looks amazing on hi-res mobile devices. This provides better clarity when using CentreStack on the go.

Opportunities for Growth in 2018

As we move into 2018 we have some very interesting developments that will expand our reach and positive influence in the File Sync-and-Share for Managed Service Providers arena. Our developers are integrating better network attached storage (NAS) installation support. Linux is now in our sights as we move to include that platform in the ever-growing list of devices we support. Mobile enhancement and more user interface (UI) consolidation is always in our periphery to improve the customer experience. So, you can look forward to these updates and more surprises in the weeks to come for Security, Compliance, Reliability, Manageability and Performance.

We're Here to Help

Get the details on what this powerful platform can do for you at: Managed File Sync and Share, and don’t hesitate to send your support requests to support@gladinet.com or give us a call 1.888.955.6656 so we can help you with your file sync-and-share needs.

We regularly post updates at our Blog, http://blog.centrestack.com/,so put that in your favorites so you can keep up with the rapid enhancements and updates of the CentreStack platform.

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