CentreStack transforms traditional file servers into cloud file servers

CentreStack is a managed file sync and share solution.  It can help a remote file server sync folders to cloud and also maintain same set of permission control with same set of Active Directory users. This video demonstrates how to use server agent to connect remote file server to CentreStack over the Internet without using VPN (virtual private network). The end result is business continuity as the file server content is replicated to the cloud and maintain two-way synchronization. At the same time, the folder permission is maintained with Active Directory user identity. Business users when they are in the local office, they can continue to access the local file server as it was before; and the same business user can access file server now from mobile devices, web browsers and remote PC/Mac without using a VPN. Sometimes, this is also called hybrid cloud with local network performance and cloud productivity combined.

You are a small business with anywhere between 3-50 employees. Most of the employees are in the same office, some are on the road or work from home. You need a file storage solution to accommodate file sharing and collaboration need. Traditionally, the Windows File Server has served well in the local area network. With everyone map to the network share, you can do collaboration and file sharing with all the file locking support to avoid file corruption. What about remote users? You don’t want to get into the VPN thing. First it is not easy to setup. Second, it is not easy for remote user to understand and use. Third, most user just want to use a web browser to upload/download files for light use. Connect VPN, connect to network share, just for modifying/viewing a couple files, that is too cumbersome. Here is where a hybrid local storage, cloud storage solution comes in. You can either use Gladinet Cloud (with the File Server Agent component), or use the Gladinet Cloud Enterprise (wi...

When people talks about hybrid cloud storage solution, it typically means they want to keep using the existing file server. At the same time, they also want to replicate the file server data into cloud storage and make it available to the remote users. Basically, the local employees will keep using the local file server. The remote users will be using the cloud storage. The local file server and cloud storage will be in sync. If the file is changed locally, it is uploaded also to the cloud storage so remote user can use. If remote user changes the file, the change will also propagate back to the local file server. It serves many purposes. First the local file server and the cloud storage are like a backup system, backing up each other. Second, it is a VPN-replacement system, enabling remote users to access files without VPN. Third, it is an access system, it enables mobile users with iOS/Android and Windows Phone devices to access the files and folders. Backup Backup local files...

When you have a file server and you want to consider moving to the cloud with cloud storage, it is not as simple as moving a house from point A to point B. You need business continuity because the file server is the collaboration point that needs to continue to run. You don’t want a full two-way sync solution between your file server and cloud storage either, because the volume on the file server is usually bigger than the data on a consumer PC. So when a two-way sync solution is popular for consumer, it may not be as good for a file server in small business because of bandwidth consumption. You need a hybrid solution. In Gladinet’s term, you will install Gladinet Cloud Server on your file server and attach folders to the cloud. If you are familiar with two-way sync solutions, you can think of attaching folder to the cloud as an optimized two-way sync solution for file server, with on-demand random access and background sync. Now let’s get started.