CloudFilez™ File Sharing Solution

Our Managed Cloud File Sharing and File Storage Solution: CloudFilez™

SECURE FILE-SHARING-AS-A-SERVICE SOLUTION


Storcom’s CloudFilez™ file sharing solution boosts your workforce’s mobility with cloud file sharing and mobile access. We provide a solution at a lower cost without sacrificing features. With Active Directory and permissions inherited, no other business file sharing solution better combines existing IT infrastructure’s on-premises security with cloud mobility than CloudFilez™.

CloudFilez™ adds version control and off-site cloud backup of file shares and permissions to your file servers. It also detects and prevents ransomware before issues occur and can restore your data from previous snapshots and times. Lastly, CloudFilez™ contains compliance features like detailed audit trail and change history.

If using one of the public clouds is the ultimate direction of your organization, then there is nothing stopping you from moving your company’s data into Storcom’s Private Cloud and building out your approach. At a later stage in the project, Storcom can then move your data into Microsoft Azure or another public cloud solution.

Let’s get started with file sharing

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Storcom CloudFilez™ Architecture

Storcom provides an end-to-end solution, from our cloud-based file server to your data center with a local cache server. Also, Storcom can provide unparalleled security with wire speed data access to your most critical data when leveraged alongside the Storcom Desktop-as-a-Service solution.

Storcom architected our CloudFilez™ offering so that you can easily access your files from a secure portal. CloudFilez™ also has the benefit of having regular backups, so that your data is always protected. Storcom CloudFilez™ integrates easily with Microsoft 365, so you can access your Office applications with ease.

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Managed Microsoft Azure Cloud Resources and File Shares for Chicago-based Law Firm Specializing in Aviation Law.

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Cloud Enablement Roadmap Infographic

We’ll help you find your path to the cloud. View Storcom’s Cloud Enablement Roadmap Infographic.

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Notable Features and Benefits of Storcom CloudFilez™

Storcom CloudFilez™ NOTABLE BENEFITS AND FEATURES

Storcom CloudFilez™ has advanced features from security to capabilities that make our solution the perfect choice for file-sharing.

  • Encryption  – Data-at-rest encryption and data-in-transit encryption prevent eavesdropping and protects data at remote data centers. Endpoint cache encryption protects data at the endpoints.
  • Share Files and Folders – Users can share files and folders as web links for other users, or simply create guest user accounts so that they can receive shared files and folders.
  • Secure Data Rooms  – Shared folders have optional secure data room features to enable view-only permissions that disable downloading.
  • Ransomware Protection – Detect suspicious activity and block ransomware and viruses with multiple built-in protection methods. 
  • Immutable Copy of Data – Storcom’s solution provides a clock level point-in-time copy of data that is frozen and cannot be altered by any type of ransomware. Additionally, a second copy of data is written to a S3-compatible cloud which is not using CIFS. This means that you have double the protection. 
  • Mobile Device Management Integration –  Storcom CloudFilez (TM)  integrates with Mobilelron, Maas360, and other MDM platforms for better device security management.
  • Receive Files & Folders – Receiving files and folders can be as easy as generating a web link where others can upload.
  • Support For Large File Downloads – File uploads are based on binary differentials for efficiency. There is no limit on file size. Additionally, large files and folders can be converted to links in Outlook.
  • Single Sign-On – Integrated with Azure AD, DUO, OKTA, and other SAML 2.0-compatible identity service providers for both web browser and desktop client access.
  • Audit Trace & History – Audit tracing and file change log reports make it easy to see what happened in the system and troubleshoot.
  • Microsoft 365 Integration – Edit Office documents from a web browser and use Microsoft 365 applications to edit files from Storcom CloudFilez™ on iOS and Android devices.
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) – Integrated with Google Authenticator, Amazon MFA, Microsoft MFA, DUO, and others for authentication.
  • Architectural & Deployment Overview – Storcom provides an end-to-end solution from our cloud-based file server to your data center with a local cache server.  We can also provide unparalleled security with wire speed data access to your most critical data when leveraged alongside the Storcom Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution.

Notable Advanced Security Features of CloudFilez™

ADVANCED SECURITY Features

Storcom CloudFilez™ file sharing solution has inherent security features to ensure that your data is protected.

ALERTS & NOTIFICATIONS
Monitor your users activating with alerts and notifications of important activities.

AUDIT TRACE & HISTORY
Audit tracing and file change log reports make it easy to see what happened in the system and troubleshoot.

MDM INTEGRATION
CloudFilez™ integrates with Mobilelron, Maas360, and other MDM platforms for better device security management.

RANSOMWARE PROTECTION
Detect suspicious activity and block ransomware and virus’s with multiple built in protection methods.

Storcom CloudFilez™ Differentators

Here are some of the examples of how the Storcom CloudFilez™  is different than our competitors’ file sharing solutions and we believe that we have some benefits as a storage platform. 

  • Fully integrated Windows and Mac client for local mapped data access to M:/ drive. 
  • Can sync directly from users laptop or desktop or local sync server unlike Azure File Sync, which is server only.   
  • Storcom’s client provides Dropbox/OneDrive sync capabilities as well. 

Storcom CloudFilez™ differentiator image

 

 

Storcom CloudFilez™ Architecture vs. Azure Files

Storcom CloudFilez™ architecture diagram

VS.

Azure Files Cloud File-Sharing Diagram

Version Control & Conflict Detection Features

Storcom CloudFilez™ has version control and conflict detection. Below is a sample image to highlight these features.

Storcom CloudFilez™ file browser interface image

Storcom CloudFilez™ Web Portal Access

Here is an image of Storcom’s web portal interface. It is a single sign-on web portal login for fast and easy access to files.

Storcom CloudFilez™ web portal access image

Native Client Portal Interface

Storcom CloudFilez™ has a native Windows Explorer and Mac Finder-like interface. Below is an image to show how simple the CloudFilez™ interface is to use.

Storcom CloudFilez™ interface image

Reasons to Choose Storcom CloudFilez™

We provide more features and functionality for less money than Amazon FSx for Windows File Server and Microsoft Azure Files.
  • VPN Replacement
  • Dropbox/Azure Files Replacement
  • Save Money
  • Business Continuity

VPN Replacement

Simpler, faster, and more secure!

Dropbox/Azure Files Replacement

Cloud-based file server.

Save Money

Lower your operating cost.

Business Continuity

Sync local gateway to cloud copy.

STORCOM CLOUDFILEZ™ FILE-SHARING SERVICE FAQS

Learn more about Storcom CloudFilez™ IT file-sharing services with our frequently asked question library (FAQs).

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How does Keeping a Local Copy Solve Challenges?

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Keeping a local copy on-premises solves unique challenges:

  • Gives LAN-speed access to data for office users who are on the same LAN as the local cache file server 
  • Allows for legacy SMB 2.0 support so older OS versions from Microsoft and Apple can still access data
  • Can age off old data to the cloud
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What are the Challenges with Azure Files and File Sync?

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Understanding these 5 challenges in more detail:

1. Understanding Microsoft storage account redundancy options like LRS (Local Redundant Storage) vs. GRS  (Geo-Redundant Storage) and what impact they have on your data. LRS only has 99.9% durability, so you will definitely need backups. 

2. 5 TB limit per share on GRS & ZRS Storage. If you want large file shares, then you can only use LRS storage. This creates some challenges since you will want to use GRS storage for proper data protection in most cases. Storcom has gotten around this by using mount points, but if you need a single share greater than 5TB, then it will not work without enabling large file shares. 

3. You will need to create a snapshot policy for data recoverability as well as you should be using ZRS or GRS to storage if you want to have your data protected outside of one data center. LRS and will only provide up to  99.9% data durability, respectively. ZRS is Zone redundant and GRS is for geo-redundancy. 

4. You can only set permissions at the share level without Azure File Sync Server and o file-level permissions.  You can set local permissions with File Sync Server, but they still do not exist in Azure Cloud.  

5. Azure File Shares can use both standard and premium-level storage. You need to consider what IO profile your data will need. Premium SSD is considerably more expensive than Standard HDD and Azure files can use both types in their storage accounts.  

  • Understanding Microsoft storage account redundancy options like LRS (local redundant storage) vs. GRS  (geo-redundant storage)
  • 5 TB limit per share on GRS & ZRS storage 
  • Use ZRS or GRS to storage if you want to have your data protected outside of one data center: you will need to create a snapshot policy for data recoverability 
  • You can only set permissions at the share level without Azure File Sync server and file-level permissions
  • Azure Files can use both standard and premium-level storage: you will need to consider what IO profile your data will need
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What are the Challenges with OneDrive?

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Here are the 3 biggest issues Storcom sees with OneDrive:

1. Data protection–  The local sync and cloud are meant as a way to have multiple copies of data. This means that you have a copy in the cloud if you lose your local copy….right? Don’t be so sure! Local sync software is imperfect and sometimes fails.  Users may think they are backing up their important data, but it may fail for one reason or another.  The only versioning that is available is on the client-side through Microsoft’s previous version history, but this is not stored in the cloud.

2. Poor reporting tools –  There is no centralized reporting of this information for administrators to know that the CIO’s laptop has been failing to sync and the important Excel file he has been working on when he was in- flight has vanished. Or, more relevant now, working from home. His data might not be not syncing and nobody is alerted if and when his laptop’s hard drive fails.   Storcom has built customer powershell scripts to send email from a user’s laptop to let administrators know that sync has failed, but this is still very kludge.  Storcom performed a 5000-seat home drive to OneDrive migration last year and reporting became a major issue.  The fact is that OneDrive is a consumer-grade product that some people are trying to use in the enterprise.  Some companies have opted to back up these laptops, but that adds a whole additional level of overhead.

3. Lack of built-in migration tools – OneDrive migrations can be simple or they can be complex.  It’s a manual process of cleaning up permissions as well as using tools like robo-copy to move data.   Storcom has written a lot of custom powershell scripts to assist with this process but in most cases it still means cleaning up permissions etc before a migration can begin.   In fairness to OneDrive. That is really not a OneDrive migration issue but more a issue in general about cleaning up poor habits of setting permissions at the wrong levels within the file system hierarchy 

In summary, OneDrive is a good option to move data to the cloud if you are just trying to move 1-to-1 home directories to the cloud. You also have to be willing to accept its limitations as a trade off for “free storage.”  No matter where you move your data, you will probably still have some cleaning up to do from an organizational and permissions standpoint. 

  • Poor Data Security
  • Inferior Reporting Tools
  • No Built-in Migration Tools
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What can I do with Home Directories?

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Azure Files acts as an option for IT department shares & home directories, but there is another option from Microsoft: OneDrive. 

  • OneDrive comes with every Microsoft E1 license and above 
  • Designed and consumer product but is also used in corporations
  • It’s free, so it may look attractive...but there is no such thing as a free lunch, is there? 
  • OneDrive provides a local sync option for users to sync data locally to a user's laptop 
  • Storcom performed numerous migrations of users’ home directories from on-site file servers into OneDrive 
  • However, OneDrive has some major limitations...
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How is Storcom CloudFilez™ Similar to Azure Files?

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Here is a brief overview of how Storcom CloudFilez™ solution is similar in capabilities to Azure Files:

  • No VPN Client needed to access file data in the cloud 
  • Storcom CloudFilez™ provides CIFS access to files via Remote UNC that can be a mapped drive on a local PC
  • Storcom CloudFilez™ provides a local cache sync server for on-prem file synchronization and local LAN speed file access 
  • Storcom CloudFilez™ provides a secure method of connecting to your remote file shares via SMBv3 
  • Storcom CloudFilez™ provides a versioning and backup copy of data
  • You still have access to your Microsoft 365 environment for any type of collaboration that may be required through Microsoft 365, files from legacy shares can be uploaded into any office online application just like Azure Files
  • Can provide a home directory replacement for legacy home directors  or as an alternative to Microsoft OneDrive. 
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How does Storcom CloudFilez™ Work?

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How does Storcom CloudFilez™ Work?

  • No VPN client necessary
  • CIFS access to files via Remote UNC that can be a mapped drive on a local PC
  • Local cache sync server for on-prem file synchronization and local LAN speed file access 
  • Securely connects to your remote file shares via SMBv3 
  • Versioning and backs up copies of data
  • Easy access to your Microsoft 365 environment 
  • Legacy share files can be uploaded into any Office application just like Azure Files

WE HAVE BEST-OF-BREED TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS THAT SPECIALIZE IN FILE-SHARING


Storcom partners with best-in-class and emerging technology providers to enable our clients to stay on the cutting edge of information technology.

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WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE! CONTACT ONE OF OUR CERTIFIED FILE-SHARING ENGINEERS TODAY TO DISCUSS IMPLEMENTING A STORCOM CLOUDFILEZ™ SOLUTION FOR YOUR COMPANY.

 

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