Love your Windows File Server's security and control but you also love the cloud's ease of use and productivity? You can get both with CentreStack!

Have you looked in the market for a product that can extend your file server's reach outside of your office building so it is easier for you to access from remote locations and from mobile devices? Yes CentreStack can do it!

Have you tried Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or other public cloud storage solution and at the end found out how messy it was to the new configuration and setup of security and permission? Yes CentreStack provides the security and permission from the ground up!

You like your file server's NTFS permission, Active Directory user identity and drive mapper, but you also love mobile access from phones and remote access from home? You can get both with CentreStack!

Cloud enable your file servers!

Problem Statement - Security or Mobility?

Businesses need ways to access local file server over the Internet from mobile devices and remote locations for productivity gain. This trend is pushing local file server content outward towards public file sharing services such as Dropbox and OneDrive. For example, employees are using 3rd party file sharing services on their own to be more productive.

However, the security and control is becoming a big concern for businesses that are sensitive to the regulation and data leakage problems. This is forcing companies to give up on public file sharing services by blocking them and revert back to traditional methods such as virtual private network (VPN) to access corporate data.

The situation is even more complicated when you need to collaborate across multiple file servers in multiple sites.

Businesses need a way to access file server content over the Internet or migrate file server content to cloud storage for continuity, and present a unified name space directory structure across all distributed file servers.

Previous Options

Businesses have traditionally relied on virtual private network (VPN) solutions to access corporate data. However VPN has its own problems, which is not a good fit for a modern mobility and productivity friendly solution. Most of the time, VPN is a headache for manage service providers since they normally generate quite some support tickets. Besides the VPN problems, you will also need additional solutions to enable mobile access, web browser based access, sync & share, team collaboration functionalities. You will also need solutions for backup and multi-site collaboration.

CentreStack Solution

CentreStack file server integration and enablement solves these problems by installing agent software on your file server or directly mount your file server network share into CentreStack if direct access is available. It intelligently manages local and cloud storage together to provide a range of cloud enablement options.

Most important, the active directory security and NTFS permission model is maintained as if it was never changed. Secondly, the drive mapper functionality is maintained so end users get a familiar drive letter to access files from remote locations. Thirdly, the familiar file locking functionality is maintained when multiple users collaborating on the same file at the same time.

Anywhere Access to File Shares

You can attach local file server folders to your CentreStack server. After the storage is attached, it is accessible online, enabling web browser access, remote access and mobile access. At the same time, the file server is still providing network share access over the local area network.

Migrate Existing File Shares to Cloud Storage

As a second option for deployment, for the attached local folders, the file server content will be migrated over time to cloud storage. When it is an enabling method for online access, it is also a backup process happening in the background so it can provide business continuity functionality.

Global Workspace

You can attach local folders from different file servers to your CentreStack account. It is a global name space directory structure unifying the different file servers into a single folder structure, enabling multiple-site collaboration. It is a distributed file system in the cloud.

Server in the Cloud

You can also leverage the features above by using the existing file server as a private cloud.

Use Case #1 - Migrating File Servers to Cloud Storage

CentreStack File Server Agent shall be installed on the file server that you would like to migrate to cloud over time. It supports Windows 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019 (32-bit/64-bit).

In some other implementations, if the file server is in the same network as the CentreStack server, a direct connection is also possible (see Use Case #2).

Use Case #2 - Using File Servers as Direct Private Storage Repository

For ultimate security and control, you can deploy CentreStack on-premise yourself so the whole solution is part of the infrastructure that is completely under your control. It gives you remote and mobile access to your file server with all existing Active Directory security and NTFS permission control.