Every business has file storage troubles at some point. Whether it’s difficulties with file server capacity, file sharing, or a centralized backup for file shares, it seems that no option can ever cover all of your needs.
However, there actually is a method for storing and sharing your files that can do everything you need it to.
If you want an option with transparency and great performance that meets all of your storage needs, you need to try Azure File Sync. This is the cutting-edge of storage, with all the features you need plus ease of use.
WHAT IS AZURE FILE SYNC?
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Azure File Sync keeps your Azure File share in-sync with your on-premises Window Servers. The real magic of Azure File Sync is the ability to tier files between your on-premises file server and Azure Files. This enables you to keep only the newest and most recently accessed files locally without sacrificing the ability to see and access the entire namespace through seamless cloud recall. With Azure File Sync, you can effectively transform your Windows File Server into an on-premises tier of Azure Files.
In short, this option lets you save newer or recently accessed files in your on-premises server while also using the cloud to access every file you may need.
This means that instead of having to transfer files, you can seamlessly integrate your Windows Servers into Azure Files.
This allows you to easily share files with clients or remote employees across the world. It also will automatically move your older files that are rarely accessed to the cloud, freeing up precious storage space in your on-location server.
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SERVICES PROVIDED BY AZURE FILE SYNC
File Synchronization
First and foremost, Azure File Sync’s job is to synchronize your file shares. It does so using Azure Files to synchronize everything to a general storage account.
This means that Azure File shares will be created in the general account, with the Azure copy as the master copy. This does not affect the experience of the end user in any way.
Sharing Files Within the Office
If you have multiple offices, this file sharing option is a great choice for your business.
You might need to share files across different offices – Azure lets you do so. If you need, you can synchronize your Azure master shares across the different file servers in each of your offices.
Sharing Files Outside the Office
If you have a larger company or a remote company, you may not just need to share files across different offices, but across different continents as well.
Azure is your ticket to sharing files with anyone, no matter where they are in the world. You can replicate your files in any Azure region and configure the server there to connect with whatever the closest version of those file shares is.
This allows you to speed up your file sharing, making files accessible to employees anywhere in the world in less time.
File Backups
One of the biggest challenges many companies face in file sharing is backing up file servers in your different offices.
Luckily, Azure File Sync keeps everything in a central location, making file backups easy. And you can use Azure Backup to save backups of your Azure Files in the cloud.
This method creates backups of your Azure file storage account, in a recovery services vault. You’ll be able to save these backups for the short term or the long term, depending on what your business needs.
File Recovery
This solution makes file recovery in the event of a disaster much easier. Even if a file server in an office is lost, you’ll be able to connect your new server to Azure to download the files again.
If you open a new office and need to download files to its server, the same method works. This makes keeping every location on the same page simple.
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TIERED CLOUD STORAGE
One of the major issues with file servers is capacity. Old files can clog up space, even though they’re old and aren’t used anymore.
Deleting files may sound like a good option, but it takes too much time to go through each file and figure out what’s being used and what isn’t.
Azure File Sync lets you customize how files are saved on each server. This allows you to free up whatever space you may need. You can select which percentage of data gets synchronized with Azure for each server. It also automatically removes those unused or under-used files from the server, without deleting them. They will still be available in cloud storage, while your server is freed up for the files that really need to be there. You might also combine an Azure archive approach with Azure File Sync.
Backups with Tiering
Once you have enabled cloud tiering, you’ll want to make sure that you only backup using Azure Backups.
Once your files are tiered, you don’t want those online-only versions to be downloaded back onto the server during an on-location backup. Fortunately, Azure Backup will take care of backing up files for your, making this a seamless system for safe file storage.
SUMMARY
In today’s business world, all-cloud or all-server storage solutions don’t always meet all your needs.
A hybrid system is the way to make sure files can easily be accessed, saved, and shared by anyone who needs them. Azure File Sync merges many different tried-and-true features into one easy-to-use system.
If you’ve had difficulties with the capacity of your file servers, or struggles sharing things across your offices, this system will clear up your troubles and simplify your file storage for the foreseeable future.
