Using hosted storage effectively: Replacing the file server

Most networks, regardless of size, have a file server. File servers provide a central point of data access and are generally regarded as necessary by IT professionals. File server have several benefits:

• Central storage. Everyone knows where to go to get an important file.
• Central backup. Data can be backed up at one location, reducing the risk of lost information.
• Central access control. For those networks without domains, a file server is a single location to track file access passwords at.

Unfortunately for small businesses, file servers also come with several liabilities that should not be ignored:

• Central data loss. If the server dies the data is gone. Assuming you have a backup, it can take a full day to recover all your files.
• Authentication issues. Unless your server is in a domain and has strict NTFS permissions in place, passwords expire regularly and any user can gain access to sensitive files with little effort. We have seen more than one instance in which the CEO's personal files were protected by nothing more than a threat of termination. We have also seen situations where files that were supposedly "locked down" were accessible to all users due to NTFS inheritance.
  
• Cost of ownership. Servers are expensive to maintain, administer, upgrade, and repair. An average server can cost over $2000 a year in service and maintenance alone.
  

Until recent years there were not many options available to small business when it came robust file storage. Now, with the maturing of hosted solutions, small businesses can receive the same degree of security, access control, and availability as large companies.

Hosted storage combines all the advantages of a file server (central storage, account management) with the advantages of internet accessibility (remote access) and eliminates the need for backups. Restricting user access to important files is easy and accessing shared space is as simple as opening a drive on your computer. Best of all, you can access important files over a secure, encrypted, channel from any internet location. Have you ever left a presentation on your desktop computer at the office? With hosted storage you can connect to your file server, retrieve that important file, and begin the presentation.

FULCRA Technology's hosted storage solutions are operated from world class data centers across the US with automatic backups and cutting edge fire, earthquake, and flood protection. For more information or to schedule a demonstration, contact our sales representatives at sales@fulcra.com