What are Dropbox's strengths and weaknesses?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Windows File Server?
A solution that combines both strengths in a single solution and offers the best of both worlds!
An image mapping company has large amounts of data of various types, such as video recordings, footage, images, internal memos, other media files, etc. The data is stored in various locations: 40 TB distributed on two QNAP servers; 60 TB on tape drives; 2 TB in Dropbox; 2 TB in Workplace by OS33. So their main goal is to stop depending on Dropbox and Workplace and consolidate the data as much as possible. They have decided to use Triofox as the front-end for the on-premise file sharing solution to overcome the data sprawl.
An electrical construction company with two offices in the U.S. and a total of nearly 300 employees. The company has a local file server with about 4 TB of data that is replicated between the two offices using VMware. The company also has a large number of field technicians and employees who perform solar and electrical installations for oil and gas companies. The field workers previously relied on a VPN connection to the local file server to access files and Dropbox to share files. They also need to share documents with business partners. They use AccuBid Enterprise, an important estimating software for their business, because it helps contractors quickly and accurately create estimates. However, this software does not integrate well with Dropbox file syncing. They found Triofox, a solution that helps them solve this problem.
"Everybody globally has access to the same files which are all up-to-date and accurate, from a system that’s also secure and easy to implement. "
- CHRISTOPHER JESMAN
Director, Panorama Antennas
Files you place in a Dropbox folder are instantly synced to all other devices, so you have the file right at your fingertips when you need it.
Dropbox is easy to use and the moment you drop a file into the Dropbox folder, it's ready.
From mobile device, web browser to laptop and desktop, Dropbox is designed to be mobile first and supports many different devices.
From file backup to mobile access to online file sharing, Dropbox is an all-in-one solution.
Dropbox is great, and people are still looking for an answer to the 'Dropbox vs. File Server' question. Why actually?
Coming from the business world, mobile workers, especially CIOs, are looking at the question from a different angle. Almost all organizations use a Windows Server IT infrastructure with Active Directory and Windows File Server network sharing by default. Because of their training and professional responsibilities, CIOs have concerns about security, data ownership, permission control, data privacy, and data leakage.
Should you abandon your Windows file server and adopt Dropbox in the workplace? Or should we add Dropbox-style modern cloud services to Windows file servers and bring file servers back to the future!
With Active Directory, employees can log in to corporate machines with one single set of credentials.
Drive mapping is probably the most frequently used feature from end-users when then login to their Windows workstation.
With Windows storage space direct, Windows file servers can be pooled together to increase the storage capacity and grow on demand.
The NTFS file system brings the permission structure to folders and files with well-understood security control.
File locking is another frequently used feature from NTFS and the CIFS/SMB protocol to lock files while they are being edited.
With the virtual machine technology, Windows file servers can be available from AWS, Windows Azure and various other data center locations.
File server has more data than a laptop with a small SSD can store. Business has more data stored on file servers than a personal 'Documents' folder.
File server has every file stored in one place under business control, while Dropbox synchronizing every file to every device exposes every file.
File server has files sitting in hard disks owned by businesses, while files in Dropbox folder are stored on Dropbox sites.
When file server network shares and Dropbox are both used in business, some files are on the file server, but some revisions are in Dropbox.
File servers have NTFS permissions to protect access to folders and files, while Dropbox syncs them all.
When it's time for a compliance audit, file servers can easily pass the audit, while files in Dropbox require further action.
Install the solution on a Windows Server in 20 minutes.
Each Triofox server supports thousands or can be clustered to create massive scale.
In addition to Windows file server, Amazon S3, Windows Azure Blob, and Azure Files are all good storage services for creating a cloud file server.
The Triofox server inherits the NTFS file system and the files and folders stored there, as well as the NTFS permissions.
For end users, there is cloud-style or Dropbox-style access to files and folders, with drive mapping, file locking, Active Directory integration, mobile app and so on.
Beyond combining Dropbox-style mobility features with the security of a Windows file server, Triofox has numerous features to meet the needs of your enterprise.
Cloud backup and data protection with version control. On-demand synchronization minimizes storage and bandwidth consumption.
Full support for file locking from the cloud. Encrypt remote agent caches or revoke remote agent access privileges from a central management console.
An alternative for one or more of the following: VPN, DFS, FTP, Dropbox, Box, SharePoint, ShareFile, Anchor, Egnyte, etc.
Combines NTFS permissions, Active Directory users and drive mappings. Advanced reporting and usage auditing of file sharing activity from a centralized management console.
Simplified remote access from iOS/AndroidPC/Mac/Windows Phone/Windows RT mobile devices. From any location, using any device.
Eliminate the management costs of servers and VPNs. Avoid the cost of manually replicating files and folders or restoring NTFS permissions.
Integrates seamlessly with current file-based enterprise networks and work-flow environments.
Choose different implementations according to your own needs. Simple process for setup.