EMC Enterprise Online File Sharing With Isilon and Atmos in Beta Availability

EMC Corporation announced beta availability of Syncplicity cloud-based online file sharing service with the option for customers to use either EMC Isilon scale-out NAS or EMC Atmos object-based storage.

Customers can store their files on-premise in addition to the cloud. Unlike competitive approaches that cobble together point-products from multiple vendors, this approach gives IT choice and control over where managed files reside, while users benefit with a secure, easy-to-use solution for file sync and sharing across all of their computers and devices.

Today’s enterprise business users demand the ability to access, share and collaborate with all of their files from any location, on any device at any time, and have taken it upon themselves to use a variety of consumer-focused solutions and services that place valuable enterprise data at risk. These enterprise users typically store 20-30GB of business-related file data on their computers and devices, and often look to share files with individuals and groups inside and outside the corporate firewall. This can be challenging when they need access to files using their own mobile devices or need to share with users who do not have existing accounts on their corporate network.

IT teams are charged with protecting company files and data, and some view today’s consumer-oriented approaches for online file sharing as unattractive options, and attempt to block them because some cloud infrastructures limit the ability to enforce policies related to security and administration. Many organizations must also comply with long-standing corporate governance and data sovereignty policies regarding storage and handling of files that make cloud-based storage solutions difficult to deploy at enterprise-scale.

EMC’s approach provides enterprises – a cloud-based online file sharing offering that simplifies end user deployment and administration with on-premise storage that gives IT control of the storage layer, in addition to continuing to provide Syncplicity in the cloud. For on-premise storage, Syncplicity users can choose from two industry storage platforms: EMC Isilon or EMC Atmos – whichever best meets their requirements. Isilon provides an easy to manage, performing and massively scalable NAS solution, capable of growing from 10’s of terabytes to 10’s of petabytes, providing IT control over where files reside across their global infrastructure. Atmos provides industry object storage technology, designed to support large multi-site, multi-tenant, active-active environments. It allows the application and storage to run anywhere and provides metering and chargeback capabilities based on bandwidth and consumption to ensure IT retains the necessary controls.   

Benefits of combining Syncplicity online file sharing service with EMC on-premise storage include:

• Productivity: Users can easily sync, access and share files with anyone, anytime, anywhere and on any device for new levels of productivity and agility while giving IT the security, visibility and manageability they need.
• Flexibility and Ease of Management: Enterprises will experience the agility and continuous innovation from deploying a cloud-based online file sharing solution for users while retaining complete control over data and storage resources. It combines the set of Syncplicity’s administrative tools and security, compliance and policy controls to manage sync-and-share functionality along with the manageability, scalability and resiliency of EMC storage.
• Reduced Compliance Risk and Increased Control: Enterprise information will reside on EMC storage, situated on-premise, subject to IT security governance and protection policies. Files are not duplicated both on-premise and in the cloud. With the these solutions, data objects stored on premise remain on premise and within IT control.

Terri McClure, senior analyst, ESG, said: "Today’s IT pros need to securely extend file sharing solutions to support the mobility and collaboration needs of an increasingly mobile, dispersed and multi-device workforce. The marriage of Syncplicity with Isilon and Atmos expands the choices users have for how they accomplish that, providing options that range from fully cloud based to behind the firewall, and provide a single vendor solution to do so. These solutions will help IT meet the need for user collaboration, while maintaining tight control for IT and massive scalability for enterprise data. Compliance and control are critical to enterprises today, and can be hard to achieve while simultaneously providing the flexibility and ease of management that are necessary to enable today’s agile enterprise. EMC is catering to the new demands of end users and IT departments alike with these new solutions."

Jeetu Patel, VP and GM of the Syncplicity Business Unit, Information Intelligence Group, EMC, said: "Integrating Syncplicity with EMC on-premise storage extends our guiding principle of delighting the user with an easy-to-use cloud solution for file sync, sharing and collaboration while empowering IT with tools and control to protect the business. While the obvious benefit is enabling choice, delivering on-premise storage is the logical next step in our evolution, and we’re thrilled to hitch our wagons with other leaders in the EMC family, Isilon, the true leaders in scale-out NAS and EMC Atmos."

Sam Grocott, VP of marketing and product anagement, EMC Isilon, said: "The powerful one-two punch of Syncplicity and EMC Isilon’s industry-leading scale-out NAS brings IT professionals the tools they need to take control of pressing challenges such as securing and managing massive, rapidly-growing home directories. Isilon’s extraordinary scalability, performance and ease of management are a perfect complement to Syncplicity and give IT an unmatched ability to serve user needs for file access, sharing and collaboration while maintaining corporate data protection requirements."

Chris Ratcliffe, VP marketing, EMC Advanced Storage Division, said: "The combination of Syncplicity and the Atmos cloud storage platform delivers a highly automated, enterprise-grade file sharing capability, where policies and performance follow data wherever it’s accessed or shared without sacrificing security or control.  As corporate users increasingly demand more mobility and access to files from multiple devices, EMC gives enterprises the tools they need to deliver new levels of productivity to their users."

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