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Hybrid File Sharing: Blending Public and On-Premise Storage Options
Businesses have relied on simple network file share drives for years. Today, cloud file sharing services like Box and DropBox are becoming popular in the consumer world and to some extent within businesses.
Terri McClure, senior analyst at ESG, said that “although online file sharing and collaboration applications have provided a number of benefits for customers, they also report a number of ongoing challenges following adoption. Security is viewed as the biggest challenge among current Online File Sharing (OFS) users and the most significant concern among potential users. There is a shift in demand, and users now want the ability to retain some data in-house. With recent issues surrounding internet surveillance, we can expect to see a greater demand for hybrid cloud deployments that let enterprises choose where their data is housed – on premises, in the cloud, on US soil, or in a specific country.”
A recent report by ESG had the following findings:
- Only 9 percent of organization allow all categories of their data to be stored on third-party cloud-computing services
- 84 percent of organizations have used public cloud computing services to store some of their business data
- 36 percent of organizations worry that data stored by third-party public cloud services might experience accessibility issues.
- 69 percent of organizations show “extreme interest” in being able to use a file sharing service where data could be selectively stored either in the cloud or in on-premise storage
McClure said that “IT groups realize that they have alternatives that may better meet their need for balancing control, security and leverage of existing assets. Simply put, it’s a matter of providing customers with a choice. The cloud is great for some data and use cases, but others, especially data sets that need to stay behind the firewall, need to be addressed and accessed differently.”
Alfresco is one of the first vendors that have developed a hybrid solution that allows users to selectively store content on either the cloud or on-premise.
