Reducing cost, complexity and circumventing the capacity limitations of traditional hardware file servers have emerged as the leading reasons for using the cloud, according to a customer survey by Nasuni, creator of the storage industry’s leading cloud gateway.
In the first comprehensive survey of its user base, Nasuni found that customers are embracing the deployment and management simplicity of the Nasuni filer, for their main offices as well as at remote office sites that lack on-premises IT support. Nasuni users have eagerly adopted the unlimited capacity and reliability of Nasuni-enabled cloud storage for storing primary and archival data as well as secure offsite backups.
Here is a summary of the top five ways companies are using the Nasuni Filer.
1. File server replacement:
Across the board, simple primary storage or a network drive is the most popular use for the Nasuni Filer. The cloud delivers
unlimited amounts of reliable storage, which translates into a file server that does not need backup and never fills up -thereby avoiding lengthy data migrations. Active Directory integration allows customers to move their users seamlessly to the Nasuni Filer while preserving the existing access control privileges. End-users can then restore their own files using Windows Previous Version.
2. Remote office file solution
Managing infrastructure for a remote office can be challenging, especially for small offices in remote locations with just a few employees and no IT resources. Customers deploy the Nasuni Filer as a file server for these offices, providing storage that expands as the office grows and has built-in offsite data protection. Most critically, Nasuni gives the administrators the ability to manage this storage remotely and reliably retrieve data from the cloud in the case of a storage failure or accidental file deletion.
3. Archiving finished project data:
Customers with large project related data (e.g., engineering, architecture, design and manufacturing firms) are challenged with large data sets that need to be stored for years after projects are completed. While the data isn’t typically accessed frequently, many are required to keep them for many years and occasionally access them. These customers were able to recover capacity on their SANs by moving these files to Nasuni Filer which comes packaged as a virtual appliance. Data can be moved through the Nasuni Filer to the cloud allowing customers to reclaim space in their SAN while lightening the load on their backup systems.
4. Offsite backups in the cloud:
Customers reported the Nasuni Filer to be a great solution to simplify file protection. These customers used the Nasuni Filer to send a copy of their files offsite for data protection and disaster recovery. File servers are notoriously difficult to backup due to their size. Instead of dealing with backup software, full and incremental backups and tape rotations, customers simply copy their file shares to the Nasuni Filer. The Filer not only sends all these files to the cloud, but also keeps versions of the files. If anything happens to the main file server, customers can recover all files from the Nasuni Filer and be up and running in no time without the delays of a full file restoration operation.
5. Backing up client data:
Customers use the Nasuni Filer to protect data stored on user laptops and desktops. User directories can be copied automatically to the Nasuni Filer. While users are online, their data is synched up with the Nasuni file share. They still use their hard drives as the main storage but know that when they misplace a file or a hard drive fails, the files are safe and secure in their network drive which is backed by the cloud, and can be accessed quickly as needed.
Background
You can learn more about Nasuni at their website. You can also keep up with their developments on Twitter @nasuni or on their Facebook page.
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