White Papers

Competitive dynamics have thrust collaboration to the top of almost every CIO’s priority list. In particular, high-quality business file sharing and collaboration infrastructure is a must-have for any organization that wants to enable a more productive workforce. However, most collaborative technologies, including business file sharing, tend to run poorly over a wide-area network (WAN), so many IT leaders have turned to WAN optimization as a panacea to network woes. Unfortunately, legacy WAN optimization technologies were not designed for file collaboration, and consequently, WAN optimization must now evolve to keep up with the changing business climate.

This paper compares popular WAN optimization technologies from Riverbed, Cisco, Blue Coat and Microsoft, and discusses the unique WAN optimization requirements for business file sharing and collaboration.

When a technology is adopted and implemented by an organization it has proven that it meets an original set of requirements identified by key stakeholders. As time progresses, it is human nature to attempt to apply this same technology to new applications not anticipated by the technology developer, only to experience unforeseen consequences. An example of this phenomenon is Microsoft Distributed File System Replication (DFSR).

In this document we will help the reader understand the strengths and limitations of DFSR and demonstrate how Peer Software’s PeerSync and PeerLock technology (PeerCollaboration Standard Edition) has evolved to become the standard for enterprise file replication and synchronization.

When it comes to file and document collaboration, many IT pros automatically assume that Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is the best solution available. While there is no denying that SharePoint is a top-notch platform for collaboration, it is important to realize that SharePoint is better suited for some collaborative tasks than others.

This white paper discusses when it makes the most sense for organizations to adopt SharePoint, as well as the types of situations in which a third-party solution may be more effective and less expensive.

When organizations decide to invest in a document management and collaboration solution, SharePoint is often the first product they consider. While it is true that SharePoint 2010 can address a wide variety of needs, those who lack hands-on SharePoint experience may be surprised by SharePoint’s complexity. For many organizations, the cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining SharePoint overshadow its benefits.

This article, the second in a series, discusses the cost and complexity of SharePoint as well as a simpler, less expensive solution.

Several technologies are available that can help the IT organization improve file sharing for distributed teams. But because these technologies address the problem in very different ways, it can be difficult to sort through them.

This white paper will assess the strengths and weaknesses of the four technologies most commonly used to enhance file sharing for distributed teams:

1. Content Management Systems
2. File replication and mirroring
3. WAN optimization
4. Wide Area File Services (also called “Collaborative File Sharing”)

Limited broadband availability in emerging markets often makes wide area network (WAN) connectivity expensive, unreliable or simply unavailable. Unfortunately for network engineers at large enterprises, CEOs and chief financial officers often focus more on cheap land and labor in developing countries than they do on concerns about WAN connectivity.

Find out what you can do to combat the challenges of managing WAN connectivity abroad.

This e-guide covers the following:

• Why use Microsoft DFS
• Problems with FRS - The advantage of DFS R2
• DFS R2 improvements - Namespaces and replication
• The DFS R2 limitations: No file locking
• Tools that add file locking to Microsoft DFS