Companies have to establish an effective remote file sharing strategy to cater to a variety of different business cases. A site office may have to capture field data and share it with the entire team in real-time. Engineers working remotely may be required to check out a license token from the company servers before they can use an application. Mostly, it’s just having access to the latest version of a file on a shared drive secured within a corporate network.
When schedules matter and teams need to work together while remaining apart, a fast and efficient remote file sharing solution is vital for business success. However, granting remote file access in a computer network presents benefits and risks to the organization. If they don’t provide easy access, staff will be less productive. Yet, if they don’t prioritize security, it opens them up to cybercrime, data loss, or even corporate theft.
Traditional systems tended to err on the safe side, forcing remote users to go through multiple layers of security and authentication before granting them access. It made remote work laborious and frustrated IT engineers who had to troubleshoot a list of dependencies when something went wrong, which it often did.
Challenges with Remote File Sharing Technologies Like Virtual Private Networks
Incremental improvements in file-sharing technologies enabled more knowledge workers to start operating remotely. As companies learned how to access a network drive from outside the network securely, they adopted policies that allowed staff to be productive from almost anywhere. One of the oldest and well-known technologies that organizations used to achieve this are Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
Disadvantages of VPNs for Remote File Sharing
VPNs remained the standard for secure file access over the last two decades. It’s only recently that new technologies became available that could compete with these systems. The drawbacks of VPNs encouraged developers to build alternative solutions for remote file storage and access.
Some of these drawbacks include:
- Scalability – VPNs can only handle a limited number of concurrent connections at a time. This makes it difficult to scale when more users are logging in remotely. If the company needs a greater number of simultaneous connections, the more they will have to spend on their VPN licenses. This also makes using a VPN as a remote access solution expensive.
- Speed – By routing all information through the VPN server instead of the ISP’s infrastructure, networks tend to be slower. Some estimates found a VPN reduces network speeds by up to 90%. Performance will also decrease as more users log on to the network. The company will have to compensate for the reduction in bandwidth when using a VPN.
- Complexity – Every company’s digital technology stack is unique. Setting up a VPN that works with all the company’s information networks and file servers requires expertise in a variety of disciplines to configure it correctly. The team responsible for setting up the VPN solution will still need to add additional network security protocols on the endpoint devices to keep the company’s systems secure.
How to Share a Folder Over the Internet Securely Without a VPN
The most efficient solution available now for sharing drives and folders over the internet is a remote server access tool. Triofox has all the benefits that come with a VPN secured connection without using the same dependencies. It streamlines remote access and allows staff to collaborate effectively while working from anywhere.
Triofox’s remote access file server integrates with the company’s Active Directory (AD) directly and inherits the existing NTFS permissions to manage remote access. It reduces the burden on IT staff while giving remote workers secure access to their files from anywhere using a web file manager.
The Benefits of Triofox to Access External Hard Drives Remotely
Packed with features, Triofox overcomes the shortcomings that traditional VPN solutions bring to a corporate network. Designed for speed, Triofox provides fast and secure access to specific files or folders. For organizations that need to implement a work from home solution quickly, Triofox is the easiest way to enable remote access from any connected device.
The benefits of Triofox remote server access include:
- Improved Productivity – With integration to Office 365, staff can collaborate using web-based co-editing and co-authoring.
- Granular Control – Use web links for files and Outlook attachments to share information with access controls and expiration dates.
- Secure Access – Using HTTPS and SSL protocols to process access requests means all information remains secured and only authorized users have access to the remote files and folders.
- Reduced Bandwidth – Triofox saves on bandwidth and speeds up drive navigation by only downloading the folder structure before accessing the intended file.
- Simplicity and Ease of Use – Unlike VPNs, Triofox is easy to implement and can enable the company to start remote work within minutes instead of weeks.
Enabling Remote File Sharing for Workers to Telecommute Efficiently with Triofox
To keep track of all the different transactions from remote workers, Triofox comes with complete auditing and reporting capabilities. Compared to a VPN, Triofox is a cost-effective remote server access solution that leverages the company’s existing on-premises infrastructure for a reliable, fast, and secure connection.
Please visit “File Server Remote Access without a VPN” for more information.