Code42 SharePlan for Secure Enterprise File Sync and Share

Code42 Software Inc. launched SharePlan.

A sync and share platform, it enables users to work without interruption while empowering IT to protect and manage enterprise data. It’s available via private cloud, public cloud and hybrid deployments.

“Our enterprise customers value the way we securely, continuously protect all mission-critical data on every endpoint, everywhere. So they asked us: can you do the same for collaboration?” said Matthew Dornquast, co-founder and CEO, Code42. “We looked at the market and realized the collaboration space still needed a built-for-the-enterprise, security-first product. While more difficult to do, we believe we have met the high security demands of the enterprise without sacrificing the ease-of-use and flexibility end users deserve.”

According to a report by Gartner Inc.’s Pushan Rinnen, Dave Russell and Alan Dayley, “it is encouraging to see that some endpoint backup vendors have also entered the file sync/share arena in an attempt to offer a more secure service to the enterprise.”

“We have an extraordinary advantage over the competition,” Dornquast said. “Most users share and collaborate on a small portion of their data on a device. But for more than five years, via our CrashPlan endpoint backup, we’ve been storing everything on the device-every version of every file, with no limits on size and retention-while using less bandwidth and storage than our competition. We’ve done this quietly, in the background, without slowing our users down. This experience in securing and storing all of the data makes us that much more proficient when working with the smaller subset of data required for sharing or collaboration.”

The company leveraged its experience of de-duplicating, encrypting and storing exabytes of data for millions of devices globally when designing the fourth generation of its cloud storage platform-the platform that powers both CrashPlan and SharePlan. Enterprises using both CrashPlan and SharePlan benefit from Code42’s ‘lift once, re-purpose many times’ approach to endpoint data management.

“We’ve learned a lot from the continuous development and optimization of our storage platform,” continued Dornquast. “When it was time to work on our fourth-generation I/O engine, we had to make a choice: do we incrementally improve it as we’ve done before, or do we start fresh, leveraging our collective experience in combination with state-of-the-art computer science? We chose the latter approach, and the results are astounding: we’ve reduced bandwidth and storage by over 40%t, while reducing the memory and CPU footprints on endpoint devices by as much as 300%.”

Secure: A Commitment to Data Control and Security
Built with a ‘security-first’ mindset-like CrashPlan-SharePlan satisfies enterprise information security requirements.

Features include:

• A managed private cloud deployment option that lets enterprises keep data-and even encryption keys-on-premises

• End-to-end security that protects synced and shared data in-transit and at rest via AES 256-bit encryption

• Audit trails and remote wipe to retain visibility and ownership of corporate data

• Integrations with Open Directory or Active Directory via LDAP, and RADIUS for two-factor authentication

• Granular data access controls and policies, with centralized logging

In a separate report by Gartner, research VPs Monica Basso and Jeffrey Mann state: “The unauthorized adoption of personal cloud services raises security concerns and represents a majordriver for investments in enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) … Organizations must deploy EFSS services to secure enterprise information assets. Failure to provide these capabilities will subject organizations to information leakage threats caused by users who move data through uncontrolled personal cloud services.”

“It was evident Code42 provided the best file backup solution in CrashPlan. With SharePlan, our faculty and staff can easily, effectively collaborate by sharing documents in a secure manner, without restrictions on file size and type,” stated Dr. Tran Hong, associate VP of technology, California Baptist University. “Additionally, SharePlan will help reduce network security risk by eliminating the need for distributing VPN access to employees. We are very happy to be working with a vanguard company such as Code42 and to be the first university to deploy such intuitive technologies together to meet the needs of our campus.”

Smart: Syncing and Sharing, with Extended Control of Data
SharePlan empowers IT teams to manage and control endpoint data flowing inside and outside the enterprise.

Features include:

• A single admin console that manages both SharePlan and CrashPlan, with Code42’s I/O engine utilizing data already protected by CrashPlan to fulfill sync requests

• An open API for building custom and integrated applications-the same API used to develop SharePlan

• Topology-aware network acceleration that speeds the transport of data by syncing data between users and/or their devices residing on the same network, before syncing it to the server

• Variable, block-level data de-duplication that speeds up file syncing because it transmits only new or changed data, not all data

• Integration with other content-driven applications, such as enterprise content management systems

• The ability to add security layers to unstructured data as it flows throughout the organization

• A real-time administration console that makes it easy for one IT admin to manage multiple storage sets, servers and clouds for thousands of users across all major OSs and device types (Windows 7/8, Mac OS X, Android and iOS)

Real-time controls of data policies, permissions and user accounts
“We’ve covered the enterprise file sync and share space for more than two years-what Code42 developed in SharePlan seems to be very well rounded and will appeal to its install base,” said Terri McClure, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “Many file sync and share apps that meet end user ease-of-use needs still present administration, integration and management challenges for IT. But Code42 demonstrates an understanding of the unique requirements of both IT and end users, and developed a sophisticated solution to meet them. We believe Code42 is well-positioned to quickly gain ground in this market.”

“Our clients continually voice challenges associated with employees bringing unsanctioned devices and consumer-grade share platforms into the workplace,” said Aaron Freimark, CTO, Tekserve Corporation, a Code42 Summit Partner. “With SharePlan, we can deliver greater value by offering them a file sync and share solution with an accessible, open API-all on a trusted platform they already know and depend on for endpoint protection.”

Simple: In-Place Sync Works without Slowing Down Users
By combining functionality that end users embrace with security and data management, this simplifies file sync and share for both users and IT.

Features include:

• Integrations with Windows Explorer and Mac Finder that eliminate the need for users to manually move data to a separate folder or location for syncing and sharing

• Real-time, continuous file syncing to keep files current across devices and users

• Cross-platform support that provides a consistent user experience across all Android, iOS, Mac and Windows devices, and SharePlan’s web-based application

• Tracking of information to be synced-in real-time-regardless of where users may move it on the device

• Unlimited file sync and share that imposes no limits on file size, number of files and file types that can be synced/shared

According to an independent report by Forrester Research Inc.’s Ted Schadler and Rob Koplowitz, “File sync and share is an important foundational capability to help solve the ‘document collaboration’ challenge.” Forrester found, in a series of March and April 2013 phone interviews, “Most companies were painfully aware that their employees were using non-IT sanctioned file sync and share tools for work. To beat out these alternatives, the chosen platform had to be easy to use and have an intuitive design.” And, an additional Forrester report states, “Changing behavior is hard. People like what they are used to.”

Supported: Empowering IT
to Better Protect, Manage and Serve Entire Organization
SharePlan’s platform leverages the same administration, security and management capabilities used by CrashPlan.

Features include:

• Choice of cloud deployment strategy-private cloud, public cloud or hybrid cloud

• 24×7 monitoring and support by customer champions for Code42 managed private clouds

• Support from a customer champion team that maintains a 96% customer satisfaction rating

“Organizations shouldn’t have to decide between data security and ease-of-use when it comes to file sync and share. Those are requirements for any enterprise application worth considering,” Dornquast said. “What they need is file sync and share that gives them a lot of choice and also is enterprise-ready. We believe with SharePlan, we deliver both.”

The service is available as an annual SaaS license. Term and volume discounts are available.