Connected Data Expands Portfolio With Private Cloud File Sync and Share Appliances

Connected Data, Inc. released two private cloud file sync and share appliances that have been designed to deliver critical business-class file sharing features, performance and capacity to small businesses, departments and remote offices.

Transporter 15/30

The Transporter 15 and 30 appliances work to preserve the privacy and control of business data while offering users the same benefits and experience as public cloud solutions such as Dropbox and Box.

Designed to protect and secure business data on-site, the appliances, support employees’ needs to sync, access and share files from any of their authorized computers or mobile devices while avoiding the backend costs that commonly plague traditional cloud implementations by leveraging their existing infrastructure. Because data is 100% private and stored only onsite, it is a cloud file sync and share solution that meets the compliance needs of legal, financial, government and healthcare organizations. And, because it retains data locally, it meets increasing data locality legislation in countries including Canada, China, Germany, Japan and Russia.

According to an ESG report, Online File Sharing (OFS) and Collaboration: Deployment Model Trends, simple, easy-to-manage file sharing for collaboration and improved productivity has become an expected part of the user experience in today’s corporate environments. However, organizations struggle to control unintended access to sensitive corporate data while maintaining expected performance characteristics. In fact, when asked about factors driving interest in the ability to retain file data on-premises, more than half of both current public cloud OFS users and potential hybrid or on-premises OFS adopters indicated they wanted flexibility and control over where data is stored.

“While file sync and share technology has greatly improved workforce productivity, its public cloud implementation creates increasing compliance, security and data protection challenges for IT,” said Terri McClure, senior analyst, ESG. “Many enterprises still want to remain in control of corporate data resources and keep some or all data on premises. Connected Data’s line of Transporter private sync and share appliances have directly addressed these requirements by giving users the file sharing flexibility they want while also supporting IT’s demands for information security and control.“

Transporter 75/150

The Transporter appliances are an extension of Connected Data’s product suite for the delivery of private file sync and share solutions that also includes the Transporter 75 and 150. First unveiled in October 2014 to serve the needs of mid-sized enterprises, they are private file sync and share appliances combining the modern file management features of public cloud storage services with the visibility and control offered by a NAS from vendors such as NetApp, Inc.

“The file sync and share market has revolutionized the way users manage and share business content,” said Jim Sherhart, VP marketing, Connected Data. “But the value of file sharing doesn’t come from the cloud – quite the opposite. The value of file sync and share technology is actually inhibited by the lack of security and jurisdictional restrictions inherent with cloud implementations. With our new Transporter appliances, we separate the value of file sync and share technology from the obstacles of the cloud. By putting flexible file management technology into private and secure appliances, we are delivering all the file sharing features users demand with the security and control IT needs.“

The Transporter 15 and 30 appliances deliver security benefits for on-premise cloud and BYOD. The systems support BYOD applications including Transporter Mac App, Transporter Windows App, Transporter iOS App and Transporter Android App. All Transporters are compatible with one another, so businesses can leverage any combination of appliances to achieve their file sync and share business objectives.

Additional Transporter benefits include:

• Anytime, anywhere file access and sharing

• Control over location and redundancy of data including multi-site replication

• Elimination of the privacy concerns with public cloud storage

• Automatically syncs data between Transporter appliances

• Integrates with Microsoft Active Directory

• Includes versioning, auditing and read-only controls

• Provides up to 24TB of cloud accessible storage per node

• No monthly or per user fees

Pricing:

• Transporter 15, offered for a MSRP of $2,499, includes 8TB of storage (approx. 6TB usable) and supports up to 15 organization users in a sleek desktop form factor. This model offers both drive and network connection redundancy and supports an unlimited number of guest users.

• Transporter 30, available for a MSRP of $4,999, increases storage to 12TB (approx. 9TB usable) and includes performance enhancements to support up to 30 organization users in the same sleek desktop form factor. This model offers both drive and network connection redundancy and supports an unlimited number of guest users.

• Transporter 75, offered for a MSRP of $9,999, is available with storage capacity of 12TB (approx. 10TB usable) and the performance to support up to 75 organization users and an unlimited number of guest users.

• Transporter 150, offered for a MSRP of $18,999, is available with storage capacity of 24TB (approx. 20TB usable) and the performance to support up to 150 organization users and an unlimited number of guest users.