SharePoint File Share Management

AvePoint’s Vice President of Global Account Product Management, John Hodges, summarizes the business case for DocAve File Share Navigator:

“Organizations have large volumes of unstructured legacy data tied up in file shares, which have notoriously poor content management capabilities for search, permissions, metadata, and remote access.

As a result, companies from all industries have turned to SharePoint for their content management solutions. From marketing to engineering and design, SharePoint faces the challenge of large files, rich media, and engineering documentation – which the platform is not well suited to address with its out-of-the-box storage options.

File Share Navigator allows you to expose files from anywhere in your network to SharePoint without any new hardware or infrastructure requirements, letting users share and collaborate on files of any size and type.

• Work quickly on engineering projects by sharing CAD, satellite imagery, and other large or blocked files directly in SharePoint
• Share file shares through SharePoint without requiring VPN
• Allow read-only previews of documents for read-only file servers
• Direct access for local file-servers through SharePoint without burden on web front end servers”

To learn more about AvePoint’s solutions for integrating, optimizing, and managing file share content in SharePoint, please feel free to visit our File Share Management solution page.

Business Advantages for Microsoft SharePoint File Share Management

• Optimize and Increase File Share Activity through SharePoint

  Both local and remote users can preview and download file-based content directly on local network shared drives or through SharePoint, without having to migrate content into SharePoint. End users can continue to access and manage content through local file shares in the event of service disruption.

• Avoid Costs and Disruptions associated with Migration Plans

  Decrease costs associated with migrating large files, rich media, and sizable volumes of file share content into SharePoint’s SQL Server content databases and diminish time lost from business interruption.

• Accelerate Collaboration and SharePoint User Adoption with a Familiar User Experience

  Utilize familiar Windows Explorer windows for drag-and-drop uploads to preserve end-user experience, facilitating SharePoint adoption and collaboration among knowledge workers.

• Offer a Seamless and Efficient File Management System in SharePoint

  File Share Navigator takes file management in SharePoint to the next level with enhanced support for large files and rich media. Users can access file types normally blocked by SharePoint, collaborate on files that exceed SharePoint’s 2 GB size limit, and even stream videos directly from the network share – all without adversely affecting SharePoint server performance.

• Optimize Network Bandwidth Usage by Previewing Content Prior to Download

  Allow users to instantly preview file share content before downloading or transferring content across limited bandwidth connections to keep network resources optimized.

DocAve File Share Navigator Technical Overview

• Expose File Share Content in SharePoint without Migration

  Connect any UNC-accessible file share folder into SharePoint and expose file share content as links in a SharePoint list, allowing users to access and interact with file-based content through SharePoint without migration.

• Support Content Creation and Modification from both File Servers and SharePoint

  Users can continue to update content from both file share and SharePoint interfaces, allowing for seamless collaboration.

• Promote SQL Server and SharePoint Database Optimization

  Eliminate the need for any content or stubs to either reside in or enter SharePoint’s content databases, keeping SQL Server resources optimized.

• Preview File Share Content

  Preview large files, including PowerPoint presentations, videos, or large documents, via thumbnails before downloading or transferring content across limited bandwidth connections to ensure only relevant content is transferred across the network.

• Support Large (>2 GB) Files

  Expose large files via list links, including files more than 2 GB, into SharePoint without violating Microsoft support contracts to truly consolidate access to all enterprise-wide content.

• Access all File Types through SharePoint

  Browse Microsoft Access, .exe, and Excel Share books utilizing Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Combining with SharePoint’s HTTP protocol, end users can access all file types, including .irm files, within the file server regardless of geographical location.

• Supports Metadata-based Search

  Organizations can utilize full metadata-based SharePoint search across all exposed file share content.

• Synchronize File Server Permissions to SharePoint

  Optional synchronization of permissions from the file server to SharePoint can eliminate the burden of managing permissions on both content repositories.

• Synchronize File Server Property to SharePoint

  Upload properties such as “last modified time” directly updated on file server to SharePoint automatically. End users can also utilize file properties as SharePoint metadata.

• Easy to Install and Deploy

  File Share Navigator’s lightweight installation requires no additional infrastructure, and deploys as a solution into your SharePoint environment. No Microsoft External BLOB Storage (EBS) or Remote BLOB Storage (RBS) API configuration is required.

• Fully Supports SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint 2010 Environments

  SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2010, and SharePoint Foundation releases are all fully supported by File Share Navigator.

DocAve File Share Navigator Resources

Product Brochures:

• DocAve File Share Navigator for SharePoint Product Brochure

Case Studies:

• Read more Customer Success Stories

Solution Briefs:

• Explore all of our available Solution Briefs

White Papers:

• Encouraging Greater SharePoint Adoption with DocAve
  Learn how to improve SharePoint scalability, reliability, and make the platform the single access point for enterprise-wide content

Peruse our collection of available white papers

User Guides:

• Read the DocAve File Share Navigator User Guide for Share Point 2013 and SharePoint 2010