April 10, 2008 – 1:47 pm
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The pressures of globalization have presented organizations with a fundamental challenge: how do you establish local “footprints” while maintaining central control – and oversight – of everything from standard business transactions and practices to underlying IT processes.
Circumstances on the ground are ever-changing; it’s not just the pace of business that has quickened, synapses have too, as the window for critical business decisions has dramatically narrowed. Whereas all decisions were once routed through HQ, they are now made – and executed - at the regional or local level. To the extent that in today’s world all business is data-driven, organizations are competitive to the degree their geographically distributed workforce is able to access, push, protect and collaborate on data.
Obstacles encountered in a Mesh Topology
Implementing such a framework can be – and usually is – complex, costly, time-consuming, requires significant administrative overhead, and presents a host of technical challenges, from keeping bandwidth requirements to an acceptable minimum to assuring that data is readily available and efficiently shared.
Why use the PEER Solution
Enter PeerSync 7.4, the new version of Peer Software’s flagship file synchronization and replication solution, which enables IT admins to create a virtual – and instantaneous – mesh network, across which users at remote locations can easily, reliably and safely replicate and share data. Mesh networking is a way to route data, voice and instructions between nodes.
In a mesh topology, each node—workstation or other device—is connected directly to each of the others, offering a high degree of reliability and redundancy. In the past, connecting remote offices typically required separate VPNs (virtual private networks), involving significant investments in hardware and software installation, and considerable managerial oversight. Scaling to 50 or a 100 offices and the associated costs – let alone the administrative headaches – grow exponentially.
Relative to VPNs, implementing a full mesh network is also a major, resource-intensive undertaking; but using PeerSync 7.4, any remote office with an Internet connection can become part of a virtual mesh network almost instantaneously, without requiring additional hardware expenditures. The new version of PeerSync supports real-time or scheduled bi-directional replication using the TCP replication mode. To achieve real-time bi-directional replication across TCP, PeerSync and PSListener is installed on both the Source and the Target machines. Additionally, it features improved Enhanced Bi-directional capabilities so that relaying can occur once a file has been added/updated to the target. PeerSync also offers encryption over TCP.
PeerSync also offers an unmatched level of “granularity and control” in selecting specific replication sources and targets, and in managing bandwidth usage. Each node in a virtual mesh can be connected differently – one may have T1, another may have cable or DSL. Being able to control bandwidth usage means you can replicate data and maintain enough bandwidth to support, say, a VOIP system that shares an integrated T1. Moreover, using PeerSync, you can prioritize replication by setting cycles to longer or shorter periods. Additionally, PeerSync provides true byte level replication, another bandwidth-friendly feature in that it enables you to only transfer changed data in a file when synchronizing, instead of having to change or replace the entire file.
Maintaining central control while ceding necessary operational latitude and decision-making authority to remote locations would seem to be a complete contradiction. But as we’ve outlined – and as many readers may well know from personal experience – it’s a balance businesses must strike in order to have the agility to compete in today’s fluid, global business environment. Being able to leverage the benefits of mesh networking (let alone “instantaneously” deployed mesh networking) , i.e., its flexibility, reliability and redundancy, in implementing a seamless, secure, efficient data communication and exchange framework – one that’s easy to manage both centrally and at each remote connection point…should be a highly attractive proposition to any organization positioning itself to succeed on a global scale.
We encourage you to download a free trial of our PeerSync Server v7.4 solution today.
Posted in File Synchronization, High Availability, Server Mirroring, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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