Wide Area File Services (WAFS) Software

WAFS software allows remote office users to access and share files over the WAN at LAN speeds. Its real-time multi-directional data replication technology ensures that the same data exists on all servers regardless of where changes occur.

It's easy to install and configure on your Windows servers. No change to users access, applications or software on user machines.

Key Features

• Wide area network acceleration: Advanced optimization and acceleration only sends byte level changes between servers. Files are always accessed locally so they open quickly. Optimization eliminates overhead, "chattiness", and traffic.
• Real-time system: Changes made to files on any server immediately mirror on all other servers. Files remain accessible at all sites. When new files are added, they appear in Windows explorer instantly, and can be opened immediately.
• Complete transparency:  Your users and applications keep using the exact same files, in the exact same manner. They are not able to tell that anything changed. Plus, you set ACL, NTFS and Share security exactly as before. At all remote sites, users access and work on identical files, as they change, from local folders on their server. Set ACL's centrally, and automatically project them out.
• Bandwidth elimination:  Its unique technology includes true byte-level differencing, which transfers only the portion of files that have been modified. Additionally, unneeded chattiness, system and temp files do not transfer. The remaining communication is compressed, reducing bandwidth use by 95% or more.
• Works over standard HTTP: It's easy to configure across firewalls, VPNs, or any internet connection.
• Encryption: 32 bit symmetric key encryption is applied to every packet.
• File version coherence: If a user on a server in China saves a file, and a split-second later a user in the U.S. opens the same file, the user will open the file with the changes. It is simply impossible for any user to open an old file.
• Full file-locking: It fully projects native file locking in real time over any distance. For example, if Mary in Tokyo opens a Word document on the Tokyo server, and a split-second later John opens the same file on the NYC server, John will get the standard message about the file being edited by Mary. He can open it read-only - conflicts are eliminated. Just like sharing across the LAN, locks that enable file-sharing are maintained.
• Data streaming: WAFS synchronizes files' data as a background process, without impacting performance. However, if a user opens a file that was not yet fully synchronized (such as a new large file), WAFS streams the data to the application. For example, a user in Chicago drops a 30 MB file into a folder. The file would appear instantly in Windows Explorer on server in San Diego which also has WAFS. However, the data could not possibly be fully mirrored yet. If a user opens the file in San Diego, WAFS will stream data so that the file opens immediately. So even if it takes seconds to fully mirror the file, the user will be able to use it immediately.
• Consolidated backup: WAFS can keep past versions of files on your backup file-server and you can always retrieve past versions as well as any deleted files. You can also schedule point-in time snapshots of the data.
• Global distance, complex files, any number of users: WAFS handles the most complex files such as AutoCAD, scales to millions of files with rapid changes at numerous locations.
• On-Line & Off-Line: Only WAFS can give 100% full access to all users at all sites, even if your network is down. WAFS transparently changes from on-line to off-line mode, and back again, in case of any network issues. Users keep working, and WAFS handles any possible conflict that occurred during the outage. There is NO point of failure.
• Consolidation: WAFS consolidates remote data sets to one central site for continuous backup and central security setting & control.
• Enterprise version: Enterprise is designed for companies that need both Wide Area File Services and Continuous Data Protection.

Learn More

For more information regarding evaluating or purchasing WAFS, please call us at 1-800-474-0116 (U.S.) or 978 474-9116 (international), or fill out the WAFS trial request form and a representative will contact you shortly.