Cloud service provider CTERA announced the launch of version 5.0 of its enterprise data services platform, which features a combination of software and hardware for IT organizations to create, deploy and manage storage-as-a-service solutions, including remote site storage, backup, file sync and share, and mobile collaboration.
With version 5.0, CTERA cloud storage gateways now feature integrated support for the company’s Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS), extending the cloud and enabling collaboration and cloud-based file access to user and project data at local area network (LAN) speeds.
The latest release also offers integration with anti-malware software, enterprise mobility management tools (EMM) and data loss prevention (DLP) software to provide security and governance across the data services continuum.
The platform also supports virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and Windows phone users, adding to pre-existing support for Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, iOS and Android systems.
“The cloud has become a central point of aggregation for data that extends from the core of the enterprise to the farthest edges of the network,” Jeff Denworth, CTERA’s senior vice president of marketing, told eWEEK. “And now, because IT operations can be delivered as a service, organizations can centralize data through the delivery of scalable services and process data using inexpensive cloud computing.”
Denworth explained in many ways the data that lives within a organization hasn’t changed, but the ability to aggregate, process, and control that data via the cloud is changing.
“The challenge for the enterprise is now about where data lives in the organization – and public cloud services have crept their way into the enterprise and jeopardized IT control and regulatory compliance,” he said. “The opportunity for organizations to govern and extract value from that data has never been greater, and a smart cloud strategy where IT is in control will enable enterprises to take full control of the opportunity.”
In addition to offering optional LAN access, CTERA 5.0 offers integrations with Microsoft Outlook, features integrated document editing, and provides an online document viewer for nearly 50 new document formats, including Microsoft Office files, medical images, CAD documents, high-resolution graphics and more.
Finally, CTERA’s sync-enabled gateways allow organizations to pin user and project data to remote office storage appliances to enable fast local access and collaboration and persistent data access even in the face of poor Internet connectivity.
“We’re seeing a tremendous surge in customer demand now that public SaaS offerings have popularized the concepts of cloud based file storage, sharing and protection,” Denworth said. “Departmental requirements have driven the first wave of cloud-based data services. Now that the concepts and benefits of this new style of data management and sharing are understood, we are witnessing a new wave of adoption that is driven at the organizational level by central IT organizations.”
