ESG Lab Spotlight Secure File Sync & Share with Acronis Access Advanced Date: July 2015 Author: Kerry Dolan, Lab Analyst Abstract: This ESG Lab Spotlight provides a high level look at the Acronis Access Advanced enterprise file sync and share solution. The Challenges Consumer-oriented, public cloud file sync and share solutions are common today in corporate environments because they are easy to get, easy to use, and enable employees to access content from any device and share it with colleagues and partners from any location. This can leave vast amounts of corporate data at risk and outside of IT s protection, management, and monitoring potentially leading to violations of industry compliance or corporate governance regulations, reputation harm, and financial loss. In fact, when ESG asked potential corporate public cloud sync and share adopters about their top concerns, security was the mostoften cited response by a large margin, followed by employees continuing to use their own solutions, and integration with existing IT tools and applications. 1 The data to which organizations need access from various devices and locations includes not just recently created files, but the data volumes that they have created over the history of the company. The difficulty for many organizations is that they are tired of the cumbersome and restrictive VPN method of secure remote access to data, but having to move data into a specific sync and share silo for remote access is a huge burden. The bottom line is that business users need better data access and easier collaboration, but with full protection, rocksolid security, and management by IT. Consumer-grade solutions are simply not designed for these enterprise-class needs. The Solution: Acronis Access Advanced Acronis Access Advanced is a file sync and share solution that provides enterprise-class features for any organization, regardless of size. It was designed for on-premises or private cloud infrastructures, and provides the security, scalability, management, and compliance features that today s organizations need. It is easy for both users and administrators, is a complete and secure solution offering a wide range of features and flexible policies, and enables access to and mobilization of data from a variety of sources including home directories, file shares, NAS devices, and SharePoint sites. Acronis Access Advanced is deployed as a physical or virtual Windows service and enables file access and sharing for Windows PCs, Macintosh computers, and mobile devices that support ios, Android, and Windows operating systems. There is no file size limit. Key user features include: Access to data on file servers, NAS, and SharePoint. Native support for Active Directory home folders on mobile devices. 1 Source: ESG Research Report, Online File Sharing and Collaboration Deployment Model Trends, February 2014. The goal of ESG Lab reports is to educate IT professionals about data center technology products for companies of all types and sizes. ESG Lab reports are not meant to replace the evaluation process that should be conducted before making purchasing decisions, but rather to provide insight into these emerging technologies. Our objective is to go over some of the more valuable feature/functions of products, show how they can be used to solve real customer problems and identify any areas needing improvement. ESG Lab s expert third-party perspective is based on our own hands-on testing as well as on interviews with customers who use these products in production environments. This ESG Lab report was sponsored by Acronis.
ESG Lab Spotlight: Secure File Sync and Share with Acronis Access Advanced 2 Secure file access and sharing across multiple devices via web UI, desktop clients, and mobile clients. Selective sync of files and folders to optimize bandwidth and storage. File and folder sharing via links governed by policies such as passwords and expiration dates. File versioning including conflicted file renaming. Bi-directional sharing with external users. An intuitive UI that requires no training; consistent interface across repositories and devices. A built-in Office editor is included with the mobile client code, helping to make Acronis Access Advancedenabled mobile devices a true business platform. Key administrative features include: Fast, easy on-premises deployment. Integration with Active Directory for authentication, user account management, and enrollment. HTTPS reverse proxy support with password and certificate authentication. FIPS 140-2 encryption in transit and at rest. Granular, policy-based management of files, users, and devices. Incremental sync at file level. Audit trail and transaction history with search, filter, and export, essential for compliance and oversight. Whitelists and blacklists for users, groups, domains, and applications. Selective remote wipe capability. Web API for additional integration and custom app development. MDM integration including MobileIron and Good Technology. The architecture overview shows clients on the front-end accessing Acronis Access Advanced via LAN/WAN/HTTPS. On the back end, the solution integrates with customer file storage deployments, Active Directory, and repositories such as SharePoint. ESG Lab Testing ESG Lab evaluated the Acronis Access Advanced solution using a combination of remote demos and self-directed testing of user and administrative features. User testing was conducted using a MacBook Pro, Windows PC, Android phone, and Apple ipad. Usability was validated for the web interface, desktop client, and mobile device, while testing focused on the mobile device as a true business platform. Administrative testing focused on the wide variety of management options. Mobile Devices Using an ipad, ESG Lab easily installed the Acronis Access Advanced application from the App Store, noting that additional versions of the app were available for integration with specific mobile device management applications.
ESG Lab Spotlight: Secure File Sync and Share with Acronis Access Advanced 3 To test the capabilities of the Acronis Access Advanced mobile platform, ESG Lab executed numerous business tasks on the ipad. After adding our Acronis Access Advanced server by inserting the server name and user credentials, our sync and share folder contents were viewable and searchable, including folders and files with several viewing options. We reviewed the settings, including the amount of local cache, timeout time, delete confirmation, password and certificate settings, auto-syncing, confirm before download (a key feature for mobile devices that can prevent bottlenecks and security issues), and MDM partner features. The home screen provides access to other bookmarked folders, and with a single click, enables your folder to be bookmarked, synced, or refreshed. It should be noted that automatic syncing can be configured to occur only at launch or at defined intervals, and to occur only with a WiFi connection. This eliminates mobile network data charges and potential bottlenecks. ESG Lab tapped on the Test Document.docx file that we had created in a desktop Acronis folder and synced with the ipad. A pop-up box appeared offering numerous options, including the ability to preview or edit the file, open it in a specific application, e-mail the file or a link to the file, copy or move the file with the clipboard, rename it, or delete the file (left). After selecting the option to e-mail a file or link, a form was presented in which we entered an e-mail address, added a message, and configured the link to expire in two days. We sent the link to a colleague, who confirmed the ease of accessing the document from the link. Next, with the same document selected on the ipad, ESG Lab tested the Preview, Edit, and Open In features. Preview brought up the document in full-screen mode for viewing; the Edit feature opened the document using the built-in Office editor. With the document open, buttons appeared at the top for file actions such as save, print, and e-mail; cut and paste; view options; add shapes, images, and photos; keyboard options; undo; redo; and page navigation. Tapping in the document brought up a soft keyboard, and we added a sentence to the document and clicked Save; this brought up options to overwrite the original, rename and save it, or cancel and discard it. After returning to the Acronis Access screen, we selected the document again and clicked Open In, which brought up a box containing all the icons for the applications installed on the ipad with which we could open, move, or display the document. This included social media, messaging, word processing, and collaboration applications, as well as AirDrop for sharing with nearby devices using Bluetooth. After clicking on the Apple Pages (word processing) icon, the document opened in that application with full functionality. It should be noted that when content is opened in another application, it leaves the secure sandbox environment of Acronis and could be vulnerable; however, Acronis Access Advanced enables applications to be whitelisted or blacklisted for the Open In feature, enabling greater control. Next, we created a new document by clicking the Add icon on the home screen and selecting Add New (right).this brought up options for creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, text files, or folders. ESG Lab created a new document, tested all word processing features, saved it, and then renamed and saved it. Finally, from the home screen, ESG created a new folder and opened it. After clicking the Add button, we selected Copy Photos & Videos. This brought up all image applications in the ipad; we tapped the Camera Roll, selected all the screenshots that we had taken during this ipad testing, and clicked Save (right). The screenshots were immediately saved to the clipboard, individually added to the new folder, and synced with the desktop application. The figure below shows the same content synced on the web interface, desktop client, and mobile device.
Desktop and Web Interface ESG Lab Spotlight: Secure File Sync and Share with Acronis Access Advanced 4 When configuring the desktop client, users specify a folder to use for syncing with the Acronis Access Advanced on-premises server. Folders and files are controlled by policies, and users can download, rename, copy, move, delete, and e-mail links to files and folders. Similar to the mobile device testing, ESG Lab validated for the desktop and web UI s the ease of: Collaborating with users inside and outside the Active Directory domain. Adding content to the Acronis Access Advanced folder via drag and drop. Editing files and propagating changes to shared folders. Selecting files and folders to sync. Administrative Testing Acronis Access Advanced offers IT a wide range of management options that can be accessed from five categories in the left navigation pane: Mobile; Sync and Share; Audit Log; User and Devices; and General Settings. Each category has intuitive subcategories that enable tasks such as role assignments, templates for notification and sharing e-mails, UI customization, licensing, sync policies, and sharing policies. While a full review of all administrative functions is beyond the scope of this report, ESG Lab found that Acronis Access Advanced offered a very flexible set of tools and options that enables organizations to customize as much or as little as they like. IT can tailor sync, mobility, collaboration, and security features using templates or ad hoc, and can vary policies and permissions across organizations, divisions, departments, users, and devices. ESG Lab highlighted two administrative areas that are essential for businesses: user enrollment procedures, and mobile policies (left). Acronis Access Advanced enables IT to enroll users in the same way they typically do, using Active Directory. Administrators select Active Directory users or groups, and the system sends an e-mail with installation instructions for both desktop and mobile devices along with a token that transfers all Active Directory security and access permissions. This enables organizations to quickly and easily add authenticated users while maintaining secure operations. Users have immediate access to any content in their Access folders, in other network servers, and in accessible data sources such as file shares and SharePoint repositories. Additional policies can be layered on top of the Active Directory configuration, such as preventing users from storing files on mobile devices or disabling e-mailing of files or links. This way, users can be granted persona-based credentials for each device they use, enabling organizations to maintain control and security of data. Options such as time-limited
ESG Lab Spotlight: Secure File Sync and Share with Acronis Access Advanced 5 access to links, automatic erasure of content after a period of time without device log in, and selective remote wipe can also ensure that data is not vulnerable, for example, when a mobile device is lost or stolen. The Mobile Policies tabs enable IT to handle enrollment; create specific security, application, sync, and home folder policies; manage servers and data sources that mobilize content; and manage settings. For example, IT can create a connection to a dedicated data source for high-level managers that requires a secure VPN tunnel, while enabling other employees to access home directories using HTTPS. Business users have different needs, and Acronis Access Advanced accommodates every level of functionality and security. Why This Matters For syncing and sharing files, users will leverage what is easy for them, without necessarily thinking about security. The only way to ensure that employees use a secure, IT-managed file sync and share solution is to ensure that it has the features and data sources users want. ESG Lab validated that Acronis Access Advanced is a simple, intuitive, complete, and powerful solution that can be used via desktop, web, or mobile client. Keeping data on-premises eliminates the vulnerabilities of public cloud solutions. The mobile capabilities make it a full-featured business platform. Knowledge workers can execute a wide range of business functions with a mobile device in the absence of a desktop or laptop, while keeping in sync with the central document repository, sharing with internal and external users, and collaborating. ESG Lab also validated the flexibility of administrative options that enable IT to be completely confident regarding sync and share data security across the organization. The Bigger Truth Acronis has clearly thought through the needs of business users and IT organizations. The company offers a solution that is easy to use, full featured, secure, and integrates easily with customer infrastructure including file shares, data repositories, Active Directory, and MDM applications. ESG Lab was particularly impressed with the level of flexible control Acronis Access Advanced offers. IT can tailor the many policies to users, groups, and devices, enabling them to gain the right level of control and match that with the right features for each user and each device. Users get the devices and features they want, while IT gets the security and control it needs, without having to migrate data to a new silo or platform. There is a fine level of granularity when needed, and simplicity when not. Acronis put significant effort into creating a superior mobile experience in terms of optimizing protocols for mobile devices and providing a true business platform with which users can actually do work. Just getting access to files on mobile devices is a good start, but being able to actively produce work is the goal for business users, and Acronis Access Advanced does an excellent job of enabling that. Acronis is known for offering excellent data protection solutions. This file sync and share solution came to Acronis by acquisition, and ESG Lab s experience indicates that Acronis fully supports its continuing innovation. Acronis Access Advanced can provide organizations with a complete, fully secure, enterprise file sync and share platform that provides the features and ease of use to keep employees happy, while enabling IT to safely manage and control data across the organization. All trademark names are property of their respective companies. Information contained in this publication has been obtained by sources The Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) considers to be reliable but is not warranted by ESG. This publication may contain opinions of ESG, which are subject to change from time to time. This publication is copyrighted by The Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc. Any reproduction or redistribution of this publication, in whole or in part, whether in hard-copy format, electronically, or otherwise to persons not authorized to receive it, without the express consent of The Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc., is in violation of U.S. copyright law and will be subject to an action for civil damages and, if applicable, criminal prosecution. Should you have any questions, please contact ESG Client Relations at 508.482.0188.