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Three ways to get the best out of Cloud Storage for your Virtual Desktops

By Tyrone F. Pike, CEO, FileShadow

Today we're enjoying a computing renaissance with IT departments enlisting both the simplicity of virtual desktops and the reliability of cloud storage solutions. Specialists in two distinctly different areas-creators of virtual desktops and storage platforms-are mastering their offerings to make them necessities in the office and at home. However, you wouldn't go to your virtual desktop provider to meet your storage needs, no more than you'd rely on your storage provider to meet your virtual desktop needs.

Digital asset management solutions empower experts to do what they do best and focus on making constant improvements to their respective fields. By taking advantage of data synchronization, thin provisioned storage, and security measures, users can enjoy the best of both worlds by seamlessly combining virtual desktops with massive archives of data.

Constant Data Synchronization

Since 2005, the number of non-self-employed individuals who regularly work from home has grown by 173 percent. One of the significant advantages of using a virtual desktop is the mobility and convenience of accessing applications and files from anywhere. Reachable from a variety of hardware options (e.g., laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones), users need only a modern web browser, Wi-Fi, and the proper credentials to access their desktop.

The challenge then is for this virtual desktop to experience consistent cohesion between the desktop instance and users' storage locations. We all have files stored in multiple places, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, external hard drives, etc. The virtual desktop cannot be expected to be the primary-and only-holder of your content. The best way to synchronize your storage between the virtual desktop and your other storage areas is through a digital asset management application.

By using a digital asset management app, any modifications a user makes to files on virtual desktops-or in any of their storage locations-are instantly synchronized to the Cloud. With a single search, this data synchronization makes it possible for users to generate results from content stored throughout their virtual desktop and storage solutions universe.

Thin-Provisioned Storage on Demand

The cloud storage market is forecast to reach a value of $88.9 billion by 2022. That monumental figure represents a sum total of the data stored by users all around the world. While digital asset management systems make it possible for individuals to access and search all their data at once, there may never be an occasion that requires a user to synchronize their entire stockpile of content directly to their virtual desktop. Doing so could easily exceed the capacity-and budget-of a user's virtual desktop instance and storage space.

Thin-provisioned storage gives users immediate access to all their content without impacting the desktop computer. Only when a user elects to edit or modify their content will those exact files be downloaded on demand to their virtual desktop, changed, then uploaded back to the Cloud.

In the big picture, this means that users can take advantage of the archiving, aggregating and searching capabilities of a digital asset management tool while keeping the files stored in their respective cloud vault. It also helps to cut costs for IT departments who won't have to generate space on local storage devices.

Peace-of-Mind Security

According to Gartner contributor Laurence Goasduff, "Ransomware families have grown by more than 700% since 2016". As of August 2019, the New York Times reported that more than "40 municipalities had been the victims of cyberattacks...from major cities such as Baltimore, Albany and Laredo, Texas, to smaller towns including Lake City, Florida".

Unfortunately, virtual desktop users remain susceptible to the perils of ransomware. Should a hacker penetrate the defenses of a user's machine, they can compromise, deny access to and possibly destroy all of that person's stored content. This threat becomes a serious security issue and costly problem for the ransomware target. Cybercrime Magazine Editor-in-Chief Steve Morganto predicts that global ransomware damage costs will reach $20 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2021.

However, if a digital asset management provider protects that user's data, they'll be able to recover all of their files instantly from a secure cloud vault. Even if a hacker is holding their records hostage, users can still access the latest versions-with full tracking of all revisions-from their desktop app.

Data portability has become the new norm. There has never been a higher demand for creators of virtual desktops and storage platforms to develop envelope-pushing products and services. With data asset management, thin provisioned storage, and built-in security measures, these services play a pivotal role in uniting virtual desktops and multiple cloud storage sources together to give users instant access to all of their content.

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About the Author

Tyrone Pike 

Mr. Tyrone F. Pike is the Founder of FileShadow, Inc. and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and President. With more than 35 years of experience in the high-tech sector, Tyrone has held numerous top executive positions in software, software systems integration and networking infrastructure companies, including Solid Instance, Sparxent Inc., Bravara Communication, Inc. and InterNAP Network Services Corporate. In 1996, he founded VPNX.com and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer. As Founder and Chairman of LAN Systems, he guided its successful product line and then negotiated the sale of LAN Systems' software division to Intel Corporation and its systems integration division to RR Donnelly & Sons. His expertise spans across a wide range of domain areas: cloud computing, messaging, archiving, disaster recovery, networking and Web services. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Solid Instance, Inc. He has served as a Director of Citrix Systems, Inc. and Sparxent Inc. Mr. Pike holds an AB in Architecture from Princeton University.

Published Friday, January 24, 2020 7:36 AM by David Marshall
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