Panzura, the leader in multi-cloud file storage, collaboration and protection for global enterprises, just announced major enhancements to Panzura Mobile. An industry first, the company said its mobile enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) solution enables enterprise customers to scale securely to support hundreds of millions of files and access to up to hundreds of terabytes of data from any Web browser, iOS or Android device, which is critical for remote workers. 

According to the company, native integration with the Panzura Freedom Global Cloud File System delivers a "single source of truth" in the cloud from any location, without having to copy data across to a consumer-grade EFSS. Panzura Mobile hands control of user data and device access back to enterprise IT by using existing Active Directory credentials.  As a result, Panzura Mobile simplifies management, improves employee productivity, and lowers overall costs.

"There's no doubt that the healthcare crisis has accelerated the overall trend towards remote working; the biggest question now is how can enterprises implement cost-saving solutions capable of delivering the same data access, anywhere," said Rich Weber, Chief Product Officer, Panzura. "Storing files as a single source of truth in the cloud results in a reduced storage footprint that saves up to 70% on traditional storage, and EFSS ensures every user gets the same consistent, secure experience, regardless of their location."

Watch this interview and brief demo with Rich Weber, Panzura Chief Product Officer.

Benefits of Panzura Mobile

According to Rich, EFSS solutions are essential to solving the data access challenges that arise due to the new normal of working from home.  But they can also introduce their own set of problems. While most EFSS solutions -- which are typically consumer rather than enterprise-based -- enable the sharing of files across devices, they take the control of data outside of IT and introduce risks of data theft, cybersecurity breaches and a failure to meet compliance. Using standalone EFSS solutions also require users to duplicate files, which introduces sync issues where files may become corrupted, or employees become frustrated and waste time as a result of collaborating on the wrong version of the file.

The Panzura Mobile server can be deployed in the public cloud, or on-prem in the security Demilitarized Zone and directly accesses the file server, where users are authenticated using Active Directory credentials. This means that data is never cached and users are always guaranteed access to the latest file version, never out of sync with the filer.

In addition, Panzura Mobile has deep admin controls that ensure the files are never shared accidentally outside of the organization, and companies can share hundreds of terabytes of data with their field employees without having to copy all of it to a third party EFSS.  Allowing remote workers to access data from their mobile device means they can continue to work as usual, rather than experience a disjointed and painfully slow collaboration experience due to issues of data sprawl, file version control, and concerns over compliance and cybersecurity.

New Panzura Mobile 3.5 features include:

• True enterprise scale - Panzura's upgraded Mobile platform can support making hundreds of millions of files accessible to hundreds of thousands of workers remotely.  Remote collaboration is straightforward and can be performed in real-time.

• Single sign-on - Using Okta, enterprises can support single sign-on and multi-factor authentication using SMS, email or the Okta app for mobile devices, which offers convenience and rapid authentication.

• Watermarking of files - Enterprises can customize a watermark, placed through image and PDF files -- such as the user's email, time and date or customized text -- protecting intellectual property.

• Splash screen - Enterprise users can remain informed on how to use the mobile application, policies within the organization or any recent events.

• Real-time refresh sync button - End-users can sync a specific file with the active Panzura Global File system.

• Updated clients - for IOS, Android, Web interface, Windows and MacOS.
  

Eric Quinn, CTO at the C&S Companies, a leader in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, said, "Panzura eliminated the latency problems we were experiencing that made it so difficult for our distributed team to collaborate efficiently. Before we implemented Panzura, our users wasted several minutes opening even the smallest design files from our different offices. Productivity was significantly impacted, and employee satisfaction suffered."

"With Panzura Freedom, we dramatically reduced time-to-access data files to a few seconds, no matter where employees worked. Having Panzura's technology in place allowed us to easily, and essentially instantaneously, grow our remote workforce from 50 to 550 people virtually overnight. Now, Panzura's integrated EFSS solution gives our remote workers much needed flexibility and true mobility as a natural, powerful extension of our ‘Anytime, Anywhere' work capabilities. It's also a natural fit in our data security and external team collaboration efforts."

Doug Dahlberg Director of IT Operations, at ASTI, which has grown to become one of the largest AEC, Autodesk MEP Fabrication, and Manufacturing System integrators in North America, said, "We know enterprises are struggling to securely scale their file sync-and-share solutions to meet the extreme and immediate spike to work remotely. As an Elite Panzura partner we are seeing a massive demand for tools like Panzura Mobile.

"Panzura Mobile helps to bring the office to end users regardless of location or device. Many enterprises are deciding to add Panzura Mobile to their Panzura Freedom environment because they can be much more confident that their data is secure outside of their physical location. Employees can access data and collaborate in real-time, significantly improving their workflows."