Understanding the Challenges of Mobile Workers

Here we discuss protection of data held on laptops, and how to provide the best protection with the minimum of overhead.

According to the 451 Group, industry trends point to the rapid evolution of the enterprise mobile laptop as a viable – and permanent – desktop replacement. “Mobile-enabled laptops are getting cheaper; wireless networks are becoming faster and more ubiquitous, and the suite of software needed to securely connect the mobile worker with the office, on the go, is rapidly solidifying.”

For some years IT organisations have focused on mobile, laptop-lugging workforces and the attendant security and data availability issues. As the laptop supplants the desktop, these issues can only be compounded.

How do mobile users or those who “take their work home with them” (even those who decide to take their work to the wi-fi enabled coffee shop on the first floor) keep their data backed up and just as importantly, synchronised? Transparently, consistently, reliably. Synchronisation is a particular challenge as entire business units are increasingly virtual, requiring seamless, real-time collaboration. With information stored on one’s laptop, what happens when that laptop is misplaced, stolen or tampered with?

Given the fluid nature of today’s workforce – with employees jumping from one company to another, what happens when an employee returns a company laptop with an erased hard drive? Presentations, contact information, key documents created, modified and housed on this laptop can be lost forever. These are just several of a number of scenarios that can put your data at risk.

Moreover, with all organisations making data availability a bottom line business imperative, having a backup/synchronisation scheme in place that is tailored to the way laptops are being used – both as mobile devices and, increasingly, as replacements for desktops – is critical.

PeerSync offers a seamless solution to allow mobile users to be backed up at all times, making sure data is constantly available in the event of a system failure. Below are some of the features offered:

* Automated bi-directional backup:
Backup your local files in Real-Time, on a Schedule or on Demand, to a network share device, or any device visible from the Windows machine, allowing for updates to be pushed and pulled from the backup location, based on latest updated file.

* File Revisioning:
Keep multiple versions of a file to allow for retrieval of previous file update.

* Deletion Archiving:
Empower users to store deleted files for x number of days in central location for later restore in the event of a mistaken deletion.

* Byte-Level replication:
Transfer only byte-level changes of a file to minimise bandwidth utilisation.

* Open/Locked Files replication:
Access and transfer locked files, such as PST files, without interrupting the user from using the files.

* TCP Replication :
Synchronise over the internet to a TCP target location.

* PeerSync Observer Enterprise Console:
Allow the Administrator to monitor the multiple PeerSync installations and their individual status to take action in the event of a PeerSync failure, or simply to review the ran backups for the individual users and groups.

If you have 10 or more laptops you need to protect, give us a call on 0871-2500058 (international +44-1684-576373) or email enquiries@purplerage.com so we can discuss your project and the availability of volume licensing.

There are full details on all of the features and modules available for PeerSync on the Purple Rage website at http://www.purplerage/peersync. There is also now a new feature we’ve created on the website so you can create your own quotation. If you’d like to try it out go to http://www.purplerage.com/peersync/quotation.php.