Promising to provide “the rich experience Mac users demand when connecting to Windows or NAS file servers”, Acronis Files Connect improves productivity in mixed Mac/Windows environments.
Offering “lightning fast search of Windows and NAS files shares for Macs in Windows environments” with the new release of Acronis’ Files Connect software, the company promises its solution addresses “the problem areas associated with connecting Mac computers to Windows file shares, DFS resources, NAS and networked printers.”
Acronis, which bills itself as “a global leader in hybrid cloud data protection and storage,” has taken the ExtremeZ-IP software and upgraded it with a new release now dubbed “Acronis Files Connect.”
Acronis says this gives “Mac users instant access to all available file shares and DFS resources together with a lightning fast search functionality that is hundreds times faster than the default Mac’s Finder application.”
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The company explains that Acronis Files Connect “streamlines the integration of Mac computers into a Windows-based network,” directly addressing “the reliability and performance issues associated with connecting Mac computers to Windows file shares and DFS resources via AFP and SMB protocols.”
The result is that “companies with Mac/Windows environments enjoy fewer support calls, increased productivity and improved employee satisfaction.”
Naturally, the new solution is billed as “easy, reliable, and fast.”
To demonstrate this, Acronis explains that “it only takes three clicks to locate and access a file on any number of file shares with Acronis Files Connect, compared to ten clicks per share with Mac’s Finder application; and Acronis’ internal tests showed that it only takes up to three seconds to search 250,000 files on a remote share with Acronis Files Connect, compared to more than 25 minutes when using Finder connected via SMB.”
In fact, Acronis says that “full content search is not normally available for Macs connecting to remote file shares via SMB,” and that “Acronis Files Connect tackles the issue head on by allowing advanced search of multiple file shares simultaneously without performance or reliability degradation.”
Another new feature introduces “new file indexing options on the server side and a new lightweight Mac application to provide a single pane of glass into all remote file storage locations.”
Some of the other new features include the following:
- Ability to specify AFP or SMB protocol as required for each files share
- Automated mounting of file shares
- Full content Spotlight search on single or multiple file shares simultaneously
- Easy management of network printers
- Real-time granular search index updates
- Spotlight search on volumes managed by HSM / file system archiving solutions
- Control file content indexing for dramatic reduction in search index size
- Support for Windows and Mac file tags
John Zanni, CMO at Acronis said: “Acronis Files Connect is the only solution that provides the rich experience Mac users demand when connecting to Windows or NAS file servers and DFS resources. This solution is packed with new features and advanced functionality, yet easy to administer. Making Mac integration into Windows networks transparent.”
As always, there exists an opportunity for Acronis’ partners and resellers.
The company notes that “with more than 91% of enterprise organisations using Mac computers, Acronis Files Connect opens new business opportunities for partners and resellers servicing those businesses.”
“The new solution can be easily offered alongside Acronis data protection and storage solutions, fully meeting modern day needs for data protection and availability. It is designed to streamline the management of mixed Mac/Windows environments and reduce the load on IT administrators by removing file access issues common to Mac users.”
More information is available here.