EMC Extends Choice and Flexibility for Online File Sharing with Solutions for On-Premise and Cloud Storage

HOPKINTON, Mass., Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 

News Summary:

• EMC Announces Enterprise Online File Sharing Service from Syncplicity with On-Premise Storage Options
• Gives IT New Options for Managing Files and More Control
• Delivers Increased Productivity for Users; Universal Access to Files from All Devices
• Addresses Corporate Governance and Data Policies Over File Residence

Full Story:

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced beta availability of EMC^®'s Syncplicity^® cloud-based online file sharing service with the option for customers to use either EMC Isilon^® scale-out NAS or EMC Atmos^® object-based storage. Now customers can store their files on-premise in addition to the cloud. Unlike competitive approaches that cobble together point-products from multiple vendors, this approach gives IT unprecedented choice and control over where managed files reside, while users benefit with a secure, easy-to-use solution for file sync and sharing across all of their computers and devices.

Today's enterprise business users demand the ability to access, share and collaborate with all of their files from any location, on any device at any time, and have taken it upon themselves to use a variety of consumer-focused solutions and services that place valuable enterprise data at risk. These enterprise users typically store 20-30 GBs of business-related file data on their computers and devices, and often look to share files with individuals and groups inside and outside the corporate firewall. This can be particularly challenging when they need access to files using their own mobile devices or need to share with users who do not have existing accounts on their corporate network.

IT teams are charged with protecting company files and data, and some view today's consumer-oriented approaches for online file sharing as unattractive options, and attempt to block them because some cloud infrastructures limit the ability to enforce policies related to security and administration. Many organizations must also comply with long-standing corporate governance and data sovereignty policies regarding storage and handling of files that make cloud-based storage solutions difficult to deploy at enterprise-scale.

EMC's approach provides enterprises the best of all worlds - a cloud-based online file sharing offering that simplifies end user deployment and administration with on-premise storage that gives IT control of the storage layer, in addition to continuing to provide Syncplicity in the cloud. For on-premise storage, Syncplicity users can choose from two industry leading storage platforms: EMC Isilon or EMC Atmos – whichever best meets their requirements. EMC Isilon provides the industry's easiest to manage, top performing and massively scalable NAS solution, capable of growing from 10's of terabytes to 10's of petabytes, providing IT full control over where files reside across their global infrastructure. EMC Atmos provides industry leading object storage technology, designed to support large multi-site, multi-tenant, active-active environments. Atmos allows the application and storage to run anywhere and provides metering and chargeback capabilities based on bandwidth and consumption to ensure IT retains the necessary controls.   

The benefits of combining EMC Syncplicity online file sharing service with EMC on-premise storage include:

• Increased Productivity: Users can easily sync, access and share files with anyone, anytime, anywhere and on any device for new levels of productivity and agility while giving IT the security, visibility and manageability they need.
• Flexibility and Ease of Management: Enterprises will experience the agility and continuous innovation from deploying a cloud-based online file sharing solution for users while retaining complete control over data and storage resources. It combines the rich set of Syncplicity's administrative tools and security, compliance and policy controls to manage sync-and-share functionality along with the unmatched manageability, scalability and resiliency of EMC storage.
• Reduced Compliance Risk and Increased Control: Enterprise information will reside on EMC storage, situated on-premise, subject to IT security governance and protection policies. Files are not duplicated both on-premise and in the cloud. With the EMC solutions, data objects stored on premise remain on premise and within IT control.

Executive Quotes:

Terri McClure, Senior Analyst, ESG

"Today's IT pros need to securely extend file sharing solutions to support the mobility and collaboration needs of an increasingly mobile, dispersed and multi-device workforce. The marriage of Syncplicity with Isilon and Atmos expands the choices users have for how they accomplish that, providing options that range from fully cloud based to behind the firewall, and provide a single vendor solution to do so. These solutions will help IT meet the need for user collaboration, while maintaining tight control for IT and massive scalability for enterprise data. Compliance and control are critical to enterprises today, and can be hard to achieve while simultaneously providing the flexibility and ease of management that are necessary to enable today's agile enterprise. EMC is catering to the new demands of end users and IT departments alike with these new solutions."

Jeetu Patel, Vice President and General Manager of the Syncplicity Business Unit, Information Intelligence Group, EMC Corporation

"Integrating Syncplicity with EMC on-premise storage extends our guiding principle of delighting the user with an easy-to-use cloud solution for file sync, sharing and collaboration while empowering IT with tools and control to protect the business. While the obvious benefit is enabling choice, delivering on-premise storage is the logical next step in our evolution, and we're thrilled to hitch our wagons with other leaders in the EMC family, Isilon, the true leaders in scale-out NAS and EMC Atmos."

Sam Grocott, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management, EMC Isilon 

"The powerful one-two punch of Syncplicity and EMC Isilon's industry-leading scale-out NAS brings IT professionals the tools they need to take control of pressing challenges such as securing and managing massive, rapidly-growing home directories. Isilon's extraordinary scalability, performance and ease of management are a perfect complement to Syncplicity and give IT an unmatched ability to serve user needs for file access, sharing and collaboration while maintaining corporate data protection requirements." 

Chris Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing, EMC Advanced Storage Division

"The combination of Syncplicity and the Atmos cloud storage platform delivers a highly automated, enterprise-grade file sharing capability, where policies and performance follow data wherever it's accessed or shared without sacrificing security or control.  As corporate users increasingly demand more mobility and access to files from multiple devices, EMC gives enterprises the tools they need to deliver new levels of productivity to their users."

Additional Resources:

• Check out a new video featuring Terri McClure, Senior Analyst at ESG
• Access the ESG Whitepaper related to this announcement
• Connect with EMC Isilon via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
• Join the Syncplicity communities on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube
• Join the EMC Documentum communities on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, the EMC Community Network

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing.  Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset — information — in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

EMC, Atmos, Isilon and Syncplicity are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation and its affiliates in the United States and other countries.  All other trademarks herein are the property of their respective holders.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the Federal Securities Laws.  Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (iii) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (iv) risks associated with managing the growth of our business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (v) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (vi) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (vii) component and product quality and availability; (viii) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (ix) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (x) war or acts of terrorism; (xi) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (xii) fluctuating currency exchange rates; and (xiii) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  EMC disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

SOURCE EMC Corporation