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Managed Service Providers Company Consolidating Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive
Company Situation
The company is a managed service provider (MSP) working with a diverse range of customers across multiple industries, including manufacturing and accounting firms. One of their key customers is a mid-sized accounting firm dealing with large volumes of office documents such as Word and Excel files. This customer manages hundreds of thousands of files that require efficient storage, access, and collaboration capabilities.
Existing Workflow
Currently, the accounting firm relies heavily on Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive for file storage and collaboration. They utilize SharePoint for document management and OneDrive to sync files locally on user machines. Due to SharePoint’s limitations, they have transitioned some of their storage to a local NAS system. Additionally, file transfers and multi-user editing are supported through a solution called Ignite, which mounts cloud storage as a drive and enables simultaneous editing of Office documents.
Issues with the Existing Workflow
File Volume Limits: SharePoint and OneDrive impose hard limits on the number of files that can be synced, with OneDrive capping at approximately 300,000 files and the company exceeding 600,000 files, causing syncing failures and performance issues.
Storage Consumption: Syncing the entire file repository (close to 400GB) locally to multiple user machines is impractical due to storage constraints.
Loss of Collaboration Features: Moving files to a local NAS resolved the syncing issue but eliminated the multi-user editing capabilities essential for Word and Excel documents.
Inefficient File Intake: The accounting firm currently receives invoices and receipts via email, a process that is inefficient and cumbersome to manage.
Lack of a True Cloud NAS: Existing solutions either focus solely on file transfer or force full local syncs, limiting ease of access and collaboration.
How Shade Would Change Their Workflow
Shade offers a cloud-native NAS solution that addresses the company’s pain points by providing:
- Unlimited File Scalability: Unlike SharePoint and OneDrive, Shade supports syncing millions of files without performance degradation.
- Real-Time Cloud Mounting: Shade mounts cloud storage as a virtual drive on Windows PCs, allowing users to access files on demand without full local syncing, saving significant disk space.
- Integrated Multi-User Editing: Shade integrates with existing cloud storage workflows, preserving team collaboration. - Streamlined File Ingestion: The platform can facilitate secure upload links for companies to submit documents directly into the system, reducing email dependency.
- Cross-Industry Versatility: Although optimized for media workflows, Shade’s flexible architecture meets the needs of diverse industries such as accounting by focusing on file accessibility and collaboration.
Benefits
- Eliminates file quantity limits, supporting millions of files seamlessly
- Reduces local storage requirements by streaming files on demand
- Maintains multi-user editing functionality for Office documents
- Enhances efficiency with secure, direct file upload links for companies
- Simplifies IT management with a full-featured cloud NAS experience
- Supports a variety of industries beyond media, including professional services
Technologies Used
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