Critical infrastructure ease of use over remote access and sharing due to the complexity of the storage structure of modern organizations is a productivity issue for employees, contractors and gig workers. Measures taken for critical infrastructure protection are useless if users don’t adopt them. The right zero trust architecture addresses this complexity by federating access and sharing of remote storage repositories in Windows for easy and intuitive user adoption.
Critical Infrastructure Onboarding and Ease of Use Using Zero Trust Data Access
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The Complexity of The Modern Storage Structure
The storage of unstructured data in critical infrastructure organizations can be incredibly complex. Unstructured data can be stored across thousands of repositories – from on-premises PCs, NAS, and servers to cloud-hosted storage on Amazon, Microsoft and Google, to SharePoint storage. An organization that is considered critical infrastructure has thousands of silos of information and multiple methods of access. The organization’s employees, contractors and gig workers need to access this information from multiple locations, including remote offices, laptop computers, tablets, smartphones and on-the-go devices. However, traditional methods of remote access, such as VPNs and RDP, have proven to be unreliable, slow, and pose security risks.
This complexity is not just an issue for IT however, it is equally an issue for the organization’s employees, contractors, and gig workers.
Critical Infrastructure Ease of Use Enhanced via Zero Trust Architecture
Measures taken for critical infrastructure protection are useless if users don’t adopt them. And users bring in shadow IT solutions to simplify and address complexity. The right zero trust architecture addresses this complexity by federating access and sharing of remote storage repositories in Windows for easy and intuitive user adoption.
Windows Integration and Federation of Remote Storage
Users access and share remote cloud, on-premises and SharePoint repositories across multiple domains federated in Windows. There is no duplication of data, no change in workflow and no learning curve for users.
Full Windows Functionality of Remote Storage
Remote storage behaves like a local drive in Windows with full file management between remote repositories such as cut, copy, paste, delete, rename, send to, drag and drop, quick access, shortcuts and pins.
Access From Within Any Windows Program
In app ‘File Open’, ‘Import’, and ‘Place’ directly from remote repositories. ‘Export’ and ‘File Save’ directly to remote repositories.
Sharing From Any Repository Within Windows
Any file or folder can be shared from its original location within Windows. The file or folder can be located anywhere on the organizational infrastructure. It does not need to be copied or synced to the server of a third party to be shared and users do not need to use a separate app.
Benefits of the Enhanced Windows Experience for Critical Infrastructure Ease-of-Use
FileFlex Enterprise is built on a zero trust data access architecture providing ease-of-use Windows integration, federation, functionality, access and sharing of remote storage. User benefits include:
Familiarity and critical infrastructure ease of use
Most users are familiar with the Windows operating system, so using FileFlex Enterprise from within Windows can make the process of accessing and sharing files more intuitive and user-friendly.
Seamless integration
By integrating with the Windows file system, FileFlex Enterprise allows users to access and share files directly from their desktop or file explorer, without needing to open a separate application or browser window.
Improved productivity
With FileFlex Enterprise, users can access and share files without having to switch between different applications or platforms, which can save time and improve productivity.
Enhanced security
Using FileFlex Enterprise from within Windows can enhance security by reducing the risk of employees accidentally storing sensitive files on their local devices, which can be vulnerable to security threats.
Simplified management
IT departments can use FileFlex Enterprise’s Windows integration to simplify the roll-out, onboarding, management and control of file access and sharing across the organization. This can help to reduce the risk of data breaches and aid compliance with regulatory requirements.
Summary
Overall, the zero trust data access architecture of FileFlex Enterprise from within Windows provides full Windows functionality of remote storage, allows access from within any Windows program, and enables sharing from any repository within Windows to provide familiarity and ease of use, seamless integration, improved productivity, enhanced security, and simplified management for IT departments making it an attractive option for organizations looking for a flexible and secure remote access and file-sharing solution.
Tom Ward is the VP of Marketing for Qnext Corp. He is an expert in the technology industry with a history of achievement. Tom holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
