Geo-replication, a tool for maximizing collaboration solutions for distributed teams

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should not it will likely favor the submitter's approach.

As teams become increasingly dispersed and mobile, you must ensure every team member can efficiently access up-to-date, centralized information and share updated documents, even over slow or intermittent Internet connections.

A network optimization technology known as geo-replication, which includes server-to-server replication and two-way replication, can help ensure timely delivery of the data necessary for all "spokes of the wheel" to accurately complete their tasks, whether team members are in remote offices or in the remotest parts of the world.

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This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should not it will likely favor the submitter's approach.

As teams become increasingly dispersed and mobile, you must ensure every team member can efficiently access up-to-date, centralized information and share updated documents, even over slow or intermittent Internet connections.

A network optimization technology known as geo-replication, which includes server-to-server replication and two-way replication, can help ensure timely delivery of the data necessary for all "spokes of the wheel" to accurately complete their tasks, whether team members are in remote offices or in the remotest parts of the world.

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To support enterprise replication in complex global organizations, the technology should meet the following requirements:

• Performance: Reduce WAN response times to response times you'd expect from a LAN.

• Cost reduction: Minimize WAN traffic with advanced compression technology and enable Web applications and file content to be replicated during off peak hours.

• Transparency: To avoid costly retraining of end users, or redevelopment of existing applications, all solutions must provide the same interface to the remote or mobile user.

• Compatibility: Support all file types, commonly used Web technologies and network and security infrastructures.

• Security: Integrate replication support with the existing security infrastructure, and extend to support remote and offline users.

• Scalability: A scalable architecture that can manage tens of thousands of users and terabytes of replicated content.

• Network availability: A platform that is able to provide access within networks that have potential for disconnection.

You're only as strong as your weakest link, and in distributed organizations that means even your most remote worker needs proper access to data and information. Without a minimum level of quality and reliability, companies can expect to face delays or even process failures when it comes to getting work done.

For context, many organizations typically support distributed teams by linking islands of data together over a wide area network (WAN) to ensure corporate information is consistent. Portal technologies such as Microsoft SharePoint help the process of aggregating information, however, these technologies only bring information together at local or regional hubs.

True corporate-wide consistency and collaboration can only be achieved when you take this process a step further and aggregate information across the enterprise. What's more, organizations should take into account that geographically distributed locations and mobile personnel may also suffer from occasional disconnection, variable bandwidth, prohibitive costs for technical investments or high-latency issues.

Geo-replication, as well as Offline SharePoint, address both of these issues and allow knowledge workers to have 24/7 access to information that will automatically sync when they re-connect to the server.