Hybrids offer the best of both worlds. With hybrid file servers, on-premise and online file sharing are combined. That means you still maintain your in-house IT infrastructure while also using cloud storage.

With a hybrid system, your on-premises file metadata automatically syncs with the cloud. There are many benefits to using hybrid file servers.

Let’s take a closer look at how they work and what their advantages are. 

How do hybrid file servers work?

 To get a better understanding of what a hybrid file server is, let us look at its various components. Firstly, it is a cloud-centric solution, which means all of your data file master copies are stored safely in the cloud. But while those files are in the cloud, your on-premises hardware enables you to attain the same performance and provide the same permission controls as with a local file server or network attached to a storage device. Furthermore, a file server interface and either a macOS or Windows interface are included for network shares, thus making the cloud entirely transparent for users. A distributed file system is used to sync files across various sites, and for scalability, a hybrid file server stores files in public cloud storages like Wasabi or Amazon S3.

The Benefits of a Hybrid File Server

 Now that remote workers are commonplace, and that looks set to continue in a post-pandemic world, the remote working scene can greatly benefit from using an online file server to access data safely. And hybrid file servers have various advantages in addition to remote users being able to easily access files anytime and anyplace. For instance, employees working within office premises can send and receive files faster by using a LAN connection. Also, by utilizing the cloud, all data is backed up to ensure important and sensitive information never gets lost. You also have the option to store more sensitive data on-premises while storing other documents in the cloud. At the end of the day, a hybrid file server solves all of the problems that cloud-only systems have while also utilizing the vast benefits of cloud storage. 

 You should be able to already see how a hybrid system can be beneficial in multiple ways, but the system has other benefits too. For example:

• Hybrid systems are capable of performing at LAN speeds in the same way as NAS devices and on-premises local file servers.
• Hybrid systems cache file metadata locally, so files can be read and written at gigabit speeds.
• Active directory permission control ceases to be an issue when you use a hybrid system because the whole file system comes within your business’s existing IT infrastructure. 
• The user interface of a hybrid system mimics that of an on-premises NAS device, so you can seamlessly access all files.
• Multiple users can access the same file from the cache without having to download the content from the cloud every time.
• Using a hybrid file server improves flexibility in companies. In turn, that leads to better efficiency.
• A hybrid system guarantees protection against data loss.
• A hybrid file server provides you with a lot more options for managing your files and the security of your files than that provided by on-premise and online file-sharing options.

Final Thoughts

 While many companies are opting for an entirely cloud-based system, it should now be plain to see that opting for a hybrid solution comes with many advantages. Weigh up the pros and cons of using an on-premise system, an online system, or a hybrid system so you can determine which option is best for your company.