Simple file sharing

You may work in an environment where you share files between yourself, coworkers and clients.  File Sharing allows you to make data accessible without the need to pick up a phone or write a note, and the ability to collaborate on a project without sharing a computer.  This same idea is commonly implemented in homes to share documents, media and resources between family members, gaming consoles and other devices.

Apple products have the ability to share media through iTunes to other Apple products, but this sometimes requires being logged into one account on all of them.  Since most home users have different accounts for each member of their family, this may not be an ideal configuration, nor does this work to share all file types.  New(er) Windows products also have the ability to communicate using Windows Media Center and a feature called “Homegroups.”  These require participating machines to run Windows 7 or higher and to be connected to the same network.  Older machines likely won’t be able to communicate with this environment.  Note that variations in installed software from one machine to the next may prevent certain media file types from working properly.  Luckily, there are many cross-platform solutions that will work for both Windows and Apple environments.  Finding the right one for you will depend on the file types you are sharing and the devices you own.

We previously discussed a remote backup service called “SugarSync.”  This service will allow you to share files through a feature called “Magic Briefcase”.  This folder is created on each machine with the same files synchronized across all devices.  This service has the added benefit of remotely backing up any other files/folders you may want to share via app, email or URL.  We’ve also previously mentioned a software suite called Office 365.  This subscription based service can create a folder on your computer called “OneDrive”.  This folder backs up to the cloud and can be accessed on other machines that have been given access.  Another benefit of this service is that it includes a downloadable, local install of Microsoft Office 365 and includes a very large 1TB of storage per user.

While software based solutions are helpful, they may not be ideal for media devices or game consoles.  For this, it may be ideal to purchase another device to host shared content on your network.  Network Attached Storage (NAS) drives are becoming more and more popular in homes where file storage and backups are needed for multiple devices.  Since both Windows and Mac machines have the ability to backup over a network, you can save as many backups from as many devices as will fit.  NAS drives are also generally accessible from media boxes and game consoles, allowing you to play movies and music from devices that are already connected to your televisions and entertainment centers.  Setting up a NAS can be as simple or as complicated as the environment in which it will be used.

Another slightly less popular solution is a home media server.  These are computers that usually run a version of Windows or Linux, specifically designed to share files, manage users and permissions and thoroughly customize network accessibility.  The added features of a home media server, while greatly beneficial, make them potentially more complicated to setup and maintain.  Most people prefer to use the “dumb storage” of a NAS drive since most of them can be managed and maintained from one of your existing computers.

There are more options that may better suit your needs and you may want one of these solutions installed professionally to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.  For more information and/or questions, please contact us.