Linoma Unveils GoDrive, A Private Dropbox-Like Service
March 4, 2015 Alex Woodie
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Online file sharing services like Dropbox have been readily adopted by companies in some fields, but security concerns make them a no-no in regulated industries. That’s created a gap that vendors like Linoma Software are looking to fill with so-called on-premise cloud storage solutions, such as the new IBM i-supported GoDrive offering that Linoma unveiled last week. GoDrive is a new module that Linoma added to GoAnywhere Services 4.0, which the company formally announced yesterday. Linoma says GoDrive is a secure on-premise solution that provides enterprise file sync and sharing (EFSS) services for authorized users. In other words, it provides Dropbox-like services, but in a private environment. Since it’s part of GoAnywhere Services, GoDrive can be hosted on any supported server, including IBM i, Windows, Linux, and others. But what separates GoDrive from the existing Web interfaces Linoma has offered for its GoAnywhere line of managed file transfer (MFT) products are the advanced file and folder sharing capabilities that are part of GoDrive. Linoma says GoDrive allows groups of employees to easily share files and folders by simply dragging and dropping icons from the Web interface. The product also includes more advanced collaboration features, including file revision tracking, commenting, a trash bin (with built-in file restore), and the capability to view JPEG, PNG, and PDF files directly in the product. The software also lets users subscribe to email notifications of any changes to files. Windows integration is a big thing with GoDrive. According to Linoma, the GoDrive Sync Client for Windows automatically synchronizes files stored on the GoDrive folder on a user’s PC or laptop with the GoAnywhere Services server, which can reside on IBM i or other platforms. “Files automatically appear on each of your registered devices, as well as the Web Client, allowing you to access your files from any internet connected computer,” Linoma says.
But security is an even bigger deal for Linoma. Since it’s part of GoAnywhere Services, all file activity undertaken in GoDrive is automatically logged on the server, which will help ease the IT-related fears of auditors and ensure better compliance with industry regulations. All communication between the GoDrive clients and the server is encrypted via HTTPS (SSL-based), while files at rest on the server are encrypted with strong AES-256 encryption. The software also uses role-based authentication to grant or deny an individual’s access to files and folders; it plugs into LDAP or Active Directory for this capability. And at any time, administrators can revoke sharing of folders and files; lock files to restrict access; or remotely wipe the contents of a GoDrive folder. Linoma is selling GoDrive as a safer, more regulated Dropbox. Linoma’s chief architect, Bob Luebbe, recently talked about the dangers posed by Dropbox and similar cloud-based file sharing services in a recent ad on IBM Systems Magazine. “The growth of these services spread into the workplace as employees became frustrated with email file size limits,” Luebbe writes. “However, these free or low-cost file-sharing services actually carry a high price when it comes to data security. The lack of good security controls and audit trails has left IT departments scrambling to sort out which sensitive files are leaving the network headed to ‘the cloud’ and synced devices.” GoDrive is the star attraction of the newly released GoAnywhere Services version 4.0, which Linoma officially released January 15, according to release notes. Other notable enhancements in 4.0 include: a redesigned HTML5-based UI that makes it easier to configure the product; a new secure mail function that looks and behaves like standard email clients; and the capability to upload multiple files using familiar drag-and-drop mouse movements. Linoma’s GoAnywhere line of MFT software includes three products: GoAnywhere Services, GoAnywhere Director, and GoAnywhere Proxy. Each of them runs on an array of servers, including IBM i, Unix, Windows, Linux, and other OSes. Each of them support standard file-sharing protocols, including FTP, FTPS, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, POP3, and IMAP. GoAnywhere Services is designed primarily for organizations that need to do a lot of file transferring activities with external customers and business partners over the Web, whereas GoAnywhere Director is designed primary for use by larger organizations with internal MFT needs, and thereby offers some additional capabilities not found in GoAnywhere Services, including support for PGP encryption, file conversion capabilities, and the capability to do direct database connections. GoAnywhere Proxy is a reverse proxy solution designed to provide an additional layer of security. GoDrive is an optional add-on for GoAnywhere Services. A 100-user license for GoAnywhere Services plus GoDrive would cost about $7,600 up front, then about $1,100 per year thereafter. That’s about $6 per user per month, or about one-third of the typical cost for a cloud-based service, Linoma says. For more info see the company’s website at www.goanywheremft.com RELATED STORIES GoAnywhere: Linoma’s Anti-Dropbox Linoma Adds Clustering, Disk Throttling to MFT Products Linoma Bolsters MFT Product with Clustering, Load Balancing Linoma Goes ‘Virtual’ with GoAnywhere Services 3.0 Linoma Adds Outlook Plug-In to MFT Software Linoma Adds Secure Mail Module to MFT Tool Linoma Adds Enterprise Features to MFT Software Linoma Updates GoAnywhere Products Editor’s Note: This article was corrected. GoDrive is not a free add-on to GoAnywhere Services. IT Jungle regrets the error.
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