Wide area file services

Wide area file services (WAFS) products allow remote office users to access and share files globally at <a href="/facts/LAN/edUDxJ6J">LAN</a> speeds over the <a href="/facts/Wide_area_network/mAkW4gr3">WAN</a>. Distributed enterprises that deploy WAFS solutions are able to consolidate storage to corporate datacenters, eliminating the need to back up and manage data that previously resided in their remote offices. WAFS uses techniques such as <a href="/facts/Server_Message_Block/pWM35pl8">SMB</a> and <a href="/facts/MAPI/Dpbq9ozA">MAPI</a> protocol optimization, <a href="/facts/Data_compression/gMFuY4FT">data compression</a>, and sometimes storing recurrent data patterns in a local <a href="/facts/Cache_(computing)/gmJYN8wm">cache</a>.
WAFS is a subset of <a href="/facts/WAN_optimization/VTsbmdlx">WAN optimization</a>, which also caches <a href="/facts/Secure_Sockets_Layer/pGy16TnA">SSL</a> Intranet as well as <a href="/facts/Dynamic_web_page/psjqGKBx">dynamic web page</a> content and multimedia traffic generated by <a href="/facts/Educational_technology/5lf2A2Vj">educational technology</a>, to accelerate a greater percentage of WAN traffic.
The term was coined by Brad O'Neill of the <a href="/facts/Industry_analyst/VEelHmt1">analyst firm</a> <a href="/facts/Taneja_Group/6TYEhQmU">Taneja Group</a> in a May 2004 article for InfoStor magazine.

Wide area file services open-in-new

Wide area file services