Talon Storage Solutions, Inc. has extended its MobileFast file-sharing application to support Android and Windows Phone clients as part of a broad set of enhancements announced this week. Previously, the platform only supported Apple iOS client devices.

Users of all three platforms can now retrieve documents from Windows file shares for online or off-line editing using the native management capabilities of the Windows NTFS file system, a feature that Talon said is unique to its product. Users can also share files directly with colleagues and customers, with synchronization and version control handled by the MobileFast server.

MobileFast is one of a growing number of products in the enterprise file synch and share (EFSS) category that have sprung up to deal with the proliferation of mobile devices that need to access corporate data. It’s attacking the growing problem of data proliferating in the field without central accounting or control.

“The problem with shadow IT is that sharing files and intellectual property between end-users and between end-users and third parties causes the centralized and secure environment to be blown out of the water,” said Product Director Jaap van Duijvenbode. “CIOs are losing control over their data management.”

MobileFast sits on top of an existing Microsoft infrastructure and uses Microsoft conventions for functions like permissions and folders. It also integrates seamlessly with Active Directory and Microsoft SharePoint file-sharing settings, van Duijvenbode said.

A new virtual network support feature enables workers to maintain existing file shares and drive mappings on remote files, so that downloaded files are synchronized back to their original locations on the server. Laptop users can take advantage of full offline networking mode with local virtual cache, preserving Windows semantics.

MobileFast support HTTPS or SSL encryption, and adds compression and block-level synchronization to reliably and securely manage document distribution across a far-flung network, van Duijvenbode said. The product can also optionally use two-factor authentication at the share, folder and file levels.

The privately funded company targets enterprises that want to maintain a single set of data both for remote offices and mobile offices. Pricing is based on the number of concurrent users starting at $72 per concurrent user per year.

Image via Pixabay.