AvePoint is the latest enterprise software vendor to tackle the challenge of file sharing with a new SharePoint-based solution called DocAve File Share Navigator.

It delivers the ability to retrieve and access file share content through SharePoint lists without the need for migration, along with features for browsing, previewing, tagging and accessing content.

The ability to expose file share content through one or many SharePoint lists aims to preserve user experience with familiar drag-and-drop functionality for uploading files directly through SharePoint.

Users can access, manage, and edit file-based content through either SharePoint or local shared drives.

Direct links to file share content reduces load on Web Front End (WFE) resoources, and instant preview of large files before downloading or transferring content across limited bandwidth connections keeps network bandwidth optimized.

AvePoint says the cost of migrating legacy content into Microsoft SQL Server content databases is reduced by exposing file share content through SharePoint lists to validate, archive, or delete content

There is no requirement for External BLOB Store (EBS) or Remote BLOB Store (RBS) provider installation.

“Organisations worldwide have large volumes of legacy data tied up in file shares, which notoriously have poor content management capabilities for search, permissions, metadata, and remote access,” said George Petrou, Senior Vice President of Product Management at AvePoint.

“File Share Navigator allows organisations to drastically improve enterprise-wide accessibility to content residing on local file shares without the time- and- resource-intensive process of migrating that content into SharePoint.”