Have you heard of NomaDesk? I had not until I was asked to review it a few days ago. At first glance I thought NomaDesk was just another online collaboration tool, but it isn’t. NomaDesk is in fact a nice little product.

What does it do? NomaDesk is a virtual file server. It works by using a Distributed File System(DFS) approach. Files are replicated between the server and the clients as changes occur.

What is really nice about the NomaDesk approach is it seamlessly integrates into the desktop environment of the user. When you install the client you choose the drive letter you want your virtual file server to use.

I chose k: as the drive letter.

As far as the user is concerned it looks and operates as a normal network drive. When files are copied to the NomaDesk drive the DFS architecture detects the changes and starts syncing with the server. The system then replicates any changes to all other clients sharing the same file system.

Once the file system is in sync, only the changes and updates are sent across the network, not the complete files again. Large files will still take a while to replicate, but that is a common issue with any file system over a WAN connection.

Access

NomaDesk is well suited to small teams and distributed offices. Through the dashboard you have the ability to invite users to connect to your file server workspace, create new workspaces or drives and add additional accounts.

A feature called File Blogging is used to restrict or grant access to modify files on a user basis.

Files can be emailed to the workspace folder as an attachment and Filelinks can be sent by email as attachments to users.

Security

TheftGuard provides a safeguard against theft of computers using the system. Each NomaDesk dashboard has a unique serial number and is checked on every synchronization and system start, so you can quickly prevent access to files stored in the workspace and destroy the files stored on the computer’s local cache.

NomaDesk also uses 256-bit encryption to secure your files.

My Thoughts

NomaDesk is a perfect solution for all small businesses in my opinion. In my experience nearly all small businesses do not have a file server. Instead they duplicate files on each computer. Branch offices and mobile users also have difficulty getting access to central file stores because of slow WAN links or VPN issues. NomaDesk simply needs an Internet connection.

With NomaDesk you can create a DFS structure without needing server hardware and support at each site.

I could have used this technology in a previous job 3 years ago.