TNP

Civil engineering firm adopts Nasuni® for fast file access and global collaboration

TNP

About TNP

Founded in 1976, TNP is a civil engineering, surveying, and landscape architecture firm with a long-standing reputation for providing quality designs and responsive services. The firm’s client-focused teams of engineers, surveyors, and technical specialists strive to respond quickly to customer needs.

The challenge

File versions across data silos lead to version conflicts and increased frustration at TNP.

TNP’s approach to business demands both internal and external collaboration. Teams need to be able to efficiently share file data with each other, contractors, partners, and clients. Over the years, TNP experimented with multiple file-sharing and collaboration tools. Eventually, the firm settled on Egnyte and Dropbox, but users had to copy data to and from their local file servers. Multiple iterations of documents were moving between data silos, leading to version conflicts, and skilled technical specialists were forced to spend too much time resolving which version of a given file was correct. As frustration and inefficiency grew, IT determined there had to be a better way.

TNP had already deployed the Nasuni File Data Platform, which consolidated its data silos in the cloud, allowing the organization to leverage the unlimited, on-demand scale and cost savings of Azure object storage. But IT Director Todd Dughman and his team decided it was time to move TNP’s collaborative workflows to Nasuni as well. The team’s wish list for the platform included:

• Faster, more efficient collaboration
• Fast, secure remote file access
• A single source of truth
• Simpler auditing and reporting
• Active directory authentication and authorization
• Rapid implementation

The last point was critical, as Dughman and his team didn’t want to ask TNP’s business to pause while they managed the migration. Transitioning active collaboration files from Egnyte to the Nasuni File Data Platform proved to be simple and efficient.

How Nasuni helped TNP

Nasuni allow for efficient collaboration.

With the Nasuni global file system, UniFS®, the gold or master copy of each file is maintained in cloud object storage, and files are cached locally for fast access. When users edit files, the gold copy is updated, and high-speed synchronization pushes the deltas out to relevant sites. This way, employees everywhere can access the most recent version.

Nasuni encouraged fast, remote access.

Previously, TNP struggled to extend fast access to SMB files to its remote workers. The Nasuni Access Anywhere add-on service is designed to support hybrid and remote workers, giving them the performance they need without sacrificing the security and controls IT expects.

Nasuni Access Anywhere and Microsoft Teams integration supported collaboration.

As the pandemic evolved, TNP came to rely on Microsoft Teams as a critical collaboration tool. With Nasuni Access Anywhere add-on service, the firm can give users direct access to files within Teams, allowing them to share files and collaborate on projects without switching to another app or relying on emailed links.

Nasuni’s active directory integration strengthened security.

Nasuni’s tight integration with AD was critical, too, as it allowed TNP to maintain proper permissions. Adding two-factor authentication further strengthened TNP’s security.

Nasuni Access Anywhere allows for stronger audit trails.

Through Nasuni Access Anywhere add-on service, TNP can grant authenticated, secure access to shared folders for partners and clients. All-access is logged in a detailed audit trail, which TNP maintains for audit and compliance purposes.

The consolidation of data and security has been the key to streamlining internal and external collaboration processes while making life easier for TNP staff and the IT team. Now we don’t need to juggle data across multiple platforms. I am incredibly happy with the outcome.

Todd Dughman, IT Director, TNP

The Nasuni difference

Today, thanks to Nasuni, TNP engineers, technical staffers, and other employees enjoy fast, secure access to the most recent versions of files from any location. Nasuni not only gives TNP a single source of truth for its file data but also a single platform to govern security, access, collaboration, and more. Plus, IT can manage all of this through a single, powerful management console.

In the long run, TNP is eager to utilize more of the Nasuni File Data Platform’s tools, including its enhanced search and additional capabilities expected in future releases. For now, the Nasuni Access Anywhere add-on service and the platform are meeting TNP’s needs.

Industry: AEC

Add-on services: Nasuni Access Anywhere add-on service

Object storage: Microsoft Azure

Use cases: NAS consolidation; global file synchronization, Microsoft Teams integration, external file/ folder sharing

Benefits: Enhanced project collaboration; fast remote file access; simplified management; single source of truth with file data