Getting started: Implementation

NOTE  The information in this topic is intended for Workplace Administrators and Workplace Manager users who are tasked with setting up and managing a Workplace implementation.

IMPORTANT  Please be sure to fully review our Getting started: Projects topic before proceeding with this topic!

Workplace is easy to install and use, but to get the most out of the service, it’s a good idea to invest in some planning time before implementation. Migrating your data into Workplace is a terrific opportunity to fix questionable organizational practices and inefficient workflows that may exist in your current folder structure.

Even when a team has a folder structure they are perfectly happy with, some minor tweaks to support the principles below will result in better performance and greater long-term satisfaction with the Workplace service.

The first step when setting up a new Workplace team is to evaluate the team, their data set, and how the team uses and accesses that data set.

Some important questions to consider when setting up a new team are...

  • What data do users need access to and what level of permissions should they have for that data?
  • What in particular is the team trying to achieve with implementing the Workplace service?
  • How will users access the data? Via Workplace Online, the Workplace app, or Workplace Mobile, or all three?
  • Do you have a significant number of remote employees or employees who work off-site regularly?
  • Will all users access the service, or will some access a centralized data set via the local area network which in turn syncs to the Workplace service?
  • What data is most important? What files are going to be used frequently and leverage the Workplace file-sharing features? Organize this key data into projects and sync those projects first.

When setting up a new Workplace team, there are some key concepts that are important to understand and to take into consideration:

For syncing to function effectively, it is imperative that the Workplace app/Workplace Server have sufficient bandwidth to successfully transfer files. This concept applies both to the Internet connection and the connection to the local storage, particularly when the storage is not an internal hard drive (for instance, a network storage device).

Any constraints at any point between the Workplace app/Workplace Server and the storage can cause a bottleneck and have detrimental affect on syncing.

We recommend performing a test with a moderate size data set to verify that syncing speed is as fast as expected. If that speed falls below expectations, focus on isolating the bottleneck and, if necessary, contact Datto customer support .

Keep in mind that shared volumes can have high load, which may affect the throughput of data, so testing should also be performed during periods of peak traffic.

Before deploying Workplace, we strongly recommend that you restructure the data set in accordance with the concepts outlined in the Getting started: Projects guide.

While every scenario is unique and will require a customized folder structure, some basic adaptations will ensure optimal performance and simpler administration.

The last preparatory step is to have a clear understanding of which projects should be uploaded first. Dependent on the data set, the initial upload can take quite a while.

To ensure the team can begin using the Workplace service as soon as possible, assess what data is most frequently accessed and is most critical for the team to work on collaboratively. With this in mind, decide which projects to upload first.

Once the key projects are uploaded, upload the lower priority projects, and leave the least important data for last.

We recommend creating a table, as illustrated in below, listing all projects, their priorities, the project owners, and the sequence in which the projects will be uploaded.

NOTE  File count has a direct impact on FSS (File Sync & Share) service performance. Very high file count will result in performance degradation. In Workplace, this impact is per project; we recommend keeping file count per a project to under 100,000 per project for best performance.

Project Name Priority Sequence File Count Size (Bytes) Owner
Marketing 1 1 4356 23546 admin@email.com
Sales 1 2 52351 345546 admin@email.com
HR 1 3 1751 98546 admin@email.com
Clients 2 4 83725 48625 admin@email.com
Archive 3 5 364751 485546 admin@email.com

Some features of the Workplace service can be particularly useful during deployment. We recommend reviewing these features in full to gain a clear comprehension of the functionality and to consider using these features as part of deployment:

Active Directory integration

The Active Directory integration allows you to sync users and groups from Active Directory into Workplace. By enabling the integration, users can be controlled via Active Directory and the users will authenticate with their Active Directory credentials. Please see the Active Directory integration guide for further information.

Single sign-on (SSO)

When SSO is enabled, users will only be able to access and/or install Workplace with their SSO credentials unless they (or the group they are a member of) has been exempted from SSO. Exemptions are configured using the SSO Login Exclusions list on the SSO configuration page.

Once authenticated by the IdP (Identity Provider), the SAML 2.0 protocol is used to authenticate access to Workplace Online. A user will simply log in once to the IdP, and can then access multiple applications without further authentication.

For more information, please refer to Single sign-on integration guide.

Copy user

Users can be created as copy of another user, reducing the time to configure each user. Refer to Create new users by copying an existing user.

Policies

Set User Defaults and Policy Defaults to define the default settings when creating users and to manage which features and functions are available. Additionally, you can create and assign Policy Profiles to further manage the available features and functions with infinite granularity and flexibility. For more information, refer to Policy Profiles.

NOTE  You may wish to Suppress Welcome Emails via Policy Defaults until all data is uploaded, all permissions are set, and all Policy Profiles are in place. When this policy is applied, welcome emails are not automatically sent upon user creation. This is especially useful when deploying Workplace remotely.

Silent installation and deployment

The Workplace app can be silently installed on users machines via a endpoint management tool. For more information, refer to Silent installation.

In conjunction with with silent installation, the Workplace app can be pre-configured, allowing users to start using Workplace with no need to first configure it themselves. For more information, refer to Deployment.

Online editing

Online editing allows users to create, open, and edit Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents without installing those applications. Online editing also allows different users to work on the same documents simultaneously.

For more information on editing documents online with Workplace, refer to Creating and editing documents online.

For information on how to configure your preferred online document editors, refer to Document Editors.

Local editing via Workplace Online

Local editing allows users to open files locally within the associated application on your computer without having to sync the file to their computer first. Once a file is opened using this feature, saving the file will automatically update the version on Workplace Online.

For more information, refer to Edit documents locally via Workplace Online.

During the deployment, we recommend educating your team on the basics of the Workplace service. Use your judgment concerning when to provide training - you want your users to understand the basics before providing them access to Workplace, but you want the users to have access so that detailed information provided makes sense.

Based on the support ticket topics most frequently submitted by new users, the concepts outlined below are the most critical to explain when getting members started on the Workplace service:

Sharing & permissions

Ensure that users understand how to share projects, folders and files.

We strongly recommend all users that will own projects review the Getting started: Projects guide.

Deleting

A common mistake users new to cloud computing make is removing synced files that they don’t want on their machines. Please understand that removing data from projects, via Workplace Online or your Workplace folder on your desktop or laptop, results in the removal of that data from Workplace, and therefore, from all your devices and all your users' devices.

IMPORTANT  In Workplace, if a user deletes a file or folder, it is deleted for everyone!

NOTE  Setting permissions appropriately may help you avoid deletions that inadvertently affect other users.

The Workplace six-month data retention feature, however, allows you to undelete data deleted by mistake. But it's best not to accidentally delete data in the first place.

Give it time to sync...

...especially if you've been offline for a while. Depending on file size, the pending files in the queue, and a variety of factors, there may be a slight delay in syncing of files.

If a user has been offline for a period of time (on vacation, for example) it may require some time to get fully in sync.

Ensure that users understand the significance of the sync status icons and let them know that they can monitor the Progress window if desired.

Moving forward with the deployment, you should categorize the team into one of these three categories:

Hybrid cloud

The local data storage is maintained and accessed by users connected locally.

The local storage is synced with Workplace, providing access to these files via Workplace for users that do not have direct access to the local storage.

For Hybrid Deployments, refer to Deploying Workplace: Hybrid model.

Full migration

The entire data set is being moved to Workplace Manager and the current local storage is being decommissioned after transferring the data.

For Full Migration Deployments, refer to Deploying Workplace: Full migration model.

Dispersed data

The current data set is scattered across multiple users' local storage devices and all this data is to be moved to the Workplace Manager service.

For Dispersed Data Deployments, refer to Deploying Workplace: Dispersed migration model.