December 06, 2023
Collaborate Confidently With Datto Workplace’s Enhanced Versioning
In today's hybrid era, collaborating effectively across dispersed teams is crucial for success. As workplaces blend remote and in-person arrangements, the need for seamless teamwork transcends physical boundaries. For modern businesses, secure collaboration platforms that allow multiple users to work on files simultaneously and support version control are critical for enhanced collaboration.
Versioning plays a pivotal role in facilitating seamless collaboration among colleagues working on shared documents or projects. Picture this: Two colleagues diligently working on a document, making numerous modifications simultaneously. One of them inadvertently alters a critical segment that the other was concurrently editing, resulting in the need to revert to an older, stable version of the document. For these users, the fix seems easy — they simply select from the list of versions provided by the platform they use.
But how does the collaboration platform determine which version(s) to preserve? Every time a user takes an action — clicks a button or adds a letter — it could result in the creation of a new version each time . If every version is saved, there would be thousands of versions to choose from, making it extremely time-consuming and challenging to locate the file before the unintentional change was made.
Some less-advanced platforms save versions hourly or daily. Relying on such solutions can be risky for your clients. A solution that saves versions at say 3 am and 4 am, when users are asleep, or does not keep multiple versions when users make massive changes to files, from say 10:15 am to 10:45 am, would provide little to no benefit.
"Significant versioning” to the rescue.
Best-in-industry platforms, such as Datto Workplace, identify working patterns and modification peaks. Apart from the latest versions, they also preserve versions saved just before significant changes were introduced. This eliminates the need to scroll through thousands of versions, enabling users to find what they need quickly and easily. Additionally, this mechanism also protects from massive changes introduced by ransomware or malicious actors.
Eliminate data loss risk with Datto Workplace
Datto Workplace preserves the following versions for 180 days:
Versions created before a different user began editing the file
Imagine Mary and Joseph collaborating on a project using Datto Workplace. Mary creates the initial version of the document and saves it in the Datto Workplace folder. Later, Joseph accesses the file to contribute to the project. Mary's version remains unchanged during this time.
Joseph begins editing the document, adding his insights and making revisions. He saves his progress, creating a new version of the file. The next time Mary opens the file, she will see Joseph's edits. However, Datto Workplace also preserves the latest content saved by Mary, so if Joseph's edits need to be rolled back, none of Mary's work will be lost.
With the significant versioning feature, Datto Workplace saves both versions of the file. This way, their collaboration continues smoothly, with different iterations of the document preserved, allowing them to revert to earlier versions if needed.
Versions created before the same user resumed editing the file after a six-hour gap since the last edit
Here are two scenarios illustrating situations where versions are created before the same user resumes editing the file after a significant gap:
Scenario 1
Mary begins working on a project report in the morning. She makes several changes and saves the progress throughout the day. However, she stops working on it at noon, saving the latest version at that time. The next day, after a six-hour gap since her last edit, Mary opens the file again. The version she saved the previous morning is preserved, and any new changes she makes now will create a new version, capturing the updates made after the six-hour gap.
Scenario 2
A ransomware attack using Mary’s credentials strikes at 3 am, compromising her computer. The perpetrator encrypts and locks her important files, including the report she was working on. Fortunately, she had saved a copy of the report from the day prior to the ransomware attack. The last version saved before the attack remains intact, enabling her to recover the document and start from point before the cyberattack took place.
These scenarios highlight how important versioning is for businesses. It ensures older iterations are accessible and retrievable whenever necessary.
With the innovative "significant versioning” feature, Datto Workplace eliminates the risk of data loss and enables the recovery of crucial versions in cases of accidental or intentional modifications.
Contact us today to find out how Datto Workplace enables MSPs like you to deliver a seamless and secure collaboration platform to clients.
