Most organizations have migrated at least some of their legacy services to the cloud, but one system that many organizations are still holding onto is their on-premises file servers, also known as network drives or mapped drives. These systems, which rely on outdated technology, are more than a nuisance – they lead to a host of knowledge management headaches and cybersecurity weaknesses. In this article, we explore why it’s time to retire your file servers and embrace modern alternatives.
What Are File Servers or Network Drives?
On-premises file servers refer to physical servers located within an organization’s premises, where files and documents are stored and shared. They gained popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s when they became a primary method for storing corporate data and providing in-house solutions for knowledge assets. These file servers, commonly referred to as network drives, are often mapped to individuals’ workstations and appear as drives with a letter designation—such as the “P:\ drive” for personal files or the “S:\ drive” for shared files.
Knowledge Management & Information Security Challenges with File Servers
While on-premises file servers may have been reliable in the past, they now pose significant knowledge management and cybersecurity challenges, as well as operational inefficiencies.
Information Security Concerns with File Servers
- Auditing on-premises file servers is complex and time-consuming, making it difficult to monitor and track exactly who is accessing specific data.
- In the event of a security incident, leaders need a clear view into what information may have been accessed, but legacy systems make this nearly impossible.
- Permissions are often overly broad, exposing crucial organizational knowledge and sensitive intellectual property to more staff than necessary.
- This not only increases cybersecurity risks but can also make it easier for departing employees to take confidential information with them.
- Even when organizations attempt to restrict folders at the department level, it is common to find sensitive data—such as HR or Finance files containing personally identifiable information—accessible to too many staff.
Knowledge Management Issues with File Servers
- Traditional network drives are cumbersome to browse and nearly impossible to search effectively.
- Employees often waste time hunting for critical information, and onboarding new staff becomes more difficult, as the organization’s knowledge remains siloed in poorly structured folders.
- These pain points lead to staff frustration, duplication of work, and missed opportunities to leverage institutional knowledge.
- File servers frequently become digital junkyards—a dumping ground for information that is rarely used, largely because it is so difficult to find and share.
- Collaboration on these platforms is unwieldy; simultaneous editing is rarely supported, which leads to multiple versions of files, confusion around which version is the record of truth, and inefficient workflows.
Operational and Financial Burdens
- Maintaining on-premises file servers requires ongoing investment: servers need to be physically secured, climate controlled, and regularly updated and patched.
- Remote access requires VPNs or complex protocols, which add IT overhead and potential security vulnerabilities.
- The costs of server infrastructure, physical storage space, backups, and disaster recovery can be significant—diverting resources away from your organization’s mission.
Backups and Disaster Recovery Concerns
- Traditional file servers can complicate disaster recovery. Backups are expensive and prone to failure, and restoring from a backup after a cyberattack or natural disaster is often slow and unpredictable.
- Achieving redundancy or geographic diversity for on-premises backups usually exceeds the budget and bandwidth of even large organizations.
The Solution: Retire Your File Servers and Move To the Cloud
Modern, cloud-based collaboration platforms such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer robust, secure, and flexible alternatives. These platforms dramatically improve search, enable seamless sharing and real-time collaboration, and provide advanced security features—such as granular access controls, automated data loss prevention, and advanced threat detection. Remote access becomes straightforward, eliminating the need for VPNs, while storage can scale as your organization grows or changes.
FireOak’s Recommendations
- Avoid a “lift and shift” strategy. Don’t replicate outdated folder structures in the cloud. Use migration as an opportunity to streamline and modernize knowledge management.
- Develop a thoughtful migration plan, identifying which content should be migrated, archived, or securely deleted.
- Be realistic about timelines. For organizations with decades of data, migration will require a staged approach.
- Invest in cloud-to-cloud backups to provide maximum continuity and protection.
- Formally decommission legacy file servers once migration is complete to ensure a clean transition.
Conclusion
On-premises file servers are an artifact of an earlier era. As digital workplaces and knowledge management needs evolve, organizations must move past legacy systems that drain productivity and pose cybersecurity risks. Transitioning to a modern, mission-aligned cloud strategy is not just a technical change—it’s a foundational step toward operational clarity and security.
