SmartSync® DCS products provide secure (FIPS 140-2 compliant), reliable, and bandwidth-efficient data distribution via HTTPS and UDP multicast over hub-and-spoke (client-server), peer-to-peer, and n-tier topologies. SmartSync® delta-compression can easily increase throughput of constrained communications
links 10-to-1, and potentially even up to 50-to-1. SmartSync® intelligent resume of transfer saves bandwidth typically wasted re-transmitting already transferred bytes upon reconnecting after a communications break. SmartSync® inherent store-and-forward (SaF) capability supports offline operations. SmartSync® data prioritization and bandwidth scheduling are powerful tools for ensuring effective operation of enterprise workflows in bandwidth constrained environments.

Use Cases

Below are some of the common SmartSync® DCS data distribution use cases. Ironhawk professional services have extensive experience in transparently injecting SmartSync® DCS into legacy enterprise workflows as well.

SmartSync® DCS Platform: More Data Using Less Bandwidth

Text, Binary Data, Video, Music, Big Data, Small Data, Aggregated Data… The SmartSync® DCS Product line enables an Enterprise to transport more data across challenged networks using less bandwidth. For all SmartSync® delta-compressible content (any size, text, binary, or mix format, not-encrypted document that is a version in a chain-of-versions), SmartSync® DCS products can multiply their bandwidth-throughput 10x to even 50x (90% delta-compression savings are not unusual for even hard to self-compress data). SmartSync® DCS also enhances Video traffic (files, streams, chats) using state of the art, standards-compliant SmartVideoTM Video Compression.

Software Patch/Update Distribution

It is vital for an enterprise to promptly roll-out software patches to address security vulnerabilities that can jeopardize its systems. SmartSync® DCS platform enables this capability even (especially) when the patch destinations are connected to the patch distribution center over bandwidth constrained unreliable networks, such as SATCOM. By utilizing its proven and highly-effective byte-level delta compression to minimize on-the-wire footprint of a software patch (not unusual to get achieve 90% or more compression savings), and then using its intelligent UDP multicast when underlying network supports it (e.g. SATCOM), a SmartSync® DCS Server can successfully deliver a software patch to remote systems quickly to ensure their continued safe and secure operation. Of course, the capability is not limited to urgent security-patch releases, and can be employed as the backbone for ALL software update distributions, including new-feature releases, and even continuous integration incremental releases.

Edge to Center/Cloud Data Transfers

With the exponential increases in the information processing and storage power available in the cloud, large enterprises are looking to capitalize on the promise of Big Data. But, the data must first get to the cloud. This is where an enterprise with widely distributed data collection points comes up against the oft-ignored reality of extremely geologically distributed systems: bandwidth is expensive and physically limited, and connections are unreliable. SmartSync® DCS platform is designed for such disadvantaged environments. A SmartSync® DCS node at the data collection point employs Ironhawk’s proven byte-level delta compression to first minimize the size of data payloads (without any loss of information) and then employs its firewall-friendly (standard HTTP or HTTPS ports), secure (FIPS 140-2 compliant), and intelligent (resume from last-byte transferred upon reconnect) transport to provide a highly effective and reliable store-and-forward (SaF) capability for edge to data-center or cloud data transfers.

Video Transfers From Edge to Data-Center or Cloud

Video consumes significant bandwidth, a costly and limited resource. Upgrading infrastructure to meet ever increasing video bandwidth demands, even if financially possible, is only physically possible to a point. SmartSync® SmartVideo™ provides a software-only solution to the problem that combines Ironhawk's proprietary advanced standards-based compression, yielding compression savings greater than existing commercial solutions. This makes it feasible for an enterprise to deliver video over its existing infrastructure, whether it is from edge collection points to the central servers over satellite links or to end-user devices over cellular networks. SmartSync® SmartVideo™ module plugs into a SmartSync® DCS Enterprise Server on the video origination endpoint to automatically reduce on-the-wire footprint of video content. Because the resulting video conforms to open standards, no special decoder is required at the consumer endpoint. SmartSync® supports both H.264 and H.265 standards to produce fully compliant streams.

Client-to-Client, Secure, Efficient Video Chat Over SATCOM

General video-chat solutions may work adequately when operating on solid networks and optimal conditions, but if one needs to do a secure video-chat across the globe over SATCOM, the SmartSync® DCS product-line provides a solution. The DCS Enterprise Server deployed at the SATCOM send-side puts the processing power of its platform to full use to reduce the bit-rate of outgoing video considerably; the compressed payload is then transported efficiently and reliably using DCS Transport. The main objective of the SmartSync® DCS Product Line is to help an enterprise move more data using less bandwidth over disadvantaged networks. To achieve this objective when the only connection available is cellular, and there are a group of user devices in a remote location that can connect to a phone-created WiFi-LAN, SmartSync® DCS Mobile-Server provides some application-layer proxies and services that can be employed by these devices on top of the phone's WiFi.

SmartSync® DCS Mobile Hotspot

The SmartSync® DCS Platform's main objective is to help you move more data using less bandwidth over disadvantaged networks. There are occasions, whether uplanned or planned, when the only connection available to the Internet is through a cellular network. While a DCS Mobile-Client and DCS Mobile-Peer can maximize its own device usage of cellular data, it cannot spread those savings to WiFi-only LAN-side devices. A DCS Mobile-Server can, enabling a group of users in a remote location to all benefit from SmartSync® bandwidth maximization so they can successfully conduct their business via the internet securely and reliably. The following Operational Viewpoint (OV-1) diagram depicts such a scenario.

Peer-to-Peer, Secure, Efficient Video-Chat Over Cellular

Peer-to-peer video-chat technology is not new technology. However, SmartSync® peer-to-peer Video-Chat offers features not usually found all together: Secure, Reliable, Lower Bitr ate, and Higher Quality data transmission. Taking advantage of the ability of SmartSync® to distribute more data using less bandwidth, the following Operational Viewpoint (OV-1) diagram shows Mobile-Peer to Mobile-Peer video-chat, andalso Mobile-Peer to a desktop Peer video-chat, all transported via limited bandwidth cellular networks, using least possible amount of bandwidth.