How can my organization (IT Department) offer a service like that of
http://www.xdrive.com/?  I want our end users to have access to
personal storage space on their work computers (Windows & Mac OS X),
as well as via the web - from home.  Storage should be completely
secure and authenticated via active directory.  It would be nice if
this could be integrated with SharePoint Portal server.   The hard
drive should be as seemless as possible for end users to store
documents and work remotely if they choose.  What kind of hardware and
software would we need to offer this kind of service?

---

Request for Question Clarification by adiloren-ga on 28 Apr 2005 23:08 PDT

How much virtual hard drive space are you looking for? Would you
rather have access to one large space that would then be
subcatogorized or would it suit you to use a service that offers
individual virtual hard drive accounts?

---

Clarification of Question by bhizzle-ga on 29 Apr 2005 05:30 PDT

We would rather host the servers and the service ourselves.  We would
like to offer our end users individual storage space. We might also
like to have access to a shared space as well.  The shared space would
be accessible by a large group (Faculty & staff) and would be 50 or so
gigs but expandable.   Somewhere around 2 to 5 gigs per person for
individual storage, but expandable.

Hi! Thanks for the question.

Before providing a rating, please ask for clarification if you will
need further assistance in the answers I have provided.

Based on your clarification, it seems that a VPN (Virtual Private
Network) with Microsoft Active Directory will be right for you.
  
First, in order to address the personal storage issues, software like
Microsoft Active Directory will be of use to your organization. It
will enable to provide personal storage space for your staff.

Our first resource here provides a simple general overview of
Microsoft Active Directory. The page is for Microsoft 2000 but we will
have another link for the new Active Directory version.

?Active Directory Overview?
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/features/dirlist.asp 

?Windows Server 2003 Active Directory?
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/directory/activedirectory/default.mspx


VPNs meanwhile does not only answer the ability to share storage space
but will also enable your staff to access their files remotely and
tackle security issues and service expandability.

Our first few links addresses the nature of VPNs.

?Depending on the type of VPN (remote-access or site-to-site), you
will need to put in place certain components to build your VPN. These
might include:?

- ?Desktop software client for each remote user?
- ?Dedicated hardware such as a VPN concentrator or secure PIX firewall?
- ?Dedicated VPN server for dial-up services?
 -?NAS (network access server) used by service provider for remote-user VPN access?
 - ?VPN network and policy-management center?

The link to the How Stuff Works website also provides sample hardware
from CISCO that is used in VPN setups.

 ?How Virtual Private Networks Work?
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/vpn.htm/printable 

?How VPN Works?
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/library/TechRef/6e2e7206-de85-45bf-89fa-634a67be3708.mspx
 

The next link provides a general overview of the components of setting-up a VPN.

?You can set up a VPN by purchasing a VPN software package from a
software vendor that specializes in Internet security. A bonus is that
VPN software packages often include firewall software for added
protection.?

?You'll also need to purchase a server ($3000-5000) to run your VPN
software, and possibly some networking cards ($70-100). Software
prices vary a great deal depending on your service level needs, but
you can expect an average of $500 for your server software, and around
$70 for each client (i.e., desktop PC or notebook computer) you add to
your network.?

?Virtual Private Networks?
http://www.allbusiness.com/buyersguides/guide.asp?ID=2847&ChapterID=3011

This article from PC MAGAZINE provides a review of different VPN
appliances for small offices or organizations.

?VPN Appliances Come to the Small Office?
http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,2533,a=127794,00.asp  


Our next link provides a case study of using VPN in a university
setting. The case here is a little bit more complicated for your needs
but by reading this article, you can have an idea on how it might be
implemented for your organization.

?Cross Campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) Tunneling Case Study The
University of Liverpool?
http://www.ja.net/development/network_access/wireless/wag/CaseStudy.pdf 


Finally, Virtual Private Networks can be complicated and you might
want to get consultants to get your projects on the right foot. Here
is a sample of some of them.

Lucent
http://www.lucent.com/security/ 

Cisco VPN
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/secursw/ps2308/ 

Prometheum Technologies
http://www.prometheum.com/

Forte Systems
http://www.forte-systems.com/consulting.html 

SonicWall
http://www.sonicwall.com/support/consulting.html 

InternetWork
http://www.icsnets.com/MCSE-RAS.shtml 

Enkoo
http://enkoo.com/sslvpncomparison.htm?trackcode=bizcom 

ISWEST
http://www.iswest.com/vpn.html 

Ect Telecom
http://www.ecttelecom.com/vpn.html?trackcode=bizcom 

Kubik
http://www.kubiktech.com/consulting.php 


Search terms used: 
VPN how works consulting consultant basics overview software hardware

I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
                 
Thanks for visiting us.                
                 
Regards,                 
Easterangel-ga                 
Google Answers Researcher

In your post you mentioned wanting everything authenticated by active directory.

Have you thought about using Webfolders ? This is perfect for internet
access to say a user's home directory. Share and NTFS permissions can
be modified appropriately to allow only the user knowing their name
and pass to enter. With the use of home folder mapping and mydocuments
redirecting this would be a very simple and almost seemless solution.
If you're worried about network downtime, and user's not accessing
their personal directory from work then think about enabling offline
files. All user's files would be located on a server in a specified
directory. When they are out of the office they can browse over the
web to their files and when prompted provide the appropriate user name
and password.

This is a very clearcut and simple solution. The most important aspect
to resolve would be very tight security on the web end and constant
monitoring of the traffic and files through the portal. Intrustion
detection can easily help with that.