Server-to-server replication is specifically designed to capture and distribute the content of central sites to multiple remote locations. As the remote workforce grows and becomes more mobile, however, people in the field not only need to access up-to-date information, they also need to be able to update documents and have those changes relayed back to the central site.

Geo-replication technologies can function in two-way mode to address that exact challenge in a highly efficient manner. It does so by only updating the specific altered data, rather than replacing entire documents, thereby limiting the amount of data transferred at any one time.

SharePoint is widely used among organizations as a central portal for organizing files, including Microsoft Office documents, announcements and contacts, into lists and document libraries. The ability to replicate the SharePoint content that workers are already creating and sharing onto local servers reduces redundant document versions by only updating the altered data, and dramatically reduces data transmission costs incurred by each remote location. By accelerating the availability of portal content, distributed teams can complete their work more accurately and within online environments with which they are already familiar.

Just as important as the ability to access data and have it updated on the central server is the ability for workers to retrieve SharePoint content and Web apps to be able to work offline in times of limited bandwidth. To this end, geo-replication technologies can also provide an offline version of SharePoint allowing remote workers to maximize their time by completing tasks within a known ecosystem that will update appropriately when connectivity is restored.

Complete and accurate enterprise views of available data and content are necessary for businesses to run effectively. The demand for real, attainable, company-wide consistency has fostered the development and ongoing evolution of geo-replication technologies. These technologies are creating multiple ways for collaboration to still take place, and accelerate business, in the face of a remote and flexible workforce.