Upgraded Infrastructure for Safe4

The infrastructure that runs Safe4 was designed when the service launched in 2010. Implemented at the beginning of the cloud computing revolution, the system has proven amazingly robust delivering exceptionally high levels of availability and security. In the 4 years since the original launch, cloud computing has moved on significantly delivering improvements to performance, manageability and security.

Following on the from the release in June 2014 of Version 4.2 of the software, which delivered significant improvements in usability, full WebDAV access and a comprehensive API, Safe4 decided the time was right to plan an upgrade to the infrastructure so that the service can continue to deliver the highest levels of availability as the number of users continues to grow.

The upgrade process has been planned and tested for some time, and we are pleased to announce that it was completed with zero downtime yesterday evening, Monday 18th August 2014.

While no new user functionality has been incorporated in this upgrade, all users should notice a performance improvement of 10-20%. Behind the scenes the improvements are more dramatic with upgrades to the application servers to the latest versions of operating systems and supporting packages, improving security and performance. The hardware itself is two generations on from the previous infrastructure. Given the speed at which user numbers have been growing in the last few months we have also paid attention to how we will continue to support growth in the future without interrupting service or compromising on security.

It has been an exciting summer for the Safe4 team, with a successful major new release of the software, completion of comprehensive penetration tests, setting up an operation in South Africa and now a significant upgrade in the infrastructure.

We are also excited to see the system being used by our valued customers in new and innovative ways. Safe4 exists to solve the challenges faced when delivering files and documents to your clients, who are increasingly expecting faster turnaround and access on multiple devices. Safe4 are committed to improving the way we support our customers in achieving these goals – the team are now turning our focus to the next release of the software and we would encourage you to let us have any suggestions that would enable you and your clients to get more from the Safe4 service.