Smart Cache has two different features for downloading the files from the Cloud to the on-prem disk for accessing the data faster. These features provide different levels of functionality, and customers can use them based on their use case. The table below gives a glimpse of both these features in a side-by-side comparison.
| Do you need it? | Folder Synchronization (aka Remote folders) | Cache Warming |
| Folders and their files are downloaded to the local disk for faster access | Yes | Yes |
| Individual folder or subfolder selection | Yes | Yes |
| Files downloaded by file extension criteria |
No (All files are selected) |
Yes (e.g., .docx, .pdf, etc) |
| Files downloaded by minimum file size criteria |
No (No file size criteria) |
Yes (e.g., file size => 10MB) |
| Can users access the folder while an operation is in progress? |
No (Not until it completes full download) |
Yes (File can be accessed even when cache warming is in progress.) |
| Data sprawl issue | Yes | No |
| Auto eviction based on last accessed files |
No (data stays indefinitely on the disk) |
Yes (Default 14 days or Custom persistence policies can be set on each device.) |
| Is manual intervention required by the IT admin if a new folder gets added in the Cloud or obsolete folders need to be removed? |
Yes (Local disk storage space gets filled with unwanted data if not monitored regularly.) |
No (Not required as data lives only for a short time.) |
| TTL for folder files on local disk (Time to live) | Infinite time |
14 days or based on the number of days configured in the custom persistence policy for that device |
| Is folder or files available during internet outages? | Yes |
No* |
| General use cases of the feature |
● Second copy storage requirement ● Faster data access ● Offline data access |
● Collaboration ● Faster data access ● Data download by custom criteria |
*Users can keep a copy of their data by syncing a folder for offline access in the Desktop App