Syncplify R2FS! Secure Your DMZ File Transfers’ Storage Subnet Without Opening Inbound Ports

Zero Inbound Firewall Ports

Data Never Leaves Your Storage Subnet

Compliance Ready from Day One

Syncplify R2FS! eliminates your biggest DMZ-to-Storage vulnerability: The reverse-connection architecture keeps your data behind the firewall at all times.

Eliminate DMZ-to-Storage vulnerabilities completely. R2FS! uses reverse connections so the internal network where your storage resides never accepts inbound traffic from the DMZ.

Your sensitive files stay behind your firewall at all times. Not temporarily. Not cached. Never. Guaranteed.

Pass PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and FISMA audits without exceptions. R2FS! meets the strictest regulatory requirements out of the box.

WHAT IS R2FS?

Syncplify R2FS! (Reverse-Remote File System) fundamentally changes the security model by inverting the direction of trust and connectivity between your SFTP server and its storage.

Instead of your DMZ SFTP server opening inbound connections to reach internal storage, R2FS! flips the architecture. Your internal storage initiates an outbound connection to Syncplify Server! in the DMZ, allowing the firewall protecting your storage subnet to remain completely closed to outside attackers.

This isn’t a reverse proxy. R2FS! is a genuine role-inverted file system that presents your internal storage as a native virtual file system (VFS) to Syncplify Server!. To users, it’s seamless. To security teams, it’s a fundamental shift.

The DMZ Gateway Secret Nobody Talks About

GoAnywhere, Globalscape, JSCAPE, Titan, and Serv-U rely on reverse proxy architecture, a 20–30-year-old architecture designed for a different threat landscape.

A reverse proxy sits in the DMZ as a relay between external users and internal storage. It inspects and forwards traffic, creating vulnerabilities that configuration alone cannot eliminate.

The Problem with Reverse Proxies:

Requires open inbound ports

Firewalls between the DMZ and private storage subnet require NAT or port-forwarding, creating direct attack paths to internal data.

Single point of failure
If the proxy is compromised, everything behind it is exposed.

Data cached in the DMZ
Violates PCI-DSS and other regulatory requirements by allowing sensitive data to exist outside protected storage networks.

30-year-old design

Reverse proxy architecture was designed for a different threat landscape. Modern attacks exploit the very nature of DMZ relay systems.

Security experts acknowledge the paradox: “A proxy must withstand attacks with higher resistance than the hosts-to-be-protected.” Your DMZ gateway must be more secure than your internal systems. That’s backwards.

R2FS! Isn’t a Proxy. It’s a Reverse File System.

R2FS! does not relay traffic through the DMZ. Your internal storage initiates an outbound connection and presents itself as a native virtual file system to Syncplify Server!.

There is no relay. No proxy. No middleman.

The result:

Zero inbound ports - architecturally guaranteed

Zero data stored in the DMZ

No single point of failure

Minimal attack surface

Designed for modern threat models

R2FS vs Traditional Secure File Transfer Approaches

Initial Purchase

Year 1 Total

Year 3 Total

Year 5 Total

R2FS!

Typical DMZ Gateway

$999 (one-time)

$1,500–$15,000+

$999

$1,500–$15,000/year

$1,890.10*

$1,500–$45,000+

$2,497.50*

$1,500–$75,000+

*Optional maintenance after first year ($299.70/year). First year maintenance included.

R2FS! offers simple, transparent pricing without gateway licensing complexity.

Why You Should Never Store SFTP Data in the DMZ

A visual walkthrough of secure SFTP architecture and DMZ storage separation.

What R2FS! Does That Others Don’t

1. True Reverse Virtual File-System Architecture

Unlike general-purpose reverse proxies, R2FS! presents internal storage as a native virtual file system (VFS) to Syncplify Server!. This isn’t just semantics. It means seamless integration, better performance, and no “gateway” complexity.

2. Zero Inbound Ports

While many solutions claim “no inbound ports,” some still require complex firewall rules or conditional access. In contrast, R2FS! is architecturally impossible to compromise via inbound DMZ-to-storage-subnet connections because none exist.

3. Native VFS Integration

R2FS! is not a separate product bolted on. It is an integrated Virtual File System type within Syncplify Server!. Users, protocols, and applications see it as just another file system path. There is no “gateway configuration” or separate management interface.

4. No Data-at-Rest Ever Touches the DMZ

Some solutions cache data in the DMZ server storage for performance. Others store temporary files during transfer. R2FS! guarantees zero bytes of your data are ever written to DMZ storage.

5. Built for Modern Distributed Storage

Designed from the ground up for distributed, high-availability, and cloud-native storage architectures, not retrofitted from legacy gateway designs.

6. Single Product, Single License

R2FS! is an add-on to Syncplify Server!. It is not a separate product requiring separate infrastructure. One vendor, one support contact, one update cycle.

Who R2FS! Is Built For

• Organizations with strict security policies
• Regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government)
• Enterprises requiring PCI-DSS, HIPAA, FISMA, or SOX compliance
• Distributed or high-availability storage environments
• DMZ-segmented architectures where security is critical

Get Started Today

R2FS! is available as an add-on to your existing Syncplify Server! license.