Spang Boosts Global Speed with Azure Files
About This Project
Spang & Company
Client
1894
Established in
Pittsburgh, PA
Location
Partner Technologies Used
Azure Files, Microsoft 365, VPN, SMB protocol, NFS protocol, WAN optimization, DFS, Microsoft Cloud Networking
Project Highlight
Replaced DFS and WAN optimization with Azure Files to simplify architecture, enhance global file access, and reduce IT overhead.
Overview
Spang Company, founded in 1894, is a global manufacturer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 200 employees and operations spanning Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, California, China, and Hong Kong, the company provides advanced magnetic components, power electronics, and custom-engineered solutions through its three divisions:
Magnetics: Precision soft magnetic components
Spang Engineered Solutions: Custom inductive components
Spang Power Electronics: Power control equipment for industrial processes
As the company expanded globally, the IT team faced increasing challenges with file sharing performance, latency, and collaboration across continents.
Challenge
“As we became more global with manufacturing in China and design and engineering at headquarters, that created some issues deciding wherein a wide area network we should locate folders and data that folks need to do their jobs for optimum performance.”
The team attempted several solutions before Azure Files:
DFS Replication – Caused version conflicts when users on both continents edited the same files.
DFS Namespace with Geographic Prioritization – Led to performance trade-offs depending on user location.
Third-party WAN Optimization – Unstable and time-consuming to reset when failures occurred.
These challenges slowed down critical workflows and strained IT resources.
“I was very happy to see that Microsoft came out with Azure Files. It looked to do the simple-sounding thing of making these traditional SMB resources available with performance across our environment,”
Brian Buddemeyer (VP of IT, Spang & Company)
Solution
Azure Files, a fully managed file share service over SMB/NFS protocols, provided a solution that delivered both familiarity and global performance.
Spang connected their sites via VPN, allowing users to access Azure Files securely using the same permissions and interfaces they were used to—no retraining required.
Business Benefits
Security Confidence from Microsoft Ecosystem
Spang’s prior experience with Microsoft cloud services meant no security hesitation. Files weren’t exposed to the internet, access was managed over VPN, and permissions mirrored legacy setups—making the transition frictionless.
“We've been in the Microsoft 365 environment for a number of years, so we were passed a lot of the general initial worries about moving things into a public cloud environment.”
User Impact: No Disruption, Only Speed
Azure Files preserved the familiar File Explorer navigation, maintained permission structures, and required no user re-education. Performance improvements for cross-border collaboration were immediate and noticeable.
“Most users don’t even know anything changed. But for those sharing files between the US and Asia, the experience is finally what it should’ve been.”
Critical Workflows Unlocked
Faster access to engineering files helped Spang’s China-based manufacturing teams reduce delays, improve quality, and accelerate production cycles.
“We’ve sped up some critical processes. Our teams in China are no longer waiting for uploads or delayed feedback—they’re just working.”
IT Benefits
Fewer Fires, More Strategy
Azure Files eliminated the frequent performance complaints that had previously drained IT resources. This gave the lean IT team more time to focus on forward-moving initiatives instead of reactive troubleshooting.
“We’re back to a set-it-and-forget-it SMB share. That’s a nice place to be.”
Proof of Concept
A Smarter, Simpler Architecture
Working with eGroup Enabling Technologies, Spang discovered that they didn’t need to replicate data across Azure regions. Instead, a simpler architecture using VPN tunnels from Asia to US-based Azure storage provided the performance needed—at a lower cost and complexity.
eGroup Enabling Technologies helped Spang make important decisions about what would work best in the environment. “The folks we were working with at eGroup Enabling Technologies were clearly experienced in Azure and file shares and had done this before,”
Why eGroup? Trusted Execution and Expertise
eGroup Enabling Technologies delivered:
Expert-led architecture and deployment
On-the-ground testing and adjustments during the PoC
A partner that worked collaboratively, adapted quickly, and brought real Azure experience
Buddemeyer advises working with an expert to conduct a proof of concept. “We had a little bit of Azure knowledge in-house, but Azure Files was a service we haven’t touched. We didn’t have a lot of experience with the networking aspects, so to implement this solution globally, we brought eGroup Enabling Technologies to do a proof of concept.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with eGroup Enabling Technologies. The engineers on this project and a couple of other projects we’ve done. They have all been top-notch. The design, the management, the flow of the project is as good as anyone I’ve ever worked with. I’m just getting to a point where I’m more and more trust eGroup Enabling Technologies and plan to look to them first as I have new complicated initiatives on the horizon .”
Brian Buddemeyer (VP of IT, Spang & Company)
eGroup Can Help You Too!
Looking to improve global file access, eliminate performance bottlenecks, or simplify your cloud file storage?
Explore our Azure Services and discover how we help manufacturers like Spang accelerate operations and empower distributed teams—securely and reliably.
