You connect Asite to a network server with a CDE integration that keeps files, folders and attributes aligned between on-premises shares and the Asite workspace, or with a migration that moves the shares into Asite for good. CDE Sync™ handles the ongoing connection and CDE Migrate™ handles a one-time move, both preserving folder structure and version history.
Why network servers sit beside Asite
Organisations that use Asite for project collaboration often still run network servers or NAS devices for other work. Design teams may author locally. Estates and facilities teams may hold asset records on shares. Some data stays on premises for security or sovereignty reasons. And years of past projects may sit on servers that predate Asite.
When information lives in both places, people copy files between them and add attributes by hand. Versions drift, the Asite workspace misses files that exist locally, and teams lose confidence that either copy is complete.
What carries across between Asite and a network server
CDE Sync™ maps the server's folder structure to Asite folders and attributes, and keeps the two aligned in the direction you choose. Files saved to a nominated share can appear in Asite with attributes derived from folder and file naming rules, and documents in Asite can be written back to the server. Version history integrity is maintained, and every transfer is logged.
The network servers and Asite integration pages describe both connectors.
How to connect Asite to a network server, step by step
Decide whether the server will stay in use (sync) or be retired (migration into Asite).
Identify the shares and folders involved and the Asite workspaces they relate to.
Work with your IT team on the secure connection to the server and a scoped service account.
Request an Asite service account from the Asite administrator.
Connect both in the CDE Sync™ wizard, or agree the migration scope and target date with Utopia Digital.
Define how folders and file names populate Asite attributes.
Test on a small folder, check results with document control, then switch on the schedule or complete the move.
Owners holding asset records locally
Asset owners frequently keep operational records, such as manuals, certificates and as-built drawings, on network shares managed by estates or facilities teams. Meanwhile new projects on the same assets run in Asite. Connecting the two means project teams see the asset information they need, and completed project records flow back into the owner's local structure at handover.
That two-way pattern reduces the scramble at practical completion, when handover documents are usually gathered by hand. Our article on connecting a network drive to your CDE covers the sync or migrate decision in more detail.
When a server is being retired, a migration can move selected shares into Asite with their structure and version history. Material that only needs to be kept can go to CDE Archive™ instead, where it stays searchable in your own Azure. Choosing the right destination for each share keeps the Asite workspace focused on live work and avoids paying to store records nobody edits.
Folder permissions also need a plan, since server permissions and Asite roles work differently. Most teams let Asite roles govern access once files arrive, and keep server permissions for local users only.
Security for local data
CDE Sync™ streams files without storing them, encrypts data in transit, processes it in the Azure region you choose and uses a service account scoped only to the folders in sync. Utopia Digital holds SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials. See the Security Trust Portal and the global data region map.
Asite, network servers and the Utopiaverse™
Connecting a network server to Asite is part of the Utopiaverse™, the connected record Utopia Digital builds across your platforms. CDE Sync™ keeps server and Asite aligned, CDE Backup™ keeps an independent copy in your own Azure, CDE Migrate™ retires the server when you are ready, and CDE Archive™ captures completed projects. AI Insights searches local and Asite content together, with answers that cite the source files. See also How Do I Connect Asite with ProjectWise or SharePoint? and How to back up a CDE.
See a network server connected to Asite in the monthly live demo, or talk to the team about your environment.
