Request-based data synchronization management

A computer-implemented method of providing access to files stored at one or more remote backup storage devices, the computer-implemented method comprising:

• initiating, by a storage manager module executing in computer hardware comprising one or more computer processors, a backup operation, the backup operation comprising:
• identifying, according to a storage policy, one or more original files stored in a first primary storage device associated with a first client computing device;
• and
• copying, according to a backup schedule specified by the storage policy, the one or more original files stored in the first primary storage device to one or more remote backup storage devices to create one or more backup files that correspond to the one or more original files;
• accessing, by a synchronization module executing in the computer hardware comprising the one or more computer processors, user-defined synchronization criteria for identifying files to synchronize between the first primary storage device associated with the first client computing device and a second primary storage device associated with a second client computing device;
• after the initiation of the backup operation, and based on the user-defined synchronization criteria, identifying the one or more backup files to be synchronized from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device;
• communicating, to the second client computing device, a listing of the one or more backup files to be synchronized from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device;
• after communicating the listing of the one or more backup files to the second client computing device, initiating a background process to communicate the one or more backup files from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device to synchronize the one or more backup files to the second primary storage device;
• and
• in response to receiving a request from the second client computing device for a particular file of the one or more backup files, wherein the request is received after said initiating the background process to communicate the one or more backup files to the second primary storage device and prior to completion of the communication of the particular file to the second primary storage device in the background process:
• modifying the background process to cause communication of the particular file from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device by causing communication of a copy of the particular file from the one or more secondary storage devices to the second primary storage device to complete the synchronization of the particular file to the second primary storage device, wherein synchronization of the one or more backup files other than the particular file remains unchanged.

A system for providing access to files stored at one or more remote backup storage devices, the system comprising:

• one or more hardware computer processors;
• and
• a storage manager executed by the one or more hardware computer processors, wherein the storage manager causes the one or more hardware computer processors to:
• initiate a backup operation comprising:
• identifying, according to a storage policy, one or more original files stored in a first primary storage device associated with a first client computing device;
• and
• copying, according to a backup schedule specified by the storage policy, the one or more original files stored in the first primary storage device to one or more remote backup storage devices to create one or more backup files that correspond to the one or more original files;
• and
• a synchronization manager executed by the one or more hardware computer processors, wherein the synchronization manager causes the one or more hardware computer processors to:
• access user-defined synchronization criteria for identifying files to synchronize between the first primary storage device associated with the first client computing device and a second primary storage device associated with a second client computing device;
• after the initiation of the backup operation, and based on the user-defined synchronization criteria, identify the one or more backup files to be synchronized from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device;
• communicate, to the second client computing device, a listing of the one or more backup files to be synchronized from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device;
• after communicating the listing of the one or more backup files to the second client computing device, initiate a background process to communicate the one or more backup files from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device to synchronize the one or more backup files to the second primary storage device;
• and
• in response to receiving a request from the second client computing device for a particular file of the one or more backup files, wherein the request is received after said initiating the background process to communicate the one or more backup files to the second primary storage device and prior to completion of the communication of the particular file to the second primary storage device in the background process:
• modifying the background process to cause communication of the particular file from the one or more remote backup storage devices to the second primary storage device to complete the synchronization of the particular file to the second primary storage device, wherein synchronization of the one or more backup files other than the particular file remains unchanged.