Choose Work Folders server placement around site dependencies

Source facts

Microsoft describes centralized, distributed, and hosted Work Folders deployment patterns. A centralized deployment depends on connectivity between the central location and branch offices; branch users can lose service when those network paths are interrupted. Distributing sync servers adds coordination of storage and AD DS so users reach the correct server. Hosted servers still require access to the organization’s Active Directory domain for authentication, even when users can reach the servers through the internet. Microsoft documentation.

Applicability

Map the users, offices, candidate server locations, authentication paths, and service owners. Review site-specific connectivity assumptions before selecting a deployment pattern or assigning users to a sync server.

DSE recommendation

Create a placement decision for each user group and identify the network or authentication dependencies that could interrupt its service. Ask branch and central infrastructure owners to review the same map. Include an explicit support owner for the connection between any hosted server and the organization’s directory.

Verification

Test representative clients from the intended locations, including an approved interruption scenario for a selected dependency. Record which sync server each client reaches and the observed authentication and synchronization results. Use those observations to accept or revise placement decisions before adding more users.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: Planning a Work Folders deployment. Source reviewed September 8, 2026.