How does Amahi Anywhere access Samba Shares without the Android or iOS device being in the local network?

[rtcoder]

I actually have three questions in this post:

1. How does Amahi Anywhere access Samba Shares without the Android or iOS device being in the local network?
2. Is it secure to access Samba shares outside of the local network via Amahi Anywhere?
3. Is there a way for laptops to access an Amahi server's Samba shares from outside the local network like Amahi Anywhere does?

[cpg]

1. Amahi Anywhere runs locally on the HDA and it's a proxy, so it accesses the local file system, just like SAMBA does
2. We engineered it to be secure. AA is basically a proxy and we use https when accessing it from outside. The connection is initiated from the AA server, using https. Nothing is 100% secure, given unlimited amount of manpower and effort. However, we have created it with security in mind when accessed outside the network
3. Yes, you can use VPN technologies to access your network remotely. There are two types we support, IPSec and OpenVPN, both apps you can get, then open some ports and access things remotely. It's one of our most popular features

[rtcoder]

I hope this isn't a terribly stupid question, but what exactly do you mean when you say that Amahi Anywhere is a proxy?

[cpg]

prox•y (prŏkˈsē)►

n. A person/object authorized to act for another; an agent or substitute.
n. The authority to act for another.
n. The written authorization to act in place of another

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server