Do you write desktop apps? Many years ago, after writing a VB6 desktop app that had to work over the LAN (2 "clients") and having it barely work by reading an Access db file over SMB[1], I switched to browser-based apps thereafter (C#/IIS) as it was a natural fit for networked apps that require sharing of state.

1. In fairness, it was my first paid job and I didn't know what I was doing, but it worked(tm)