Reconsider Your File Sync-and-Share Services
It is no wonder why file sync-and-share services are so popular. They are easy to setup and use, particularly with people outside your company or organization. And, most people you want to share with have, or are willing to create, a free account to see your shared files.
As a business, government, school, or non-profit, however, you may want to reconsider how you let your team use file sync-and-share services. Here’s why:
Who “Controls” the Data?
- Do you know if individuals are sharing information inappropriately?
- Could you recover files deleted by a user from their account?
File sync-and-share services create de facto peer-to-peer networks. Files are “owned” by the person that created or uploaded them. Permissions are controlled by each user, not by any central policy. As such, you have little ability to monitor or manage access to your data, which puts your business at risk for data breaches, as well as policy and regulatory violations.
Can You “Find” the File?
- Are you comfortable with a peer-to-peer file service with little central control?
- Are folks wasting time figuring out in which folder files are stored?
With each user creating folders and files to meet their own organizational needs, finding files shared with you can be challenging. As users create similarly named folders, locating files can be a challenge. You should never need to call a person for help locating a shared file.
Where, “Exactly”, is the File?
- Would a lost or stolen laptop or phone give somebody easy access locally saved files?
- Is locally saved data as secure as data on your server?
Chances are, your team is syncing files to/from laptops and mobile devices. So even if you are using a secure file sync-and-share service, your data is likely at risk. File sync-and-share services create local directories for storage and most services rely on your local security to protect those files. In other words, your data may be on a laptop or mobile device with no (or trivial) password protection. Adding drive-level encryption is an option, but adds money, complexity, and support costs to your environment.
Fortunately, solutions exist.
Secure, enterprise file sync-and-share solutions provide centralized control of what data can be synced to local devices, and by whom. These solutions also require login verification before accessing information on the local devices. Managed cloud file services let employees use locally installed apps with cloud-stored data, while providing centralized ownership and permissions management. Each solution has its limitations and benefits; understanding how your users need and prefer to work is key to making the picking the best solution.
Contact us for more information about available cloud file service options.
