As the digital transformation begins to gain traction in the market for business technology, file sharing continues to lead many to a more efficient work path, starting with file sharing through iCloud and Google cloud, followed by the Dropbox adoption, and now into Slack’s interface, using drag and drop mechanics, with little permissions around sharing or asset management.

File sharing services are very common these days, and it’s easy to see why. These online services provide an easy way to store files in the cloud, where you can readily access and share them from a variety of devices. Many of these services are free of charge, too, up to a point.

For personal files, these solutions do a great job, since they are free! If you’re only sharing personal files, such as vacation pictures or non-sensitive personal communications, security is NOT a paramount concern. But beware of using consumer-grade solutions for your business.

These personal file-sharing services are a prime target for hackers, and you owe it to your business and all your business contacts to protect the data you’re storing and sharing.

For businesses that want to use the convenience of file sharing apps, it is wise to make sure the solution you choose has business-level capabilities such as:

  1. Encrypted data: keeping data safe, during editing, in-transit, and at rest.
  2. Controls: not every user’s needs are the same, and not every user’s privileges should be the same.
  3. Customization: it should appear to the people with whom you’re sharing information that the program you’re using is a part of your company, not a freebie.
  4. No such thing as free: at some point, your organization will reach a scale where these solutions can no longer be viable.
    1. (Dropbox & G-Suite are capped capacity, unlike similar 365 variants)

Clare Computer Solutions can help your company get set up for a business-grade file sharing solution, tailored to fit your business needs. Contact us today to get started.