Dropbox and similar just not suited to business use

Customers should be directed away from the easier options when it comes to file sharing and mobile storage, hints Russell Crawford

More organisations are using cloud services, and analysts are predicting further growth. This rise in cloud services is due to the increased use of smartphones and tablets.

These devices usually only have a limited storage capacity, but are often used virtually as laptop replacements on the go, so many mobile users like to store their data in the cloud for convenient access.

In the cloud, documents can be accessed in a few clicks, and quickly shared.

But many companies are still undecided about cloud. The biggest obstacle is the concern over data security. Often, though, employees are already storing data in the cloud unnoticed.

Many providers promise easy set-up and access from anywhere. Confidential information is being moved to self-provisioned cloud services and out of company control faster than ever.

Either ignore this behaviour, and allow your customer's employees to continue in an unmonitored and insecure environment, or introduce a more secure solution.

Some have called for a Dropbox for the enterprise type offering. However, the services most frequently used by employees were designed for consumers who might need less storage.

There is a need to benchmark the way users work with data volumes in the terabyte range. The upload and download speed, for example, must offer fast, convenient access to files even with larger data volumes.

The core of any cloud storage for use by a team of people is convenient file sharing that can help them collaborate – enabling them to exchange filed documents quickly and easily. Shared file access for corporate users must offer more than the conventional bi-directional synchronisation path provided by many applications.

Individual user needs may clash with those of the entire team. With bi-directional synchronisation, files can be accidentally overwritten.

Sometimes parallel document access can also result in errors. The entirety of the data can be compromised. Bi-directional synchronisation can also mean a push message overload, as users are informed about every single change whether relevant to their roles or not. Furthermore, there is the need to continuously reload and update folders, which can be time-consuming and put pressure on limited bandwidth.

A separate sync directory is not sufficient for efficient workflows. Employees tend to want to work with the files they need then and there, accessing current information, so continuous synchronisation of all users and devices is not feasible in my opinion.

I favour uni-directional synchronisation, where changes are not automatically reflected on the corporate server. Here, the user can determine which directories are saved on the server and shared with colleagues.

If documents are altered, the user must be offered a way to save the file under a different name on the corporate server, without overwriting the original document.

Security requirements must also be mastered.

If the encryption key is generated and stored by the provider, the security of the uploaded documents could be better, and none of the secure standard protocols are used during transmission. Group-oriented encryption is needed.

It may not be apparent which files are shared and with who. Documents may be found via a search engine, without the organisation becoming aware of the leak.

This problem can be saved with an onsite offering installed directly on the corporate network, without using external cloud providers, creating a more secure solution. Existing Active Directory rights can offer a dynamic way to avoid having to maintain two separate systems.

Online storage is of course useful for mobile workers, whether their device is their own or their employer's. There are many cloud services that have been designed specifically for companies.

A comparison of file sharing providers will reveal significant differences, both in relation to the functions offered and with regard to security standards.

While Dropbox and the like have done a great job for consumer file sharing, they lack the on-premise, secure and fully integrated features that enterprises want, and which are imperative for corporate success.

Russell Crawford is a regional director at Cortado