Consumer sync and share solutions have, for the most part, made our lives easier by giving us access to our files from any device, at any time, from any location. If you have a smartphone, chances are you have Dropbox or something like it at your fingertips right now. Based on this reality, one could say the consumer file sync and share problem has been solved.
Interestingly, this same problem has not yet been solved in the Enterprise.
Apparently we’re not the only ones who think so. Have you read Josh Topal’s article 6 Reasons Why Dropbox Isn’t Secure Enough for Business?
Topal writes:
“According to Osterman Research, Dropbox has found its way into 70% of companies. And this is a problem. Because, when it comes to business, Dropbox’s consumer roots show through. It’s not right for business. In fact, Dropbox ended up on Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s list of top banned apps because there are many file management use-cases for which Dropbox will actually leave you vulnerable.”
He writes that the six reasons are:
- IT has no control or visibility
- Users can’t set granular permissions,
- Data encryption is limited,
- You can’t set different sharing permissions for sub-folders
- You can’t share password-protected web links
- You can’t lock files for collaborative editing
This could be the reason Dropbox is at the top of the enterprise banned apps list. Don’t let your company become a victim of the Dropbox problem.
Businesses need Enterprise-class File Sync and Share, which, of course, has to do 3 things well:
- On site – or wherever you choose – entirely within your control, managed and operated by you
- Integrated – with your existing infrastructure and tools – from existing storage and document management systems to authentication, logging and monitoring
- Extensible – to meet demands that are unique to an enterprise, industry, use case, or customer base
An enterprise grade solution must meet these criteria, and still provide end users a simple, easy to use solution that delivers the right files at the right time to employees, so they can be more productive and get their jobs done.
Shameless pitch: ownCloud Enterprise Edition is installed on premises or wherever you choose, integrated with tools most companies already have to track, secure, identify and back up data — seamlessly becoming part of your IT infrastructure. And ownCloud allows IT managers to gain control of the regulated and critical data by deciding where to store the data – on premises for the most sensitive data (or data subject to regulatory restrictions) or the cloud.
