As the world struggles to keep a lid on the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the travel restrictions in place are causing havoc with many organisations having to rethink their operations completely. The increased risks of quarantining associated with travelling to certain areas has led to more and more businesses turning to videoconferencing, file sync and share & other remote working solutions to keep their businesses on track. In China, where the virus was believed to have originated and where remote working is typically unheard of, remote collaboration tools such as Teams have seen a rapid increase in downloads.
There are a number of ways that remote working can benefit businesses as a whole such as encouraging greater collaboration and knowledge sharing. These are some of the reasons why remote working adoption has grown significantly over the course of the last few years. The figures back this up with the global enterprise file synchronisation and sharing (EFSS) market expected to increase in value to $24.4 billion by 2027 up on $3.4 billion in 2018.
Yet this can all be in vain as the wrong solution can put organisations at risk if they don’t address data security and privacy. To stop this from happening, businesses need to look to implement secure file sync and share technologies so that employees are able to work remotely and at the same time able to access and transfer data easily in a way that is both secure and safe.
So just what is file sync and share?
File sync and share technology is specifically created with the modern professional landscape in mind, a landscape where employees need to have access to multiple devices and location flexibility to enable them to maximise productivity. File sync and share allows organisations the power to share files across a variety of devices with different people using file synchronisation – enabling files to be archived in any approved data repository and accessed remotely by employees who are using any of their IT provisioned devices.
Remote working can increase security risks
For a number of years, remote working policies have been an edgy topic for many businesses. Some employers might be concerned that remote working reduces the performance of an employee, however the main concern is more around securing the proprietary and business-critical data that most businesses heavily rely on.
Through a corporate network, IT teams are able to easily secure employee devices, however this can cause more issues once an employee accesses the system from outside the network.
At this point, devices are more vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals or hackers. By attacking these unsecured endpoints, it can help to reveal the employee’s login credentials to cybercriminals so they are able to gain access to the company’s system or worse still use ransomware to lock the company out of their data!
So what are the benefits of secure file sync and share?
Solutions that are created to deliver secure file sync and share allow organisations the flexibility to allow employee collaboration and productivity whilst at the same time providing the IT department with control over the protection of company data. Here are just some benefits that can be provided by secure file sync and share technology to protect and empower businesses:
Easily accessible anywhere, at anytime
Organisations are seeing the traditional workday even less nowadays and therefore have adopted a working environment that is flexible and supports the various schedules and lifestyles of their workforce. With secure file-sync and share, employees are no longer limited to just one corporate-owned device to be productive.
Highly Secure File Sharing
It goes without saying that when a file sync and share solution isn’t provided, employees will just simply use their own personal laptop or device. The problem with this is the fact that these tools and devices exist outside of the control of IT departments, which means they aren’t secure and can put potentially sensitive company data at risk. However, with secure file sync and share, employees are able to easily share and access company files and at the same time IT can maintain the privacy and security of the data.
Preventing Data Loss and Disaster Recovery
When corporate data is stored in one highly secure and central location it is better protected against data leakage. This includes data that was lost in a cyberattack, employee error or a stolen/lost device. With a highly effective file sync and share solution, sensitive corporate data is secure and protected.
Simpler to collaborate
File sync and share services are being adapted to not only keep company data secure but to also help increase the levels of remote working collaboration. Furthermore, some file sync and share tools now equip users with tools that allow them to preview and edit files in-browser, search and find specific company documents and versions & allow all employees to be on the same version of a document.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has paved the way for having a more secure remote work policy in place, the use of secure collaborative tools should be understood as part of a larger cultural shift. With more and more businesses adopting remote work policies, the IT teams and Managed Services Providers such as Advantage that serve these companies should look to implement secure file sync and share solutions. For more information on Advantage’s file sync and share solutions, simply fill in our online contact form.
Furthermore, to enable more organisations to look to implement remote work policies in a safe and secure way, we can offer businesses our Advantage Cyber Files Cloud which is a secure enterprise file sync and share solution that features end-to-end encryption, user controls as well as an audit trail. To learn more about this solution, please get in touch with our team of IT experts today.
Similarly, if your business doesn’t rely on a managed service provider, you can always take advantage of Advantage’s Cyber Files Advanced solution which is an easy, complete and secure file sharing solution that enables users to be more productive and provides IT with complete control over business content to ensure security & maintain compliance. If you are interested in finding out more about this solution then simply get in touch via our online contact form or by calling 020 3004 4600.
