When it comes to cloud storage for business, your security & productivity are paramount.
OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive & other similar cloud providers are affordable (often free) & easy to use, but dig a little deeper and you'll see where they fall down in these two key areas and can cause more harm than good for business users.
OneDrive
|
Security |
- Microsoft scans your files when you upload them - and not just for antivirus reasons - Microsoft changes your files when you upload them - adding their own metadata, which can make some files unusable - Sharing with “Everyone” includes all external users: people outside of your organization who have previously been invited to share documents as guests, either by you or by others in your organization |
| File Size Limitations |
- File size can be no bigger than 2GB |
|
Limited |
- You can’t share a file if it’s open in an application - you have to close it first - Sharing a file with an external party creates a ghost account in Microsoft - You cannot share entire folders of files, only individual files - The Android application has no sync functionality – you can only |
Dropbox
|
Security |
- Where is your data? How is it transferred? Amazon S3 - Servers in the US? Concern over privacy laws - Data integrity - De-duplication occurs to store less data - Data encryption not unique to a file. The same key is reused - No secure public links (password protection, expiration) - No PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance |
|---|---|
| Limited Mobility |
- No mark up and annotation of any file types - No editing of Office files on mobile devices via secure integrated app - No Mobile Device Management policies for assessing, creating, editing content |
| Limited Collaboration |
- No integrated commenting (projects, folders, files) - No alternate modes of notifications such as SMS - No mechanism to lock files while working on them |
| Limited Support |
- Limited access to support services. You are required to complete an online form for support |
Google Drive
| Security Concerns |
- Google has access & ownership rights to all content stored on their systems - Google scans the contents of your documents when you upload them - You can’t restrict file storage to the data centre of your choice - No password protection for their app on tablets and smart phones |
|---|---|
| File Syncronisation |
- Downloading your file to a mobile device stops it from being updated, even if changes are made after the download. Files can get out of sync even if you make changes to them - No file locking or check in/out features - Version control is the responsibility of users - it was recently dropped from their version release |
| Expirations |
- No time expiration for shared file links or users - you have to manually delete |
If you're considering cloud storage for your business, or concerned about your existing solution, we can help find a good match for your business that's scalable, will keep your data secure & improve the productivity of your team. Call us on 02 4254 5444 or email us. We'd be happy to help.
