Today, companies find many of their employees using consumer-grade secure file-sharing tools or apps to share files. While these tools are easy to use, they fail to provide enterprise-level security and control for company data. As a result, corporate data is shared in the cloud in a way that the company can no longer track and control. Company data is replicated and residing in various places, getting exposed to security vulnerabilities.
Some companies also attempt to block the usage of consumer-grade online sharing tools. This represents an opportunity cost in terms of loss in productivity. Secure file-sharing for businesss allows companies to strike a balance between enterprise security and user-friendliness. It allows companies to determine who has access, for how long, and what kind of data can be shared.
What is Secure File Sharing For Business?
Secure corporate file-sharing sometimes referred to as protected file sharing, is a protected method of file transferring between users or organizations. Whether a business user is sharing a single business file or a group of files, secure file sharing for business ensures sync, encryption and restricted authorization to help ensure security and privacy.
This provides organizations with a safe way to share sensitive corporate files with users inside and outside the corporate network. File sharing works for every file type that a business easily shares internally or with customers, which include:
- Legal information
- Financial data
- HR or personnel information
- Classified projects
Securing online file sharing for businesses protects files from unauthorized access, bad actors, ransomware, viruses, and online threats.
Why is Secure File Sharing Important?
As modern enterprises increasingly rely on secure cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox to scale operations and constantly work to support a decentralized collaboration environment, protected file sharing for business has become a mandate. The lack of secure file sharing for business increases the risk of shadow IT—employees using consumer-grade file-sharing platforms or file-sharing solutions, applications, or services for file sharing without explicit IT department approval.
Using unapproved apps for work-related tasks is a significant cybersecurity risk. Secure file-sharing storage and collaboration reduce the liabilities of information misuse or theft. It provides employees with a secure file exchange with the ability to access files from anywhere and at any time.
What are the Security Risks of Sharing Files?
Ignoring file-sharing security can introduce risks of malware infection, hacking, and loss or exposure of sensitive business information. Some risks of sharing files include:
1. Loose BYOD policies
Many organizations that have established BYOD policies allow employees to carry their personal devices to access the corporate network. However, many BYOD policies—mainly due to the lack of mobile device management tools—aren’t enforced properly, leading to numerous security issues for IT teams. BYOD policies tend to save costs by preventing the added cost of purchasing new devices, but they also pose a security risk when devices are compromised.
2. Lack of control and access to data
Companies don’t have any control over the data when employees use a file-sharing app of their choice. When employees use unauthorized consumer tools to share company information with external stakeholders, they take corporate information out of the IT department’s control. IT has limited visibility and cannot adequately track documents entering and leaving the company. This lack of transparency can directly impact compliance and raise the risk of fines, penalties, and overall credibility.
What are the Benefits of Secure File Sharing?
1. Collaboration among fragmented teams
The abrupt shift to remote work has accelerated the need for secure access to corporate files. Employees no longer need to work from an office location to access files. The right file-sharing platform helps employees to collaborate, whether they are working from the office, home, or an off-site location. Employees can access and share files with others and of any type & size from a file storage location using their desktop or mobile devices.
Extra tip: Using a specialized tool to edit PDF files is a great way to simplify file sharing and reduce formatting errors and misunderstandings between team members working remotely.
2. Robust security
If organizations don’t provide a convenient file-sharing mechanism for their employees, they may start implementing unauthorized file-sharing tools. These IT shadow applications can leak data and consume excessive bandwidth. Secure file-sharing solutions for businesses is designed to strike a balance between the user-friendliness of consumer apps and the robust security capabilities of enterprise-grade apps. The result? File sharing with internal and external stakeholders becomes easy and safe.
3. Data backups and recovery
Secure file-sharing tools perform regular data backups. This ensures that the user has multiple copies or versions of a file that can be easily retrieved or restored in case the original file isn’t available. If organizations use an enterprise-grade and centrally managed file-sharing system, they can protect corporate information from malicious attacks and data breaches.
4. Improved file-sharing capabilities
The larger the file size, the more time it takes to upload and share. Sending large files as attachments using secure email is just one of the many ways that frustrate employees. Secure file sharing can push large files for users to overcome this challenge. Secure file sharing for businesses can push large files for users to overcome this challenge.
11 Best File Sharing Tips for Businesses Using MDM
If you want to securely share files within your small business or enterprises, remember these 10 best business secure file-sharing tips.
- Use a reliable, secure file-sharing service: Choose a reputable file-sharing service that prioritizes security and encryption. Look for features such as end-to-end encryption, data loss prevention, and access controls.
- Encrypt your files: Before sharing any files, encrypt them using robust encryption algorithms. If you add another layer of protection, it will be harder for unauthorized people to access the files, even if they try to intercept them.
- Implement access controls: Set up secure file sharing using access control to determine who can access and modify the shared files. Implement role-based permissions to ensure that only authorized individuals have the necessary privileges, enhancing security and compliance in file management.
- Use strong passwords: Encourage the use of strong, unique passwords for all accounts associated with secure file sharing. Creating complex passwords that include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters is essential for ensuring security.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): We recommend enabling 2FA for all accounts to enhance security. It requires users to provide a second form of verification (such as a code sent to their mobile device) and their password.
- Regularly update and patch software: Keep all secure file sharing software and mobile apps up to date with the latest security patches. It helps protect against known vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
- Educate employees: Train your employees on best practices for secure file sharing for business. Teach them the importance of strong passwords, avoiding suspicious links or attachments, and being cautious about sharing files externally.
- Monitor and audit file sharing activities: Implement monitoring and auditing tools to track file sharing activities. This allows you to identify suspicious or unauthorized file access attempts and take appropriate action.
- Use secure networks: Ensure that you conduct secure file sharing over secure networks, preferably using encrypted connections such as HTTPS or VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to protect data in transit.
- Secure file retention and disposal: Develop policies for secure file retention and disposal. Regularly review and delete files you no longer need, and securely delete any sensitive data that is being discarded.
- Have a data backup strategy: Implement a reliable backup strategy for shared files to prevent data loss. Regularly backup files and test the restoration process to ensure you can recover data if needed.
It’s essential to keep in mind that security is a continuous process. To stay ahead of potential threats, it’s crucial to review and update your cloud-based secure file-sharing practices regularly.
Secure Document Sharing Using Scalefusion’s Mobile Content Management Feature
With Scalefusion MDM, IT administrators can silently share, update, and delete documents without any user intervention. It is a secure business tech to share transaction documents among any number of parties and control who can access them. The content management feature enables enterprises to distribute content to enrolled Android devices.
The secure file-sharing feature is similar to the application management feature. Instead of apps, companies can send any file—video, documents, or presentations to any enrolled Android device and specify the file location.
The cloud file will be downloaded on the designated mobile devices. The file can also be deleted remotely from the Scalefusion dashboard. Thus, organizations can protect your business critical information distributed to the devices if they are lost, stolen, or compromised. All changes, including the deletion of documents, get automatically reflected in near-time on all the devices.
Scalefusion currently supports all types of secure file sharing in the following formats: doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, pdf, avi, mkv, 3gp, mp4, mp3, wav, 3ga, m4a, aac, ogg, amr, and gif.
Wrapping Up
Scalefusion’s mobile content management simplifies secure content distribution. Companies can easily organize content documents in secure folders and seamlessly publish them on a group of devices. IT admins gain true visibility to keep files safe while enhancing employee productivity.
Schedule a live demo with our product experts to explore more about Scalefusion’s Mobile Content Management (MAM) capabilities.
Please visit https://scalefusion.com/book-a-demo
