Consider how your enterprise files are accessed, when they are accessed, who has access to them and where access is allowed.
Now consider your enterprise file security.
You need control over every aspect of file access to ensure your data is always secure. Don’t view these elements in isolation; they must be accounted for collectively to achieve 100 percent secure enterprise file sharing within your organization.
Look for a enterprise file sync and share platform that enables centralized administration for managing file access and sharing, making sure your access control suite works from both within and outside of your organization.
Here are three tips for achieving 100 percent secure enterprise file sharing and zero data loss within your organization.
1) Eliminate consumer-grade file sharing solutions: Consumer-grade file services such as Dropbox and Google Drive are frequently used to store and share company files. From an end user standpoint, these services are great because they’re easy to use and make information available on almost any device.
But end users likely don’t realize that Dropbox and Google Drive are not fully secure file sharing platforms, even if they do provide some basic encryption. Such consumer-grade services put your files outside of your control. The best way to encourage users to stop using these services for work is by providing a secure Dropbox alternative that features similar accessibility options and ease-of-use but with greater security controls.
2) Protect data at its source: Data leakage and data loss aren’t always about files falling into the wrong hands. Files are sometimes inadvertently deleted or corrupted, and when the source of the data is secure, it ensures you’re able to recover the data in its original form.
The source is typically a file server, content management server, or the laptop or desktop where the data is created. It’s important to secure and protect the data at its origin, which means source data should always be encrypted to ensure complete file security.
If you want to reduce the number of copies or instances of data in your extended network, keep everything tied to the source data. Start protecting your data as soon as it’s created, encrypt it at the source and keep the data encrypted throughout its lifespan. This cradle-to-grave data protection strategy is invaluable.
3) Secure all data in motion: Picture a pipe full of running water. The water typically flows through the pipe securely, but if the pipe is breached, there’s nothing stopping the water from flowing out and being taken by someone.
Data in motion (i.e. files getting emailed or accessed remotely) is like the water, and the channels through which that data move are like the pipe. You want to protect the content in the pipe regardless of whether the pipe is secure.
When employees are accessing company data via Bluetooth or an open wireless network — for instance, at places like coffee shops, airports and hotels — an encrypted channel alone is not adequate for file security. Data is vulnerable when it’s in motion, so IT teams need to have systems in place to not only secure data in motion, but at the source and destination as well.
This also includes securing copies of data. For example, someone wanting to access a secure file from an airplane needs to make a copy before takeoff if they can’t access your secure servers during the flight. In such cases, you must ensure that the copy of the file — whether it’s accessed via a laptop, tablet, smartphone or some other mobile device — remains as secure as it is when accessed via the secure source.
It’s not realistic to stop users from creating copies of files. But with a sophisticated enterprise file sync and share system, you have the power to secure all copies, even if they’re not hardwired to the source.
In today’s business world, it’s imperative to have an end-to-end enterprise file security system to ensure your data is protected. Such a system rolls all the aforementioned points into one: A seamless, non-disruptive and secure Dropbox alternative that encrypts data at the source, at the endpoint and everywhere in between.
File security and job security are inextricable in today’s IT landscape. To protect your company data and enhance the strength of your information security strategy, you must acknowledge that secure enterprise file sharing is all about access. If you’re able to control who has access to what, wherever they’re located and no matter which device they’re using, you’ll safeguard your company’s data — and your job.
