Top 5 File Sharing Content Collaboration Risks

Organizations of all sizes are reviewing the impact of moving files to the cloud for content collaboration. We put together these 5 risks of cloud based content collaboration.

5 Risks of Cloud-Based Content Collaboration

1) Security

The number one risk facing any Enterprise that decides to put most, if not all their critical digital assets on a third-party cloud provider’s platform is security. ‘The Cloud’ after all is just some other company’s server.

Depending on the line of business or sector you are in, your Enterprise may use a mixture of several platforms for content collaboration among Enterprise users. You may employ a mixture of private, public, and hybrid cloud services for day to day operations. If you run an eCommerce business maybe you rely solely on AWS while managing your own Exchange server. If you are a healthcare conglomerate you may use a mix of cloud providers that are HIPAA compliant as well as critical data hosted on-premise but managed by third party vendors. Some financial firms and legal firms still use Google docs for content collaboration on cases and logging client attorney privileged information. Governments and Educational institutions are still relying on some mixture of on premise main frames with various communications living on cloud-based services and hybrids of networks having to be supported, updated, and maintained for running operations.

What happens when cloud providers are hacked? Whether it’s malware, ransomware, data breaches, or outright data theft, the news is rife with scary headlines about data integrity loss and massive breaches whether it’s voting machines, financial records, personal information like social security numbers and credit cards, or private conversations that have severe repercussions. The DNC, Sony Pictures, Equifax, and the Pentagon are just some of the victims of security breaches and data theft. Worrying about security with cloud computing is not just worrying about identity theft, it’s also a matter of national security.

2) Secure Access

Most often you log in to content collaboration platforms with a username and password. These identifying factors are stored in the cloud computing service you are using and paying for on a monthly or annual basis. Some providers give you the option of two factor authentication and it’s highly recommended to employ it for an added layer of security. Setting up a text to your phone with a code to add when logging on is a great way to protect your login information.

But what happens when these third-party cloud providers get hacked? Suddenly your user data and passwords are not controlled by you anymore and depending on the time it takes for disaster recovery or prevention and data loss mitigation, you are no longer compliant and you no longer have access to your most critical personal information. Not being able to see your bank balance is one thing but also not being able to see your medical test results or purchase history is at best totally annoying and at worst, completely debilitating.

We have grown accustomed to even the most trusted partners sending an ominous message requesting you change your password immediately and we have learned the hard way to not trust that initial message as it may have come from a nefarious source. As we have seen repeatedly, password change requests are often phishing from bad actors. Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) are added layers of what any IT Department must consider and factor in when maintaining and mitigating security risks. The CEO wants to access files from their phones from any remote location and the CRM wants to be able to update customer accounts on the fly so there is no such thing as just a single point of failure across a network anymore.

3) Data Ownership and Control

Once you upload your data to the cloud, you are essentially giving up control and ownership of your data and critical files. For any kind of real content collaboration you depend on your files always being there and always being accessible. You usually have to sync your files before you can share.

Enterprise File Sync and Share platforms are made to house your company assets–whether you are a graphic design firm having to share images with clients, or whether you are a company that relies on Google Drive as some of kind of data room to house passwords, share reporting across multiple stakeholders and locations or edit and collaborate with several different types of files whether it be Profit and Loss files, Excel spreadsheets or project management assets. All these files may be yours or a mixture of yours and your various clients but at the end of the day you are not in control of these files and assets. They are housed elsewhere and relying on VPN or remote access logins and licenses that are complicated in scope and cumbersome in any kind of recovery.

4) Migration

Data migration to the cloud is a huge project for most Enterprises. First, decisions have to be made around what will be migrated and synced and shared to the cloud. Folders and files have to be cleaned up, backed up, and servers that need to be decommissioned because they are too full, too old, or too vulnerable for whatever reason need to have their housed data live somewhere before they are sent to the hardware graveyard.

An entire Enterprise has to be restructured, analyzed, and strategized around best practices moving forward. How will files be organized and what departments will have access to what data ongoing are only part of what needs to be folded in as CTOs and CISOs draw up migration steps. FNRA, HIPAA, and GDPR are only some of the regulations and compliance rules that dictate how data must be treated and shared in this modern digital age. There may be a public server being utilized in any size Enterprise that allows departments and offices across geo locations and time zones to be able to access files and update them and share information, but who decides what stays and what goes and how public that public server will remain?

Most companies need to stay agile to maintain growth and productivity and efficiencies can be lost during migration periods as files go missing or access is denied or remote VPNs no longer are happening the same way. If a user base is not totally tech savvy then learning curves and new ways of conducting business have to be factored in as data migration projects kick off.

5) Cost of Ownership

Risk #4 reminds us that migrating to the cloud can be just as costly and cumbersome as relying on the cloud for normal operations. Most cloud service providers for content collaboration average about $20/license per month–and that’s an average.

There are also added costs of support sometimes and premium services charged depending on the sector and needs of the business ongoing. VPN maintenance ongoing for most Enterprises comprised of 500 to 1000 users cost on average around $288,000 per year.

Enterprises need to keep costs down as competition and innovation rule the game and company growth is paramount. If you have to add yet another expense line item that includes IT budgets then productivity is compromised as any Enterprise may rely on several cloud providers for normal operations depending on where accounting, reporting, customer service, critical files, and more are housed. Access to all and communication between them is silo-ed and mutually exclusive depending on the nature of your business and how fast you have been growing.

Reduce Risks with MyWorkDrive

MyWorkDrive is the answer to all these risks. Security, secure remote access, migration, cost of ownership, and data control and ownership are all mitigated and risks diminished whether you maintain a private, public, or hybrid solution to content collaboration and cloud computing. With MyWorkDrive:

• No migration is needed
• Each license costs less
• Secure access is guaranteed with reliable NTFS permissions and no single point of failure
• No need to sync in order to share: users can access data rooms from their mobile phones and edit instantly online.

MyWorkDrive also offers Duo authentication and has been certified as a trusted partner with various vendors including Azure and Office365.

Stay agile and stay secure and keep your cost centers down as you seek to make your Enterprise stay competitive, relevant, and productive in this digital transformation age.

If your organization is a government regulated Enterprise or involved in Healthcare administration or a financial institution, then all the more reason to check out MyWorkDrive. No more VPN headaches and ongoing maintenance and renewals. No more complicated remote logins or confusing approved access.

MyWorkDrive is easy to install, easy to login, and easy to start working immediately. No more headaches around what to do with what file and what stays and what gets erased. MyWorkDrive is a secure way to remote access your most important files and edit and collaborate online instantly with whoever you give permission to. Using a secure browser login, a mapped drive from a network desktop, or a mobile login on an iPhone or Android keeps you connected, collaborating, and productive without massive costs, security risks, or migration worries as all data stays on your own servers under your control.