1. Selecting a file sharing solution
- 6 essential questions you should ask
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2. Introduction
• File sharing supports:
- collaborative work
- reduces business development cycles
- reduces your carbon footprint
• There has probably never been a greater choice of sharing
solutions available than there are today
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3. Introduction
BUT not all solutions are made equal and before you
rush into choosing your own solution,
there are 6 key questions to consider.
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4. Benefits of file sharing
With any basic file sharing you benefits from:
• One central location to store and find documents and files
• Up to date documents and files available at all times
• The possibility to share large files
• An end to the insecurity and limitations of email
• Eliminates awkward systems like FTP
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5. 6 questions to consider…
1. Is the server secure?
2. Is the server located in a safe geographical location (with respect to
local information regulation)
3. Will it support your workflow or will your workflow need to adapt?
4. Does the system allow true collaborative working or simply
sharing?
5. Is the application easy and intuitive to use? Will you need training?
6. What control do you have on the file sharing activity?
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6. 1. Is the server secure?
• Reliability and security have to be high on your list of ‘no compromise’
features. Point to point (that is server to device) SSL encryption AND
server encryption are basic, yet must have, features if you are
exchanging non critical files.
• When selecting the provider, choose one that has the ability to upgrade
to higher levels of security such as “double factor encryption”, up to
military level if that is what you require. There will be an additional cost
to that but at least you have the choice and you are in position to
balance the options and make the decision.
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7. 1. Is the server secure?
• In any case, you should always be looking for ISO 27001 accreditation,
which formally specifies management rules to control information
security, as well as multi-layer encryption capabilities and backup
services.
• On a side note, it is very unlikely a free solution will offer much of that.
A solution provided by a reputable company that charges for its services
is far more likely to be a solid solution that is answerable to its users. It
will have round the clock IT support in place, with a clear Service Level
Agreement (SLA), and it will be robust.
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8. 2. Geographical location
•
Is the server located in a “safe” geographical location (with respect to data
protection regulation)?
•
When sharing documents with your clients, you need complete transparency on
the “physical” storage location of your files. Are they in the UK? France? US?
Asia? Each country has its own regulation for data protection. In the US, the
Patriot Act allows the government to access any data if it is considered
sensitive. Could that be an issue for you?
•
If you deal with confidential or sensitive content, seeking local legal advice is a
must do. When selecting your file sharing provider, always ask to know exactly
where files will be "physically" located and under which local legal regulation
the infrastructure operates.
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9. 3. Will it support your workflow
• A new system that imposes a brand new workflow or additional
constraints on personnel may well find itself generally unadopted or
resented. If however it is intuitive, simple and can be easily used,
personnel will gladly and proactively begin using it.
• For example, you may want to check that the solution is able to
connect to your DMS (Document Management System) and where
possible to content production devices such as scanners and printers.
And while no solution can answer every possible need, there should be
the promise of more additions and upgrades to come in the near future
as well the possibility of a degree of in house customisability
•
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10. 3. Will it support your workflow
• And will the solution work with iPads and other mobile devices?
Laptops are all very well, but today’s workers want to be carrying less
and less while doing more and more. And if it is iPad ready is it a
solution so smart that the iPads themselves can be remotely blocked or
even erased should the need arise?
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11. 4. Does the system allow true collaborative working?
• There is a huge gap between a solution that only allows you to send a
file to another person, and a solution that actually allows comments,
discussions, and mark up on documents.
• A true professional and value added solution should allow inviting
another person, a colleague or a client, to access a single document or
folder, creating notes, opening discussions and creating a workgroup
relating to these documents or shared folders. Notifications should be
sent after each modification or update, thus improving workflow,
interaction, reactivity and project progress.
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12. 5. Is the application easy and intuitive to use?
• Solutions that require more than a couple of hours of training for the
end-users would simply not be used. And this training should focus on
what the system can or cannot do, not on the actual utilisation. Keep in
mind that, from the user point of view, a file sharing solution is actually
a (relatively) small tool, a mean to improve existing process, as opposed
to an objective, a critical part of your business. Treat it like this and do
not spend too much time on it. When going through the selection
process, evaluate the Graphical User Interface (GUI) with this in mind.
It should be clear, intuitive, simple, as that will be vital for take up, use
and enterprise-wide adoption.
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13. 6. What control do you have on the file sharing activity?
• Monitoring access to files (both in terms of frequency and by person) is
useful when managing the document workflow or implementing a
corporate policy.
• Additionally, unlike e-mail and FTP systems, a third party sharing
solution should enable the sender and system administrators to
manage the files after they are sent. The administrator should be able
to set rules, such as making the content available for a limited period of
time only, be able to erase files from iPads remotely and monitor file
activity closely and with clear reporting. Such options add another
security layer to your workflow and make data breaches less likely.
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14. Conclusion
If you are sharing more than your holiday photos, the recommendation is
to look for a file sharing solution squarely aimed at professionals, one
that offers a secured Cloud or, if preferred, an on premise option. One that
was designed with the safety and security of documents as a high priority
right from the very first line of code that created it. One that will fit your
objectives and will really add value to your processes.
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15. Nikec Docstore is an application designed for professionals which allows storing any type
of file, accessing them remotely from a computer or an iPad and sharing them with
authorised colleagues or clients. By combining ease of use and the level of security
required in the exchange of working and sensitive documents Nikec Docstore is ideal for
mobile professionals and collaborative work. Plus the application is available on premise
or in cloud (SAAS), so you always keep full control of your documents. For more
information, please visit: www.docstorepro.com -
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16. Contact
For more information please visit www.nikecsolutions.com
Address:
52-54 Gracechurch Street,
London, EC3V 0EH
Contact numbers:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7621 2350
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7621 2360
Email:
info@nikecsolutions.com
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