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Backup and data protection specialist Intronis announced the release of ECHOshare, file sync and share technology for channel partners to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) securely access and collaborate on files of any type or size.
The platform integrates with the company’s ECHOplatform data protection platform for centralized account management and billing, and can be added to the existing Intronis service or sold separately.
Key features include centralized management and billing, which provides visibility and oversight of client data, users and devices. Account billing is managed from within the same portal as the data backup business.
The platform complies with a variety of industry and government regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16 (SSAE 16) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), while remote wipe capabilities protect client data when a mobile device is lost or an employee leaves the company, and two-factor authentication ensures appropriate access.
“Though news headlines as of late are filled with cyber-attacks and data leaks, many small business owners are under the false impression that these have nothing to do with them. But in the increasingly mobile workforce of today, this is a common misconception,” Chuck DeLouis, vice president of product management at Intronis, told eWEEK. “Small businesses are just as susceptible, if not more, to data leaks as large corporations. Small businesses owners, especially those employing mobile and BYOD [bring-your-own-device] policies, should take the steps necessary to provide more secure and controlled ways to effectively share files and collaborate. Employing a secure file sharing solution like ours can ensure that small businesses are working within a highly secure and compliant environment.”
In addition, mobile support allows users to access and sync files on multiple mobile devices, including the Apple iPad and iPhone, and Android smartphones and tablets.
Users can manage, organize and share files as well as control access and permission on all projects, folders and files, and they can also access files from their devices or remote offices.
Version control lets users know exactly when and by whom a document has been edited, and the platform provides a mechanism to send large files within teams, or with a public link to non-users.
“With the increased growth of mobile usage and BYOD policies in small businesses, employees are beginning to use their own mobile devices for both personal and corporate data,” DeLouis said. “It has never been easier for employees to access and share—accidentally or intentionally—company-specific and sometimes sensitive data. You can imagine if a file is stored on a worker’s device and they leave the company, they may be able to have continued access to that file without tools like ECHOshare in place.”
A report from IT analytics firm IDC indicated the file synchronization and sharing market is rapidly expanding and will grow by about 23.1 percent year over year through 2018 to roughly $2.3 billion.
The report said this healthy growth rate will mainly be driven by the shift to the cloud, mobile use of file sync and share, and the ability to share and collaborate with others effectively.