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Mobile file sharing and collaboration solutions specialist Accellion announced the launch of kiteworks content connectors for Google Drive for Work and Microsoft OneDrive for Business, enabling universal, secure access to enterprise content, whether stored inside or outside the corporate firewall.
The complete list of kiteworks content connectors includes Microsoft SharePoint 2007, 2010, 2013, SharePoint Online, Windows File Shares and Distributed File Systems, Documentum, OpenText, and now Drive for Work and OneDrive for Business.
The cloud connectors extend access to enterprise content stored in GoogleDrive and Microsoft OneDrive, all from within kiteworks’ secure mobile container, while IT has full control and visibility into data activity.
“Emerging businesses often rely on nimble and efficient operations to grow and beat out larger competition,” Hormazd Romer, senior director of product marketing at Accellion, told eWEEK. “Therefore, mobile file sharing and productivity is paramount to the survival of any new or growing company.”
Romer said businesses should first and foremost consider security and ease of use, when planning to implement a mobile file sharing platform, as the two can complement each other, but often vendors don’t provide both options to purchasers.
“Employees want a solution that is effective and efficient, while IT needs to maintain a level of security that protects organizational data,” he said. “IT managers that deploy a mobile file sharing service that has both elements will be the hero of their company by ensuring employees are working fast and sensitive content is always protected.”
The cloud content connectors provide ubiquitous access to content stored in enterprise content management systems and cloud storage, allowing users to view all content through a single interface, regardless of whether the content is stored in a cloud service such as Drive and OneDrive, or on-premise in an enterprise content management system such as SharePoint.
In addition, users have secure mobile access to cloud content sources with fully-containerized, round trip editing of Microsoft Office and PDF files, as well as secure mobile sharing and collaboration of files stored in cloud and on-premise solutions, while maintaining “document of record” in the source system without content duplication.
Romer also noted the rise of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives enables a more mobile workforce, but also opens the door for foreign attacks and new vulnerabilities in corporate networks.
“From a productivity standpoint, it’s a lifesaver,” he said. “Employees can work on the go and collaborate on projects regardless of time or location. However, it can create security nightmares for IT, if the right tools aren’t in place. Consumer devices often fall short on security, so organizations need to implement proper—by which I mean secure–collaboration software, in order to decrease the data leak and breach risk that can come with BYOD.”
Accellion’s platform also provides IT departments with control and visibility of enterprise content sharing for compliance with government and industry regulations such as HIPAA, as well as full audit and reporting capabilities for all content stored and shared via cloud content repositories, including granular logging of user login, sharing and file/folder activities.