10 Ways to Ensure Sync-and-Share Works Well for IT, Users

by Chris Preimesberger

For many industries, cloud storage is problematic. There is a trend to keep data in the corporate network rather than to comingle it with others in the cloud, making it easier to back up, as well as more secure and private. Uploads and synchronization are also faster.

This is important for automation of user provisioning, authentication, delivery permissions and role assignment, which most enterprises require. It also allows for compliance with corporate credential policies. Most software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers can’t support this type of directory integration.

Look for FIPS 140-2 certified AES 256-bit encryption, or other rigorous and secure certifications to ensure your data is as secure as possible. Also consider how data on mobile devices is stored and the ability to remotely wipe that data if a device is lost or stolen.

Embrace a solution that provides clear dashboards and comprehensive reporting/tracking of all transactions. The more granular these reports are, the better they are for auditing purposes.

Users should have the flexibility to synchronize any folder in any part of your file system or network drives, eliminating the need to copy or move files from their existing location to your synched folder.

IT needs to perform auditing and forensic analysis. Reporting enables an overall look at how files are delivered, and over time can pinpoint bottlenecks and delays. Inefficiencies that may not have been obvious before are easy to identify when viewing a report of deliveries over a specified period.

Sync-and-sharing solutions should be easy to integrate with other applications and comprehensive enough so developers can create their own custom synchronization and sharing applications.

File-sharing and collaboration is the cornerstone of document collaboration. Three important considerations are architecture, platform and price.

Data is fully under the control of IT, which has the ability to restrict users, devices and IP addresses that can sync.

Systems should be easy to use. For example, all text in the application (including the delivery messages) should be customizable without any need for professional services.