The 5 Risks of Using Consumer Grade File Sharing

One of the most common misconceptions that businesses have in terms of file sharing is the idea that all services are created equally. In fact, there are two main categories that most providers fall into: consumer grade and business grade solutions.While consumer grade solutions may be great for sharing photos with family members or storing your music collection indefinitely, they are not adequate for the demands of the fast-paced business world for a wide range of different reasons.

You Don’t Have Control Over Where Your Data is Stored

One of the most pressing risks of consumer grade file sharing is the simple fact that you really have no control over where your data is stored. This is particularly true in terms of public cloud based solutions, where your mission-critical business data could essentially be anywhere on the planet at any time. In terms of data privacy, this is a nightmare – different countries have different rules regarding who can access data, how data facilities must be secured and monitored. Business grade options like Sharetru, however, relieve these concerns by always being transparent about where your data is housed and how it is both physically and digitally protected while it is under their care.

They Lack Advanced Security Features

Another one of the most important risks of consumer grade file sharing is that these providers often lack the advanced security features necessary to truly protect your data in the digital age.

With a service like Dropbox, for example, you can’t expect to be able to control every last detail of a user account’s permissions down to the directory like you can with a service like Sharetru. Sharetru in particular lets you set permissions based on a person’s exact role within an organization, something that is essentially non-existent in many consumer grade options. 

User Error is All Too Common

An unfortunate fact of the matter is that mistakes can and will happen. One of the dangers of consumer grade file sharing options is that there is little in place to actually help mitigate these risks as much as possible. If one of your employees accidentally emails a Dropbox link to the wrong person, that person essentially has unrestricted access to all of the files within the associated directory. It’s not Dropbox’s fault a mistake was made, but still – there is nothing in place to help manage this risk. With Sharetru, however, even something like user error is mitigated thanks to the wide range of permissions, control options and other security features on display.

They’re Not Built With Compliance in Mind

Something many people don’t realize is that many consumer grade file sharing options are not built with regulatory compliance in mind. Using a service like Sync could automatically put you in violation of things like HIPAA, PCI, GLBA, ITAR and more. With a business grade option that was designed from the ground up with compliance as a goal, this is one concern you don’t have to worry about any longer.

They Can Go Out of Business

Finally, one of the most pressing issues of consumer grade file sharing options is the simple fact that they can often suddenly go out of business, taking all of your data with it before you even realize that something is happening. While you don’t necessarily have to worry about something like Dropbox suddenly vanishing, if your cloud provider goes out of business, you lose access to everything you were storing with them.

These are just a few of the many reasons why consumer grade file sharing services have no place in the world of business. For the best results, always use a business grade option that gives you the tools you need to stay protected moving forward.