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Selecting a file sharing solution

- 6 essential questions you should ask

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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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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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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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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?

6 questions to consider…

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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