Today’s quickly evolving cloud environment pushes employees to store sensitive information in a variety of public cloud file-sync-and-share solutions such as Box, iCloud, Google Drive and DropBox. This evolution of private and public file-sync-and-share solutions creates an environment where an organization’s security and compliance goals are at risk.
According to research conducted by DCIG, organizations faced with those risks intend to mitigate them by deploying private cloud file-sync-and-share. The solution enables them to support the needs of their users while extending control of their organization data to ECM solutions such as Microsoft SharePoint and Autonomy iMange.
Figure 1: Give users what they want
Accellion products support public, private and hybrid cloud deployment options for variety of user devices such as legacy desktops, laptops, iPhones, iPads, Androids, and BlackBerrys. A majority of Accellion customers choose the private cloud option because they require single point enterprise control of their data. But, file-sync-and-share customers must include access to their ECM solutions from their deployed solution, e.g. Accellion.
Accellion’s supports four types of enterprise content and file storage integration options:
• Accellion Outlook Plug-in
• Accellion Office Communicator Plug-in
• Accellion SharePoint Plug-in
• Accellion iManage Plug-in
Integrating file-sync-and-share with Microsoft Outlook offers key benefits to end users who send and receive. One such benefit is to send large files. A large file for email is something bigger than 2MB to around 2GB. End users aren’t required to first upload a file and then share. Integrating upload and share into a plug-in saves time and mitigates data leakage.
Because users are storing the documents in Accellion private cloud file-sync-and-share, administrators can control the corporate data. For example, an administrator or administrative process can remove access to files shared by a departing employee, mitigating data leakage.
Figure 2: Give IT what they need
User simplicity and administrative control are extended to Microsoft Office Communicator as well. Communicator is an enterprise instant messaging system where end users will share files during an instant messaging conversation. Accellion Office Communicator plug-in ensures capture of those shared files, mitigating data leakage.
Accellion extends data leakage protection beyond messaging. Accellion plug-ins for iManage and SharePoint ensure users securely send files from the repository to outside partners, customers, etc. For example, Microsoft SharePoint users can select any size file in their SharePoint Document Library. And then the file can be shared with external recipients using private file-sync-and-share.
Files shared externally are made available via the secure perimeter zone deployment of Accellion’s private cloud file-sync-and-share. As a complement to the perimeter zone, Accellion address administrator requirements by providing greater control over the data. For example, File Tracking and Reporting ensures IT know which users shared data from within a corporation, providing a verified log for legal or other investigatory purposes.
Sharing files directly from content management systems is a major achievement. Most ECM products are late to the file-sync-and-share market segment. Using Accellion plug-ins ensures end users can access the same files on any mobile device with Accellion applications, not just their email, phone or laptop. Accellion is leading in the file-sync-and-share market segment, because they are addressing end user and administrative requirements – accessibility via mobile devices and controlling data leakage.
DCIG expects Accellion to build on their current success by offering more sophisticated and integrated products for the enterprise and content management as it relates to file-sync-and-share.