File sharing is important to operating a business, both for collaboration and dealing with clients. But did you know that file sharing can come with risks? Any time employees use technology to share files between devices, security risks are introduced such as malware infection, hacking, and loss or exposure of sensitive information.
Here is just a sample of the most common ways we share files and the risks that come with them.
Email is an easy and user-friendly way to communicate, and many of us commonly share files this way. However, did you know email is one of the least secure ways to share information? First, it is easy to mistakenly send an email to the wrong person, or have an email lost in a spam folder. Emails also reside in different places – not only on your devices, but the network where your email is hosted, and the email service provider’s server where they physically store your email. If any of these locations are hacked your stored emails and attachments can be easily accessed.
Social Media
Social media is an important tool for engaging with customers, but a risky choice for file and information sharing. Social media accounts are frequently hacked, putting any data that’s shared at risk. Make sure your organization has a clear social media policy, outlining how employees can use it safely for business purposes.
Personal Devices
In today’s world, with remote work gaining popularity, personal devices such as cellphones, tablets and UBS keys are being used more frequently for work purposes. However, this poses a security risk for your company. If a device is lost, stolen, or used on an unsecured network, your data could be compromised. Additionally, if an employee leaves the company, they may take your data with them.
Personal devices should only be used for business by those employees that truly need them, and their use should be monitored.
File Sharing Software
File sharing software, such as DropBox, Google Drive, and OneDrive are popular options, and for good reason. Designed with both business and personal users in mind, these programs are user-friendly but equipped with strong security features such as encryption and password protection.
Because they’re user friendly, employees are more likely to use them. Employees should be educated on how to take advantage of additional security steps, like password protection, to further protect sensitive data.
File sharing is essential, but it’s imperative to do it safely. Choosing the right method to do so can keep your data secure.
At Atlantic we help businesses just like yours with solutions to share files and data securely. Talk to us about our secure collaboration tools for team communication, our cloud storage for secure file storage and sharing and our stack of data security solutions.
