Where Many “Enterprise-Grade” File Sync Solutions Fall Short

Companies like Dropbox, which have already penetrated the consumer market, are now looking to leverage their brand recognition in corporate environments, while others such as Box have planted themselves firmly in the enterprise and business markets. Unfortunately, important features such as remote wiping, file server enablement and mass revision rollback aren’t included in some of these solutions. This blog post aims to highlight how Dropbox for Business, OneDrive for Business, and Box for Business, despite their names, lack several important business-class features.

Remote wipe. Remote wiping is essential for the security and integrity of sensitive corporate data. With the proliferation of cloud services and devices such as smartphones and tablets, it has become increasingly easy to lose important information by, say, leaving a phone in the back seat of a taxi. In the event a device is lost or stolen — or a rogue employee tries to spread confidential data outside company premises — the ability to wipe important information clean off a device is invaluable. Though Microsoft technologies are deployed widely in the enterprise, their OneDrive for Business service surprisingly does not offer a remote wipe capability; nothing can be done remotely to delete data off a device once it’s lost or stolen. Fortunately, CloudSync offers remote wipe natively, so any administrator can easily wipe a lost, stolen, or compromised device of any sensitive information.

File server enablement. Small and medium businesses have enough on their plate; the last thing they want to deal with are file sync hassles between local and remote employees. Many businesses currently leverage a file server located in-house to store important files. While employees on the local area network have always enjoyed fast and easy access to these files, remote employees have been forced to use cumbersome, slow, and difficult-to-use VPN software to connect to this server. These technical challenges often result in data sprawl — local data differing from the information stored by remote employees on their own devices. Moving everything to the cloud, which typical file sync solutions (including Dropbox for Business, OneDrive for Business, and Box for Business) encourage, solves this data sprawl issue but is a difficult and onerous task — mapping file structures and directories is far from just a “drag and drop” affair. A better approach is to “cloud-enable” local servers, which allows SMBs to keep everything in sync without having to deal with the complications of transitioning entirely to the cloud. Advanced file syncing and backup services like CloudSync feature this file server enablement capability, reducing the administrative burden on SMBs simply trying to make life easier for their employees.

Mass revision rollback. A surprising omission from Dropbox for Business and OneDrive for Business is a mass revision rollback feature that enables companies to revert their entire file system to a point in time. This type of feature is incredibly useful in the case of a ransomware attack, in which it is necessary to go back in time to reverse critical damage. As an example, last year, the CryptoLocker virus spread quickly in many corporate environments. This virus encrypted users’ files on their local machines, and once these files were synced to the cloud, the files in the cloud were also encrypted. Decryption of these files could only be done if the user paid a ransom to the hackers responsible for the CryptoLocker virus — a rather unsavory option.

An effective way to resolve this issue without resorting to the hackers’ bait would be for users to restore their environments to a time prior to the attack. Businesses equipped with a mass revision rollback feature offered by companies such as CloudSync could do exactly this — roll back in time before the virus struck — saving money and plenty of headaches.

In designing CloudSync’s file sync solution, carefully considered the needs of small and medium businesses. CloudSync ‘s file services are equipped with advanced features, such as remote wipe, file server enablement, and mass revision rollback, all designed specifically for corporate environments. Reach out to CTI Technology today and request a free 30-day trial of our powerful file sharing cloud software Cloudsync.