File Sharing in the Cloud: Everything You Need to Know

Leveraging the cloud has become the norm for companies. It delivers many benefits, including easier access, increased security, and lower costs. Cloud file sharing is an essential part of using this channel and can improve collaboration and productivity. If you’re considering moving to the cloud for file sharing, you’ll want to read this post.

What Is Cloud File Sharing?

Cloud file sharing describes a system that uses cloud storage space on a server for users to store and use documents. It provides end-user access to files from anywhere as long as the person has an internet connection and a login. Typically, file sharing is a service offering by a third-party provider and is often part of the features of a unified communications (UC) platform.

Why Is Cloud File Sharing Important for the Modern Business?

After years of disruption, the business community has settled on hybrid frameworks for their employees. This allows staff the freedom to work from the office or at home. As such, access to files and documents must be easy and available from wherever. Otherwise, your employees will have to depend on emailing versions back and forth, which is confusing and inefficient. Having the right collaboration tools means supporting your staff, no matter where they work.

Migration to the cloud for file sharing, along with other applications, has been on the rise. Companies not using the cloud experience productivity losses from manual document management. A report revealed that high losses occur from:

• Loss of files using email
• Recreating documents that go missing
• Document prep lost time

Additionally, the top cloud service use for business is file sharing, demonstrating its value to operations, productivity, and efficiency.

So, what’s keeping your business from embracing the cloud?

Concerns About Cloud File Sharing

Cloud file sharing offers many advantages, but you may still be hesitant to adopt it. Let’s clear up any confusion.

Security

Moving to the cloud puts your business in a new security posture. Physical servers leave your location, and you’ll contract with a provider. They are responsible for security infrastructure, system updates, keeping data safe, and backup of the files. That lessens the burden for you. If this is a sticking point for your organization, you’ll want to find a partner that goes beyond the minimum security.

Ask questions about how they keep data safe and what provisions they have against malware and ransomware. These cyberattacks target file-sharing systems, so you’ll want to know that the company you choose is proactive about security.

Costs

For those organizations that use a “free” file-sharing service, you may think the cost to move is too high. However, these free solutions only allow a certain amount of storage. Additionally, access to these is often open outside your organization. The cost not to migrate may be steeper, as you could lose these files.

In comparison to hosting all files on your server, file sharing in the cloud is much less expensive. All the physical hardware comes off your budget. Instead, you’ll remit a monthly fee to your provider.

Migration

Are you concerned about the heavy lifting of moving your files from one location to the cloud? It can be a time-consuming exercise, but it’s a necessary one. Your new provider can help you plan for your migration and offer their expertise. It can be a good time to audit what you have, reorganize it, and delete anything old.

Now that we’ve cleared up any misconceptions, there’s even more to know about the benefits of cloud file sharing.

How Cloud File Sharing Supports Your Business

There are several key components of cloud file sharing that will serve your organization well.

Backups Are Real-Time

File storage and sharing on the cloud include real-time backups of all files, images, and videos. You can restore to any point in time with one click. Enjoy protected files and quick recovery.

Collaboration Is Seamless

When files are in the cloud, multiple users can co-edit at the same time. It tracks all changes if you need to revert to a previous version. Your users can access these on any device in a secure environment, as well as provide sharing permissions with those outside your organization.

File syncing also occurs across all devices. So, you’ll never have to wonder where a document is or have 10 different versions of it. It stays in one place.

Performance Is Smooth

Internal servers get slower and slower as you add more files. Scaling up is a cumbersome and expensive process. With the cloud, you won’t have these issues. The cloud performs consistently with low latency. You shouldn’t experience any interruptions with such a reliable solution.

Secure Clouds Meet Compliance Requirements

For companies that must comply with data protection regulations, such as healthcare and finance, cloud file sharing ensures your adherence. Your provider sets up the necessary configurations and will include all the protections required for compliance.

Cloud File Sharing: A Must-Have for Growing Businesses

Now that you know what file sharing offers, how it provides benefits, and why it outperforms other options, it’s time to make the move. Investing in this technology will pay dividends right away and into the future.

Explore our file-sharing cloud solution SecuriSync today.