Upgrade the way you share files with a cloud file system

Files in your possession are an asset. If they fall into the wrong hands, they become liabilities that wield power over your company, organization, or institution. The data that is compromised will affect your clients severely and erode their trust in you. Your file sharing workflow might also be hampered by the physical limits of external drives and digital constraints of email. Thankfully the advent of cloud storage has resulted in numerous solutions for seamlessly sharing files safely and securely. To fully appreciate the benefits of integrating a cloud file system, we must look at why existing file sharing practices are not suitable for professional use.

External Media - Hard drives & Flash Drives

Flash drives go by many names and come in many shapes and sizes, but essentially do the same thing - they hold files for you. They’re a nexus between printing out media and transferring files over the internet. Instead you can carry a portable container that contains precious data that fits in the palm of your hand. You can even use it to run different copies of Linux or portable apps to fix computers.

Since flash drives work offline in practice, you’ll have to physically deliver files to all of your recipients. Distance and availability of reaching recipients can conflict with your schedule. Having to inevitably upload many files at once takes away time that you would have saved and put to good use if you regularly backed up your files online.

While you can protect the drive with a shock-resistant, largely element-proof case and encrypt your data, there’s nothing stopping your from losing your data without a cloud backup on the sites that you work at. As soon as you leave one site, the drive become susceptible to being left behind or lost on the way. Once misplaced, all your progress is erased and projects will have to be pushed back or cancelled accordingly. Older files would no longer be able to serve as references in computing future decisions. If you make the mistake of moving files instead of copying them and the transfer fails or the drive dies, all of the related files ago along with them. Improperly ejecting a drive can result in bit rot and compromise your files over time. If you run out of space or need to replace a drive you have to purchase a new one and transfer any existing data from the existing drive over. On top of everything, if your drive is infected with particularly stealthy form of malware you could inadvertently spread it to your organization.

Email - Attachments and Co.

Email has outlived many instant messengers and has become somewhat of a norm for professional, digital communication in many parts of the world. It’s also a way professionals review files with clients and colleagues. Unfortunately, email hasn’t evolved to meet the needs of the modern professional use cases, particularly with attachments. Sending large files, several files, and modifying files after they are sent is simply not an option for many users. Different services provide different options and vary in security and reliability. Encrypting an email but sending it to the incorrect recipient won’t help if you can’t unsend it, you can’t send files that can’t be attached, and opening phishing emails or malicious attachments is more likely to happen in large organizations where anyone can expect an email in one of several hundred or thousand employees who have never met in person.

Streamlining sharing methods with a cloud file system

If all the nuisances associated with emails and external drives could be placed on a table, a cloud file system could sweep it clean and place it in the trash to restore later or purge permanently.

Cloud file systems eliminate many security and hardware maintenance headaches. If someone steals your laptop, your data is still available on the cloud. No one is going to walk off carrying a data center and whoever tries to hack their way into it will be met with proactive and adaptive, ever-evolving countermeasures. When working on computers without a syncing client, you can open a private browsing window on a desktop browser, login into your cloud service provider, upload the files you’ve worked so hard on, then close the window, and delete any files you’ve left behind. Most phishing attempts are thwarted because fewer emails with attachments are sent since files are automatically synced across the company. No additional work is required of employees. Coworkers can simply email or message each other, informing others that an especially important file has been sent. The content has most likely reached their machines by the time they receive the message. Shared folders only have to be accepted once, and subfolders for different projects can be added at any time.

Sending files is a lot easier and mistakes can be quickly amended for any damage is done. Since you’re dealing with a much more flexible way of managing your files, you can make retroactive changes that prevent serious mishaps from taking place. With a direct share or shared link you can easily add files that were originally left out, update files that may contain typos or missing data, remove files that were accidentally included, and simply revoke the share or link if drastic measures need to be taken. You can attach files of any kind and not worry about size limits as long as you have enough space for your files. You can upload content at any time without leaving the comfort of your desk. Use time sitting spent tediously compiling a chain of emails to send multiple attachments instead to walk around and take a breather or run errands.

Given the myriad of services available, it’s not hard to be overwhelmed. They either look too similar to another or offer a combination of unique features yet do not cover all of your needs. Fortunately, Sync.com, an exemplary service that builds upon a secure, private, and intuitive cloud file system, has extensive sharing capabilities for your colleagues and clients. Why Sync.com? Sync.com gets things right from the start. It uses end-to-end encryption so no one other than your intended recipients can decrypt and read data you share. This also prevents from some rogue AI scanning your files flagging and banning your account, holding your data hostage as result. Sync.com’s Shares and Links provide as many options as possible for controlling who can access your data and how long they can access it.

Learn how to securely share links and folders via Sync.com today with this helpful guide.

Sync.com’s Shares

Sync.com’s Shares are pretty straightforward. You can share folders with coworkers and clients who use Sync.com and any changes that all parties make to it will be synced uniformly. Sync allows you to set permissions for each member. This is especially useful when you need to receive feedback from clients and prevent changes accidentally being made to your project. You can withhold their ability to modify the folder contents and even prevent them from viewing who else is on the team. When removing a member, you are presented an option to remotely wipe the data they have stored or let them keep a copy. Clients can sign up with Sync.com for free, making it easy to integrate it into their workflow within minutes.

Sync.com’s Links

Sync.com Links, like Shares, go beyond what you’d expect in a standard cloud file system. Sync Links provide lengthy links to protect users from brute forcing random URL paths to discover folders, and the ability revoke links at any time, as any credible service would. However, Sync.com Links aren’t just static pages directing to downloadable content. They allow you to fine-tune almost every aspect of how the shared data can been accessed. As with your other files, you can use the Enhanced Privacy option to keep files encrypted End-to-End, you can set a password, set an expiration date, control upload permissions, modify preview and download permissions, and receive email notifications about how recipients are interacting with your Sync.com Link. This enables collaboration and provides granular controls over the access to the information that you share; the friction in getting clients and colleagues on board is greatly reduced by waiving the need to register until they inevitably fall in love with the service.

There are at least three ways that Sync.com protects the privacy of linked data. The Enhanced Privacy option give you the unique ability to use zero-knowledge encryption on your links as you already are with all of your other files. Expiration dates allow you to set and forget links without worrying about revoking them later. You can even set the time of the day in which it expires. Email notifications keep you in the loop; you can keep track of who and when someone is downloading and uploading files without having to be informed via colleagues. This is great for checking if a link has been leaked before you’ve set for it to expire. Finally, setting a password locks out unwanted visitors no matter what happens to your link. So long as unintended recipients don’t know the password, they cannot access the link’s contents, assuming you chose not to set an expiration date or enough download limits initially.

With linked files and folders, you can prevent recipients from downloading content by making only their previews visible. This is a great way to prevent files from being cached to someone’s device’s disk. If the device is stolen or compromised, it won’t contain anything from the link.

Upload permissions are great for file requests. Given how seriously Sync.com consider your privacy, your clients can feel comfortable in entrusting you with their data when uploading to a link using Enhanced Privacy. You have the option of sending a single link to multiple people instead of having to create multiple folder links by restricting their ability to see what has been uploaded. This allows for collaboration without compromise, needless tracking, and tedium in juggling things carefully.

Using Sync.com Links and Shares in Practice

Sync.com’s links and shares can be used in a variety of professions. Photographers can use it in place of a third-party service to share the files, that they have already backed up, with a client and protect folders with unique passwords. Teachers can send file requests via upload-enabled folders that collect their class’s assignment submissions. Primary care healthcare staff can share PHI with other providers and specialists and prevent them from downloading and modifying files to avoid patient information from being accidentally altered. Freelancers and businesses with a set timeline for projects with clients can use expiration dates to revoke access to certain documents in the future. Shared folders can be used for group projects where only employees who are participating have access to it and as if they are assigned elsewhere or leave the company, their copies can be remotely wiped if necessary.

Upgrade your organization’s file sharing capabilities

Reduce your attack surface, eliminate unnecessary risks, and quell frustration by moving beyond antiquated methods of file sharing. Get started with Sync.com to upgrade the way your company manages files with a truly private and secure file system that provides extensive file sharing options dedicated to helping you collaborate more efficiently and boost productivity.

Credits and Acknowledgements

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