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Secure File Sharing for Businesses: The Ultimate Guide

by Robert Dougherty updated March 30, 2023 Secure File Sharing

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Secure file sharing is a crucial tool for businesses today, allowing teams to collaborate efficiently so they can maximize growth and success. With the increasing number of cybersecurity threats, businesses must be aware of the risks of unsecured file sharing and the importance of implementing secure file sharing technologies.

The Importance of Secure File Sharing for Businesses

Secure file sharing technologies allow businesses to safely and securely communicate and exchange information between different stakeholders, both internally and externally. This includes clients, customers, colleagues, and other partners. These technologies enable businesses to access and share documents and data from remote locations, as well as collaborate on projects in real time. Secure file sharing helps improve employee and team efficiency and productivity, as well as reduces the risks of data breaches.

Risks of Unsecured File Sharing

While file sharing is essential for businesses, it also comes with a variety of potential security risks. If a business utilizes unsecured file sharing solutions, their data may be exposed to malicious cyberattacks, data breaches, and compliance violations. These events have grave, long-lasting consequences for businesses, including financial penalties, litigation, revenue and profit loss, brand erosion, and more. Ultimately, any cost or efficiency benefit you may think you may get by using an unsecured file sharing solution isn’t worth the risk.

Overview of Secure File Sharing Technologies

To protect their sensitive content and systems holding sensitive content, businesses should use secure file sharing solutions that include encryption, activity monitoring such as audit logging, and secure access (multi-factor authentication [MFA], identity and access management [IAM], single sign-on [SSO], etc.) to files, file folders, and file repositories. These technologies allow businesses to not only protect confidential information, but also control and monitor who is accessing the content, as well as who they share it with and when. There are additional technologies, like data loss prevention (DLP), advanced threat protection (ATP), antivirus (AV), and many others that all play a critical role in protecting sensitive content.

Why Secure File Sharing Is Essential for Businesses

The rise of digital technology and rapid advancements in the field of data storage, transfer, and communication have made secure file sharing a must-have for businesses. Secure file sharing not only helps protect sensitive and confidential information , but it is also a crucial component for regulatory compliance with data privacy laws and standards. Ultimately, secure file sharing is an essential tool for allowing businesses to remain productive, secure, compliant, and viable long-term.

Protecting Sensitive Information

Sensitive and confidential information like financial information, intellectual property, contracts, and personally identifiable information and protected health information (PII/PHI), is a valuable asset for any business, and the protection of this data must be a top priority. With secure file sharing, businesses can ensure that their sensitive content remains private. Secure file sharing solutions allow businesses to limit access to files and folders containing sensitive content, determine and control what activities are performed (download, view only, edit, etc.), who authorized users can share sensitive content with, and track and record all file activity. This provides businesses with an added layer of security and protection that is essential in today’s digital Information Age.

Compliance With Data Privacy Regulations

Data privacy regulations are increasingly common, and failure to comply can lead to hefty fines, lost business, or even legal action. Secure file sharing can help businesses ensure that their data stays private and secure in accordance with regional, national, and industry regulations and standards. This can go a long way in helping businesses avoid any financial or legal sanctions for failing to meet regulations.

Mitigating Cyber Threats and Attacks

Cyber threats and attacks are on the rise and can have disastrous consequences for businesses if they are not properly protected. Secure file sharing helps reduce the risk of cyber threats and attacks, like malware, ransomware, man-in-the-middle attacks, and lost or stolen devices, by strengthening access control and authentication, and by implementing measures such as encryption, authentication, and authorization. By using secure file sharing, businesses can protect their data and mitigate the risk of being a target of cybercrime.

Collaboration and Efficiency

Secure file sharing can help businesses improve collaboration and efficiency by eliminating the need for face-to-face meetings and allowing for multiple people to securely access information at once. This can help to drive innovation and productivity, while ensuring that data stays secure. Being able to securely store, share, and collaborate on documents from any device, from anywhere in the world, also allows businesses to remain agile and flexible in the face of constantly changing market conditions.

Types of Secure File Sharing Technologies

File sharing technologies are essential for businesses of virtually any size. They offer a secure and compliant environment for transferring large amounts of data, and keep confidential information safe from unauthorized access. This makes it easy for businesses to collaborate with customers, partners, investors, suppliers, employees, and other stakeholders, and helps them stay competitive in an increasingly digital world. There are a variety of secure file sharing technologies available that allow businesses to securely share and manage their data. Here are some common secure file sharing technologies:

Secure File Sharing Platforms

Secure file sharing platforms like a private content network allow multiple users to share and access large amounts of sensitive content in a secure environment. These platforms are ideal for businesses that share confidential information with lots of trusted third parties, as they make it easy and safe to collaborate with customers, partners, and employees.

Secure File Transfer Protocol

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a secure protocol for transferring files over the internet. It is encrypted, so all data is securely transferred between systems. This makes it a great option for businesses that need to share sensitive information over the internet.

Virtual Data Rooms

Virtual data rooms (VDRs) offer a secure, cloud-based environment for securely sharing and managing confidential documents. They are used in financial transactions, legal proceedings, and other sensitive situations. VDRs are encrypted, so all files are protected from unauthorized access.

Secure Cloud-based Platforms

Secure cloud-based platforms are great for businesses that need to share large files with multiple users. These platforms are encrypted, so all data is safe from hackers and unauthorized access.

Managed File Transfer (MFT) Solutions

Managed file transfer (MFT), or automated file transfer, solutions allow organizations to share files in large batches between two computers, two people, or between people and computers or even computers and people. A large pharmaceutical manufacturer, for example, may need to send 12,000 invoices to customers at the end of every month. If these invoices can be sent automatically to customers, it can save a single person or team in accounts receivable from having to send them out manually.

Features to Look for in a Secure File Sharing Solution

When considering a secure file sharing solution, there are a number of important features to consider. These include:

End-to-End Encryption

One of the most important features to look out for when choosing a secure file sharing solution is end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption means that the content being shared is encrypted from the sender all the way to the recipient, ensuring that it remains secure even when being transferred over the internet. The content should also be encrypted when it is stored or filed away in an email system or enterprise content management (ECM) system like Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft SharePoint, iManage, Google Drive, and other systems. This prevents unauthorized third parties from accessing the content, whether it’s in transit or at rest, and makes sure that the content is only readable by the intended recipients.

User Authentication and Authorization

User authentication, including multi-factor authentication, is another essential part of a secure file sharing solution. The secure file sharing system should have the ability to authenticate users before they can gain access to the files they are trying to share. It should also have authorization features to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to specific files or folders. This helps to ensure that the data being shared is kept secure and is only accessed by authorized individuals.

Granular Access Controls

Granular access controls allow an organization to control who can access and modify specific files or folders. The system should have the ability to set different levels of access for different users. This ensures that only authorized individuals are able to access and modify files within the organization.

Audit Trails and Activity Monitoring

Audit trails and activity monitoring allow an organization to track and monitor who is accessing and modifying files within the organization. This helps to ensure that the secure file sharing solution is being used in a secure and proper manner.

Mobile Access and Integration

Mobile access and integration are also important features to look for in a secure file sharing solution. The system should have the ability to access and manage files from any mobile device. This provides users with the flexibility and convenience of sharing files from any location.

Integration With Existing Systems

A secure file sharing solution should also be able to integrate seamlessly with other systems and applications, such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise content management (ECM) systems, and others. This ensures that the content stored within these systems is accessible and can be used by other applications. This allows organizations to maximize the value of their secure file sharing system.

Secure File Sharing and Compliance

Secure file sharing refers to the process of exchanging digital documents, such as images, documents, and audio recordings, between two or more users. With secure file sharing, users can store, send, and receive data securely, with both the sender and the receiver having control over the sharing process. Compliance with data protection regulations and industry standards is a key component of secure file sharing.

Data Protection Regulations and Compliance Standards

Data protection and compliance regulations, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), are designed to protect personal data and ensure security measures are in place to protect customer data. Each regulation has different requirements, and organizations must ensure they are compliant with them or risk hefty fines.

The GDPR, for example, requires that organizations use appropriate security measures when transferring, storing, and protecting personal data, limit the collection of personal data to what is necessary, and protect all personal data from unauthorized access. The CCPA is aimed at giving California residents the right to access and control their data, while HIPAA focuses on protecting patient data in the healthcare industry. The PCI DSS is used to ensure secure payment information processing.

Data privacy standards like NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and GxP, among others, should be considered too. While these standards aren’t regulations, and therefore cannot be enforced, they are considered a best practice that, if followed, demonstrate an organization’s commitment to data privacy. Adherence can also provide businesses a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.

Kiteworks Secure File Sharing: Secure, Compliant, and Easy to Use for a Complete, Comprehensive File Sharing Platform

Kiteworks secure file sharing sets itself apart as an easy-to-use secure file sharing platform. It offers critical security capabilities, including AES-256 and TLS 1.2 encryption, granular access controls, a virtual hardened appliance, on-premises, private, hybrid, and FedRAMP virtual cloud deployment options, integrations with your existing security infrastructure, visibility into all file activity coming into and leaving the organization, and more. It also automates common tasks like uploads, downloads, and logging/reporting for compliance requirements and eDiscovery requests.

The platform is also user-friendly, allowing employees to use desktop or mobile devices and easily collaborate via Microsoft Office 365, including Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams.

Schedule a custom demo of Kiteworks to learn more about the file sharing capabilities in the Kiteworks platform.

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