Using the Internet to Securely Share Files

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You want to be able to communicate with other people via the internet as fast, securely, and with as little friction as possible.

Microsoft is heavily promoting Teams, which is part of Office 365, and claims to have higher adoption rates than Slack. Did you know that Microsoft Teams is built on top of SharePoint Online, and unless you take precautions, you risk an already complex and hazardous SharePoint file sharing situation.

However, Office 365 provides a number of excellent collaboration tools, which are critical in today’s fast-paced digital workplace. You may collaborate on papers with your coworkers at the same time. You may ask for feedback and post links so that others can see your writing, as well as other collaborative features. Since SharePoint Online is part of Office 365, the system is integrated into Azure AD, Exchange Online, and OneDrive.

With Microsoft 365, you can deploy Teams with a variety of configurations that help:

  • Protect your intellectual property
  • Enable easy collaboration with documents and other files
  • Create a balance between security and usability that increases user satisfaction and reduces the risk of shadow IT

Most organizations have a variety of information, with varying degrees of sensitivity and varying degrees of business impact if the information is inappropriately shared. Depending on the sensitivity of a given piece of information, you may want to allow sharing with:

  • Anyone (unauthenticated)
  • People inside the organization
  • Specific people inside the organization
  • Specific people inside and outside the organization

Security is Key

When you choose the correct cloud-based platform for safe file sharing, you gain a lot of added protection and functionality that email can’t provide. Not only are you protected from harmful assaults, but you’re also protected from inadvertent deletions, incorrect versions, and the overall confusion that comes with having everything on one device. When looking for an online cloud storage option, consider the following features:

  • Virus screening for known risks during download. Your solution should include an anti-malware engine that analyzes documents for material that matches an anti-virus signature during the download process. This signature functions similarly to a fingerprint and is used to detect and identify individual infections.
  • Suspicious activity monitoring to protect your account from illegal access. Suspicious sign-in attempts, as well as warnings whenever strange behavior is identified, should be included.
  • BitLocker-encryption. See if your cloud storage gives you the option of adding files to a BitLocker-encrypted area of your local hard drive—it’s a sort of vault for ultra-sensitive documents (like passports, social security numbers, etc.) This area should automatically relock on your PC, device or online after a period of inactivity.

Please contact JENLOR for help if you’re thinking about exchanging files securely. We are available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.