File hosting services mean businesses share their corporate data and large files over the internet without the e-mail or old fashioned hardware. But who else can access these files?
Where is your Corporate Data stored?
When uploading files to these to your file hosting provider, employees or anyone with the password can access them. But who else is authorised, and where is the data actually stored?
Depending on your provider, your data could be stored in a number of countries. And, depending on the country, different laws allow for different access.
The Patriot Act – How Does it Affect Your Corporate Data?
In the United States, the Patriot Act allows the government access to anyone’s files, any time.
The market leader in file hosting services, Dropbox, have data centers located in the United States. This means that their services are subject to the Patriot Act, which means that any of your data can be accessed by them or locked by them at any time. Other major providers like iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive in the US so they are also subject to these laws.
Should you use Dropbox?
If you care about who can access your corporate data, as well as the use and control of it, Dropbox is probably not the way to go. For personal use, it’s a great file sharing system – but in a business environment, the encryption setup needed to ensure the use of Dropbox is secure just isn’t worth it.
But, Dropbox is no different for most of the other providers in this way – Google Drive and iCloud all store their data in the US, too. Alternatives like Ctera could serve as a better option.
The Bottom Line on Corporate Data Storage
As discussed in our previous blog post, almost every business needs a way of sharing files. But, it’s better to be safe than sorry when deciding on a provider. Although the big companies mentioned are the market leaders, where they keep your data can be a risk and result in data loss, non-compliance and security breaches.
So, be sure to check with your provider before signing your data up to one of these storage methods.
If you’re interested in finding the best provider for your corporate data storage, you can leave a comment or ask a question below ⬇. We also reply to all questions on our Facebook at DataUPAus.
Alternatively, give us a call to speak to a professional.
(08) 7200 6080
References:
Butcher, P. (2014). Risks to your Corporate Data go far beyond the Patriot Act | HostedBizz. Hostedbizz.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017, from https://hostedbizz.com/risks-to-your-corporate-data-go-far-beyond-the-patriot-act/
Townsend, K. (2012). Is it safe to carry on using Dropbox? Yes and No: Part II. Retrieved from https://kevtownsend.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/is-it-safe-to-carry-on-using-dropbox-yes-and-no-part-ii/