With digital workplaces and remote operations becoming a norm, no business can survive without file sharing. Established or just a startup, every organization needs to have a system in place for allowing the employees to access and share files from anywhere. The pandemic crisis has made it all the more crucial, with teams working from home needing to access information to operate smoothly.
When it comes to choosing a file-sharing solution, every business owner needs to go the extra mile with ensuring security. It is all the more important if you have just started because the risks are a tad higher. Fortunately, there are several simple measures that you can implement to take security a notch higher. Here are some best practices that you should enforce to ensure secure file sharing within your organization.
Enforce the use of VPNs
When employees operate from out of office, they will not be using the secure corporate network to access the confidential files. The risk runs high when they use unsecured public Wi-Fi that leaves them vulnerable to hackers looking to steal their data. It is vital to implement a virtual private network (VPN) and enforce its use for remote workers. A VPN shields the corporate web traffic in a secure tunnel, so there is no risk of the files being open to interception by bad actors.
Employ password managers
As a new business, you may have to rely on simple file sharing options with shared login and access credentials for the users. Although the system is cost-effective, security is always a reason to worry. Using a password manager puts you in a better place because it allows secure sharing of passwords with other users. If you keep business files in an encrypted vault, you can let other users download them there without giving them your actual password, but using a password manager to enable the action.
Stick to only strong passwords
Even if you use password managers or other password protection solutions, you cannot be too sure about the safety of files from hackers. At the basic level, having strong passwords is a good approach because it costs nothing but adds a considerable level of security. Strong passwords make it harder for malicious people to gain access to the confidential data of the business. Ensure that every employee understands their value and opt for only the ones that have minimal chances of being compromised.
Use enterprise-grade file sharing solution
Although money is always a constraint for new businesses, there are some places where you shouldn’t compromise, and file security is one of them. You cannot rely on the traditional free file sharing solutions because the coverage they offer is only as much. Implementing an enterprise-grade solution for organized secure file sharing gives you peace of mind about data security. Even if you have to spend on the solution, it lets you be stress-free about your data so that you can focus on growth-critical aspects.
Educate and train employees
While implementing a secure file sharing solution is vital, you will also make sure that your employees know it inside out. Whatever solution you choose, it will probably have a learning curve. File sharing software serves its purpose only when users are able to understand and use it effectively. Ideally, you should provide employees with appropriate education and training so that they can adopt the solution easily and be comfortable with its use.
Restrict file access by group.
Even if you may have just started your venture, you will eventually have much information to secure. Restricting access is a measure you should practice right from day one. Limit access to files and folders in a structured manner. Limiting it by specific groups is a good idea because it will create a system that aligns with the growth of your business. For example, you can create groups based on job roles or departments and allow selective access to individual users. Not everyone in the team needs to access every single file to do their tasks, so restrict access judiciously for each group.
Apart from implementing these best practices for your new business, you must assess your file-sharing system thoroughly and regularly. The idea is to ensure that it aligns with your overall security strategy. A system that integrates with the ecosystem is vital to closing all vulnerabilities and achieving the highest levels of security for your business. Further, it makes things easily manageable for the users and reduces the likelihood of breaches due to human error.
