Sharing data with colleagues: best practices

Remote working, which keeps expanding, is now part of how most companies operate. Collaborative and remote work means more documents being shared, internally between employees of the same company and externally with clients, suppliers and others. Professionals then run into problems around storing and sending files, particularly when it comes to keeping those flows of information secure. It has become crucial for companies to adopt the right habits so that data exchanged between colleagues stays safe.

The risks that come with sharing data in collaborative work

Ways of working in companies are changing, and so are the challenges of collaboration. You no longer have to share a physical space with a colleague at all times in order to handle a case together. Collaborative tools make it easy to exchange information, whether you are in the office or not. But sharing more information has considerably increased the risk of data leaks. According to figures published by the Ponemon Institute in 2017, more than 50% of data leaks are accidental, caused by an IT malfunction or simply by the carelessness of workers who meant well. A colleague may, for instance:

• Work from an unsecured computer or other device
• Send and receive sensitive information on unprotected equipment
• Exchange data using hardware with a security flaw

On the other side sit the risks of espionage or of the IT system being hacked by cybercriminals, who get into your servers easily when the necessary precautions have not been taken.

Avoid free, consumer software

In a company, using free platforms or software to exchange sensitive data is inadvisable. You thereby avoid the misuse of information about your company, your clients or your employees. These platforms are often easier for attackers to hack: they can intercept your files or introduce viruses that cause your systems to malfunction. A single server is estimated to come under 60,000 attacks a day, with smaller companies among cybercriminals' favourite targets. A survey conducted in 2016 revealed that 52% of French companies had already lost data after using free, unsecured tools to exchange files online.

Choose secure hosting for company data

Data shared between employees of the same company is delicate and needs the best possible protection. For exchanging it securely, there are solutions built specifically for professionals, NetExplorer among them. You can share folders or files quickly, with no limit on size or format. Our collaborative platform offers you a very high level of security along with several features for working effectively and without risk.

Set access rights for sharing data in the cloud

NetExplorer lets companies keep shared folders so you can exchange data with your colleagues easily. Setting access rights for each folder is an effective way of keeping shared files confidential. You can secure access for each user and grant them different rights: the ability to read, to edit files or to invite other users. Thanks to automatic email notifications and alerts, you are told the moment a new file is added or updated on NetExplorer by a user. Event logs, for their part, give you the full history of what each registered colleague has done, which is a way of checking every activity on the company's working platform. Other useful features, such as share links, let you send and receive large documents through a simple, quick exchange. A download link is used to share one or several files with no limit on size or format. You can also use the download options that help secure what you send and set a password for opening them, specify the maximum number of downloads and the type of access (preview only or download).

Raise awareness and train your colleagues

Whatever solution you choose for exchanging data within your company, it is always important to make your staff aware of the security questions remote working raises. In truth, beyond the security the technology offers, people remain a significant risk factor. So take the steps needed to train colleagues in how best to use their equipment. Help them understand what the company risks if an anti-virus is not updated, or if company data is stored on public platforms.

Why choose NetExplorer to secure data sharing?

For companies, NetExplorer is a secure platform for online storage, file sharing and collaborative work. We host your data in France, through our infrastructure installed in two data centres in Paris. That gives your information maximum protection under European and French law (the GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation). Our various certifications speak to the quality of our services. NetExplorer is certified ISO 27001 (2013) for information security and ISO 9001 (2015) for the quality of the platform, whose features answer companies' needs in full, along with ISO 14001 (2015) for environmental protection, awarded by the international certification body BSI. Working in cloud computing for more than a decade, we bring expertise and experience you can count on. Professionals in healthcare can also choose NetExplorer, which meets every requirement of the French public health code (HDS certification, Health Data Hosting). NetExplorer's services are also PCI DSS certified, the global security standard for every organisation that stores, processes and transmits cardholder data or sensitive authentication data. Share and secure your files with NetExplorer