is dropbox your next file server?

Is Dropbox Your Next File Server?

Community IT Innovators Webinar Series

November 17, 2016

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About Community IT

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Steve LongeneckerDirector – IT Consultingslongenecker@communityit.com

• DfB refer to themselves as a File Sync and Share solution.

• Gartner talks broadly about EFSS, which is Enterprise File Synchronization and Sharing.

What is Dropbox for Business?

The Pitch

Workers need to use multiple devices to get

things done

Workers need anywhere access to files to get things

doneWorkers need to collaborate effectively to get things done

of global information workers use 3 or more devices

53%

of employees work from multiple locations

37%

of employees work with people outside their company

65%

• Easy adoption because it’s familiar• Platform agnostic• Simple, good enough security

The Pitch

File Sync And Share And The Future Of Work

• Relies on a Dropbox app (available for Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS, Linux)

• Creates a Dropbox folder on your device’s “hard drive”

• The Dropbox service syncs your Dropbox folder with the Dropbox cloud.

• DfB says in their marketing material “It just works.”

How does it work? - Sync

• Logon to dropbox.com to see the cloud version of your synced files/folders

• Install the Dropbox App on your other devices to sync your files/folders there as well

• Use “Selective Sync” on a Dropbox App to chose not to sync certain files or folders (though they remain in the cloud and could be synced on other devices)

How does it work? - Sync

Share your files/folders with others from either the cloud (browser) portal or the Dropbox App. • Collaborative Sharing • One-way Sharing

How does it work? - Share

• Each account needs a separate email address.• Personal and Business accounts can be linked in

the same Dropbox App.• If a user has a Personal Dropbox account under

their work address, when their workplace gets Dropbox for Business they’ll be able to either:• Migrate their personal account files into the DfB

account, or• Reassociate the personal account with a personal email

address.

Personal vs. Business

Security Features

Extensive Audit Log Remote WipeSharing Controls

Gives IT admins extensive auditing to track who’s sharing what

If a device is lost, remote wipe allows IT to quickly delete that information & keep it secure

Easy-to-use controls can restrict access and keep your data safe

Security Features

Strong Encryption Single Sign-on Two-step Verification

Uses strong cipher encryption in transit and at rest, as well as file segmentation & hashing to anonymize stored data

Secure accounts by enabling authentication features like single sign-on (SSO) support

Dropbox for Business allows for further account protection by offering support for two-step verification

• How to balance safety and access of confidential personal information stored files?

• Want to learn more about encryption options with Dropbox

• How reliable is Dropbox?• What about backups?

Pause for Questions

• Subscription model • Five user minimum• Discount for Nonprofits • Annual commitment• Unlimited storage• Non-profits buy

through a reseller

How much does it cost?

• Good solution and would recommend• File History/Recovery function is very

appreciated• User training needed, especially around: • Two ways to share• Shared files are the real files• Don’t dump (willy-nilly) large files into a

shared folder

Our Clients Say

• Can’t rename root folders without unsharing and resharing

• Can’t share at different levels of a folder hierarchy

• Folder ownership is different than admin permissions

• Cloud portal experience is mixed• Migration relies on sync

Experiences from the Field

• Sync works well with folders, so a forklift migration is reasonable

• Sync requires bandwidth• Sync precludes coauthoring• Sync can lead to version conflicts• Our instinct is that Cloud is the future

Sync vs. Cloud

• SP and ODfB are part of Office 365. If you already have Office 365 subscription, they are “free”

• Microsoft is betting on machine learning as the future of search

• SP has potential for more sophisticated enterprise controls

• SP integrates with the rest of the Microsoft stack

• Dropbox for Business is not complicated

DfB vs. SP/ODfB

• Dropbox for Business is a good solution that we support

• We recommend Dropbox for Business to clients that • Are looking for more functionality than a basic

file server can provide• Aren’t heavily invested in the Microsoft stack• Don’t want to invest in a new SharePoint

paradigm

Summary

Upcoming Webinar

See you in 2017!Thursday January 19

 4:00 – 5:00 PM ESTtbd

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