COMMENT: Dropbox is the storage company on everyone's lips right now. Using the cloud to store documents and access them from anywhere at any time is an awesome capability for employees on the move.
On the shop floor, convenience is the number one requirement from storage and, be it Dropbox, Box.net or one of the number of other cloud storage vendors popping up at the moment, it answers all the employee's needs.
No matter how hard the IT pro tries, users will continue to store and share their data in convenient and easy to access ways, regardless of the consequences.
However, the number one priority for the IT department is security. As such, many will not let workers use the services, as they offer little safety for company data and send it off to locations deep within the US, breaking legislation and putting sensitive information at risk.
The problem is there is no communication between the two. When it comes to cloud storage, the IT security guys are sticking with the old world way of just saying no to anything they deem unfit for business. But we all know employees ignore this if they think they are getting more productivity out of it and find ways round policies so they can still enjoy the benefits.
Look at Gmail. When employees are having issues because yet again the internal email system has crashed and burned, what do you think they are using instead so they can carry on with their jobs? I know I have done it several times in the past, even as someone who knows the risks involved, but the average employee doesn't even weight up the risk, they just want to get their job done.
No matter how hard the IT pro tries, users will continue to store and share their data in convenient and easy to access ways, regardless of the consequences.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel. A new type of cloud storage vendor is emerging with the enterprise in mind, providing more security for the data with the same level of convenience.
Just last month, Egnyte joined the race with its own Hybrid Cloud for Enterprise solution. This could be the answer for many IT departments but, there is no point in just thinking about it. Now is the time for action and to get your employees involved.
Offer them a new, simple, secure service akin to Dropbox and they will lap it up. Leave them to their own devices and who knows where the data will end up.
This is the new way of storage. Embrace it or ready yourself for a potential data breach.
