IT Depends

ESG’s research has shown that online file sharing (OFS) adoption is rising rapidly. However, many organizations are reluctant to trust their files to an OFS provider’s platform because of security concerns. One possible solution to these security concerns is a hybrid cloud model of OFS. In the hybrid cloud model, some of the organization’s files are stored in the OFS provider’s environment, while others remain within the organization’s own premises.

The use of corporate file sharing services is growing, but what’s behind this growth? The BYOD trend has been a key driver for the online file sharing market. The preponderance of smartphones and tablets in the workplace has driven many companies to sign up for and deploy a corporate account with an online file sharing (OFS) service.

The most important security feature that customers expect of their online file sharing and collaboration (OFS) solution is antivirus. “Well, of course,” you might say. But this finding from ESG’s recent survey into the OFS market has come as a surprise to many OFS providers.

Choosing the best online file sharing service for your organization starts with asking the right questions. We’ve created a complete checklist of questions IT professionals can ask as they evaluate different online file sharing and collaboration (OFS) solutions. Vendors can use the checklist, too, for a better understanding of how their OFS offering stacks up against the competition.

BYOD has been a key driver for online file sharing and collaboration (OFS).  ESG’s research uncovered a very strong correlation between rogue online storage and file sharing usage (or suspicion thereof) and the surge of mobile devices in an organization.

Employees are signing up for individual online file sharing and collaboration (OFS) accounts with free cloud storage sites, exposing their organizations to risks of data leakage or even data breaches

NetApp recently acquired solid state storage vendor CacheIQ. The core IP that CacheIQ brings to the table fits well into NetApp's vision of non-stop IT operations at scale, giving NetApp a path towards guaranteeing QoS in large scale cloud and virtual environments. 

The survey results for online file sharing and collaboration (OFS) are in and they show organizations are getting on board with online storage and file sharing services. Currently, 30% of organizations have established a corporate OFS account, and that number is expected to grow to 50% in one year and 80% in two years.