Are cloud-based file-sharing services too immature for the enterprise?

23-Jan-2012 By Alan Pelz-Sharpe with Kashyap Kompella , Jarrod Gingras , Apoorv Durga , Tony Byrne

Many enterprises in search of a collaboration or ECM system actually possess a single, core requirement: the need to share files securely on any device, at any time. The deceptively basic nature of this scenario can render traditional ECM systems and "light" alternatives like Microsoft SharePoint as overkill. Growing numbers of cloud-based service offerings are trying to meet this need, and they are marketing (and frequently selling) directly to business units instead of IT departments.

This presents the enterprise with at least three key challenges:

  1. Determining the differences among these offerings, since they all seem similar on the surface
    Deeper analysis reveals substantial differences.
  2. Getting out "in front" of business users to strategically select the right vendor that can operate effectively at scale
    The use case of a small business opening a few folders in the cloud is very different from a large organization strategically engaging with a file-sharing service in the cloud. Some vendors now specifically target these larger enterprises; it is these suppliers and the larger enterprise audience we address in this briefing.
  3. Identifying and addressing critical risks
    If you are considering cloud file sharing as a strategic option, you must seriously consider at least six key technical and business issues to ensure that you make the right long-term choice

This paper analyzes these six technical considerations so that you can determine the right choice for your enterprise.

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