Here’s a bad habit in the business world that employees still can’t seem to shake: “123456” was the most popular password of 2014. The even more obvious “password” was No. 2; the even less creative “12345” was third. In light of the major security breaches over the couple years, many employees are still putting minimal effort into protecting their companies’ data. This should drive managers and execs crazy … but many of them also exhibit this bad habit.
Mobile file sharing is becoming an increasingly important part of the operations of many companies, and as such, must be undertaken with best practices in mind. Bad habits that employees in the field, on the floor, in the back of the store, or at corporate may have developed can undermine a file sharing strategy. Here are four such habits that should be broken in order to realize the full potential of mobile file sharing:
1. Lax security
The aforementioned weak passwords are just one security deficiency that can cause problems for companies relying on a strong mobile file sharing strategy. The complete lack of passwords might be a bigger problem. Mobile employees love the convenience tablets and smartphones offer, so much so that they are loath to password-protect their devices or the workplace apps contained therein. Many on-the-go workers are at least careful with their tablets, which helps prevent the devices from being lost or stolen—important, considering a thief in possession of a work iPad might subsequently face no impediments to company files.
2. Access to everything
Cloud-based file sync and share solutions such as Box or Dropbox are directory-based, meaning whoever has access to the app might have access to an entire organization’s files. Sharing and access controls exist for these platforms, but another bad habit comes into play—companies fail to use these tools, opening up documents that some employees (never mind thieves) should have no business viewing. Dedicated table-based content delivery or file sharing solutions solve this dilemma by promoting easy-to-use yet precise sharing tools that allow workers access only to the documents their bosses and co-workers intended them to access.
3. Constant connections
With cloud-based mobile file sharing platforms, tablet users have two choices for constantly available access to a file: download the document directly onto the device or read it directly online. The former choice isn’t so simple if the employee must sift through dozens of folders and hundreds of files to find just one—and downloading everything takes up too much space on the tablet and doesn’t contribute to security. The latter always requires a Wi-Fi connection, which might not be available or might be needed, for example, for other store functions (such as the cash registers—monopolizing precious bandwidth is definitely a bad habit). Content control solutions specifically designed for an iPad or Surface avoid this conundrum by downloading files directly onto a tablet, with no effort from the end user who can then read the documents at his or her convenience and without searching through a tangled web of directories.
4. Avoiding Video
Forsaking video isn’t so much a bad habit as it is a sad reality many companies face: There is no option for sharing videos and the files are so big that they won’t fit on most tablets, so managers, execs, and training departments don’t even bother. These organizations are missing a golden opportunity, because research has demonstrated that employees learn better and retain more when watching a video as opposed to reading printed materials. Today’s tablet-based file sharing software compresses videos and allows you to share them automatically to employee devices. The files are a fraction of their original size and can be viewed remotely, without the worry of an internet connection to stream.
What bad habits have you or your co-workers picked up with your mobile file sharing strategy?
