MARKET REPORT Cloud Storage
“Using a trusted provider is key to keeping your content secure. If there are several DIY applications in
use, it will be harder to collaborate and also a potential security issue.”
Simon Aldous, Head of Global Channels, Dropbox
Simon Aldous, Head of Global
Channels, Dropbox
We also have taken further
steps such as 2FA, SSO, Device
controls and whitelisting,
Remote Wipe, Sharing controls,
Audit log, plus many more.
When it comes to the
optimum level of vendor service
and support every customer has
dierent service expectations;
however, we believe that every
vendor should be in a position
to deliver the levels of support
that has been agreed to in the
service license agreement.
How do we dierentiate our
oerings? Over 500 million
people across the world use our
platform, and that’s because
it’s simple and easy to use. We
have an open ecosystem, which
means that our users can pick
and choose what other tools
they want to use and integrate
with the Dropbox platform.
We aren’t a ‘walled garden’ like
other companies, and our users
love that.
With regards to the location
of the cloud storage, unless
you work in environment that
stipulates via regulation, it’s not
important.”
So, I asked, how did
Dropbox make the move
from home use to a business
application?
“When Dropbox was rst
built in 2007, our users loved
storing and sharing their
content in Dropbox in their
personal lives, because it was
easy to use. No matter what
environment, people want easy
to use tools and that’s why
we saw a huge adoption of
Dropbox for work. erefore,
5 years ago we built Dropbox
Business which has all the ease
of use of Dropbox, but with
added functionality to make it
enterprise ready.”
ED SAYS…
For many really small organisations the free storage offered by the likes of Google
and Amazon may well suffice their needs but like myself, many will quickly realise
their limitations and upgrade to more professional versions. My driver to using cloud
storage was never one of cost but instead more about having the security of a
back-up of all my data with the flexibility of being able to access it from any of my
connected devices or indeed anywhere I had an internet connection. Cloud storage
would seem to be one of the most popular shadow IT applications and this presents
a danger and challenge for IT managers to control – a circumstance that illustrates
opportunities for resellers.
In order for a collaborative
approach to be eective, there
needs to be a good level of
transparency between vendors
and customers about the
security of the environment
and if that security is ever
compromised. Security
controls must be implemented
to minimise the potential
consequences of exposure of
data in the event of a breach
and security monitoring must
be diligently watched for any
signs of compromise or attack.
At this point, it is likely that
a company can get a myriad of
services, systems or applications
from a cloud services provider.
While it is still the company’s
ultimate responsibility to
protect sensitive or customer
data, cloud services vendors
must also ensure security
and privacy by design are
architected into the products
and services from the very
beginning.”
Dropbox
Everyone has heard of Dropbox;
I’ve had an account for some
time and upgraded to the
Business version around three
years ago when my wife started
her own business. It works well
for us both so it was interesting
to get the views of their Head
of Global Channels, Simon
Aldous.
I asked him, ‘e most
common question that
businesses are sure to ask is
‘How secure is my data?’ What’s
the best answer for that?
“Dropbox has over 500
million users, and 400,000
paying businesses around the
world trust Dropbox with their
data. One of our core values
is being ‘worthy of trust’ and
it’s something we take very
seriously, especially given the
fact that over 1.2 billion les are
saved to Dropbox every day.
We have security
certication such as ISO
27001 (Information Security
Management), ISO 27017
(Cloud Security) and ISO
27018 (Cloud Privacy and Data
Protection) just to name a few.
50 | Comms Business Magazine | August 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
/www.commsbusiness.co.uk
