Sharing information has become a critical component of every business plan or strategy today. Even if employees are centrally located within an office, large files cannot be sent over an email connection without some difficulty. How do you share with each other with such limitations?
This is where Dropbox for Business can really help. Upload a file, get a link to that file, and then anyone can look at it. Here are the pros and cons of Dropbox for Business to think about if you need an easier way to share information between workers.
The Pros of Dropbox for Business
1. It is a system which is fast and easy to implement.
All you’ve got to do is setup your account and give employees access to it. Once you’ve done that, uploading files, creating folders, and even syncing files between computers becomes very easy to do. What used to take hours to share, especially with very large files, can now take just minutes or even seconds.
2. You can incorporate existing personal dropboxes into a business account.
If you already have Dropbox installed, either as a free option or under the Pro option, then you can upgrade it to the Business option. This allows you to keep track of your existing files without worrying about multiple accounts, lost items, and other problems that seem to creep up when multiplicity exists.
3. Almost anyone can use the interface.
Dropbox for Business is literally a drag-and-drop system. You can install a file on a worker’s desktop and then all they need to do is drag the files that need to be uploaded to the Cloud into that folder.
4. Administrators can limit access to specific data.
Team members can be limited in their access to share items with people outside of a defined team through Dropbox. Defaults can be installed so that links and files that are shared are only visible to authorized team members. Shared links can also be disabled directly from the admin console.
5. An owner-defined password protects your security.
This allows the owner to set expiration dates on any information that has been shared through the Cloud. It also means that specific people can be granted access to files and links or have that access taken away should circumstances change. The password system makes it very easy to control the security of your shared data.
The Cons of Dropbox for Business
1. It is a fairly expensive solution for the average small business owner.
Businesses must purchase employee licenses for Dropbox when using it as a business solution. It can be tried free for 30 days, but then for just 5 users the cost is $750 per year. The cost can also be charged monthly, but then it increases to $75 per month. Adding more users adds more to this cost.
2. Full text search results have only recently been introduced.
This has made Dropbox a bit easier to use when searching for specific data. It’s still not a perfected system, however, which means many business users may find that it’s a lot easier to search through file names, extensions or their meta data instead.
3. Reporting gaps are handled by third parties.
Dropbox focuses on the file sharing component of its service and that’s about it. This means security settings, encryption, and repository connections. To fill in the gaps there tend to be in security or in reporting information, such as how full your Dropbox might be, third parties are used to enhance the product. This means businesses must decide if having more organizations involved with their data management is worth the risk.
4. It can sometimes be difficult to find folders or files.
Dropbox doesn’t do a great job of maximizing its screen presence. The app for smartphones and tablets is particularly bad for this. The end result means that there is a lot of empty space that could be used to enhanced how users navigate through the interface. It can be quite difficult to locate some folders and files.
5. Built-in security is rather limited.
Dropbox for Business offers no subfolder security settings. Data loss prevention measures can be implemented, but because third parties are involved, it can take extra time to implement this sharing system. That is time which some businesses may not have.
These Dropbox for Business pros and cons show that this system of sharing is designed to be comprehensive, but only when third party functionality is included with the product. This can increase costs, add complexity to your data, but eventually allow workers to be more efficient. Consider these key points today to determine if Dropbox is the solution for you.
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