Enterprise file synchronization and sharing explained

Enterprise file synchronization and sharing (also known as EFSS and enterprise file sync and share) refers to software services that enable organizations to securely synchronize and share documents, photos, videos and files from multiple devices with employees, and external customers and partners. Organizations often adopt these technologies to prevent employees from using consumer-based file sharing apps to store, access and manage corporate data that is outside of the IT department’s control and visibility.[1] [2]

Key characteristics

EFSS applications are often characterized by having most or all of the following features and capabilities:[3] [4] [5] [6]

Depending on what an EFSS provider offers, services can be deployed using cloud computing, on-premises, or hybrid. According to Forrester Research, some EFSS providers can provide the ability to lockdown data in certain geographies for companies that have requirements to store content/metadata in specific jurisdictions.[8]

History

Box, one of the first EFSS products, was originally developed as a college project of Aaron Levie while he was a student of the University of Southern California in 2004. Levie left school to run the company full-time in 2005.[9]

In 2007 Dropbox was founded, and officially launched at 2008's TechCrunch Disrupt conference. The same year, Microsoft began beta testing of Windows Live Folders, a predecessor of OneDrive. [10]

Around 2010, the EFSS market emerged with over 100 vendors from a variety technology backgrounds including backup and cloud storage (Citrix ShareFile, Syncplicity), managed file transfer (Accellion, Biscom, Box, Hightail, Thru), enterprise content management and more. Many were developed as alternatives to consumer file sync and sharing services that did not have security features in place to protect company information nor the flexibility to integrate with existing content repositories and business applications.[11] [12] [13] [14]

In October 2011, software company, Citrix Systems, announced that it had acquired private enterprise file sync and share service, ShareFile, to add to the Citrix product line. ShareFile was a competitor of Box and Dropbox but focused on selling its product to IT departments of large organizations.[15] [16]

In 2012, CTERA Networks entered the EFSS market.[17]

In July 2013, Forrester Research released the first “Forrester Wave” report on the EFSS market where they identified and scored products from the most significant providers.[18] [19] [20]

On June 25, 2014, Google announced at its I/O Conference that it was entering the enterprise file sharing market with the release of “Google Drive for Work.”[21] [22]

In July 2014, Gartner Research released its first “Magic Quadrant” report on the EFSS market. The study evaluates the strengths and cautions of the most notable vendors in the industry.[23] [24]

In October, 2014, encrypted vendor Tresorit entered the EFSS market with Tresorit for Business.[25] [26] Tresorit is a competitor of Dropbox and Box, promising businesses more security and privacy compliance with End-to-end encryption.[27] [28]

In April 2015, BlackBerry Limited paid between $100 million and $150 million to buy WatchDox Ltd. for its enterprise file sync and sharing capabilities.[29]

In July 2015, one EFSS vendor, Syncplicity, was sold to private equity firm, Skyview Capital, by previous owner, EMC Corporation.[30] [31]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robb. Drew. Ten Things You Need to Know about Enterprise File Sync and Share. www.enterprisestorageforum.com/. 21 May 2013 . IT Business Edge. 21 July 2016.
  2. Web site: Rouse. Margaret. Definition of EFSS (Enterprise file sync-and-share). searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/. TechTarget. 21 July 2016.
  3. Web site: Rodriguez. Andres. File Sync & Share: When Worlds Collide. www.informationweek.com/. 3 December 2015 . UBM Tech. 22 July 2016.
  4. Web site: Backaitis. Virginia. Enterprise File Sync & Share Solutions: What's the Difference?. www.cmswire.com/. Simpler Media Group. 21 July 2016.
  5. Web site: Ladi. Ananda Rao. Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS) in the cloud. www.itproportal.com/. IT Pro Portal. 21 July 2016.
  6. Web site: Zurier. Steve. Businesses Embrace Enterprise File-Sharing Tools for Security, Flexibility. www.biztechmagazine.com/. CDW. 21 July 2016.
  7. https://www.multcloud.com/articles/scheduled-task-to-copy-files-from-one-server-to-another-1004.html Schedule transfer, move or backup data from one cloud storage to another
  8. Web site: McKinnon. Cheryl. Navigate The Crowded Enterprise File Sync And Share Market By Asking These 3 Questions. www.forrester.com. 19 May 2016 . Forrester Research, Inc.. 21 July 2016.
  9. News: 'I was having nightmares for a few weeks': Box CEO Aaron Levie reveals how hard it was to build a $2.5 billion business and take it public by age 29. Business Insider. 2017-09-21. en.
  10. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2007/05/windows-live-folders-make-brief-appearance/ Windows Live Folders
  11. Web site: Dubash. Manek. Cloud file-sharing for enterprise users. www.computerweekly.com/. TechTarget. 22 July 2016.
  12. Web site: Darrow. Barb. Who will be the 'Dropbox of the enterprise?' The race is on. www.gigaom.com. Gigaom. 22 July 2016.
  13. Web site: Wexler. Steve. Significant Churn Forecast For EFSS Market. it-tna.com. IT-TNA. 22 July 2016.
  14. Web site: Sliwa. Carol. Enterprise file sync and share expands in 2014. searchcloudstorage.techtarget.com/. TechTarget. 22 July 2016.
  15. Web site: Wauters. Robin. Citrix Acquires ShareFile, The "Dropbox For Enterprises". www.techcrunch.com. 13 October 2011 . TechCrunch. 22 July 2016.
  16. Web site: Savitz. Eric. Citrix Buys ShareFile. Forbes. 22 July 2016.
  17. Web site: Gartner's enterprise file sync and share Magic Quadrant offers surprises and opportunities. July 27, 2015. James Bourne. CloudTech.
  18. Web site: Schadler. Ted. Who are the leaders in the file sync and share market?. ZDNet. CBS Interactive. 20 July 2016.
  19. Web site: Backaitis. Virginia. Forrester Names 6 Top Cloud File Sharing Vendors. www.cmswire.com. Simpler Media Group, Inc. 20 July 2016.
  20. Web site: Schadler. Ted. Koplowitz. Rob. Keitt. TJ. Kark. Khalid. Smith. Andrew. The Forrester Wave™: File Sync And Share Platforms, Q3 2013. www.forrester.com. Forrester Research. 22 July 2016.
  21. Web site: King. Rachel. Google intros Drive for Work as new premium option for Apps users. ZDNet. ZDNet. 22 July 2016.
  22. Web site: KOKALITCHEVA. KIA. Google Drive now has 190M users & a brand new tablet app for presentations. venturebeat.com/. 25 June 2014 . VentureBeat. 22 July 2016.
  23. Web site: Backaitis. Virginia. Gartner Rates Enterprise File Sync and Share Vendors. www.cmswire.com/. Simpler Media Group. 22 July 2016.
  24. Web site: Arlotta. CJ. Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise File Synchronization and Sharing. talkincloud.com. Penton. 2016-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160714022356/http://talkincloud.com/cloud-computing-research/070814/gartner-magic-quadrant-enterprise-file-synchronization-and-sharing. 2016-07-14. dead.
  25. Web site: Tresorit Brings DRM To Cloud Data. Forbes.
  26. Web site: Tresorit Launches Its Secure Sync And Share Product For Business. Forbes.
  27. Web site: Cloud Storage Startup Tresorit Raises $3M To Put Security Spotlight On Dropbox, Box And Others. TechCrunch. May 2014 .
  28. Web site: Updated UI and expanded data control features come to Tresorit's Business plan. Neowin.
  29. Web site: Lopez. Maribel. BlackBerry Snaps Up WatchDox For Content Security. Forbes. 22 July 2016.
  30. Web site: Konrad. Alex. EMC Sells Box Competitor Syncplicity To Private Equity Shop Skyview. Forbes. 22 July 2016.
  31. Web site: Clark. Don. EMC to Sell Dropbox Rival Syncplicity. www.wsj.com/. Wall Street Journal. 22 July 2016.

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