Dropbox or Sharefile?

Best File Storage

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Hi all,

We only have 5 employees but are looking to move away from a harddrive in the office, we are small payroll company in the southwest,

We've looked at Google Drive/Box/Egnyte/LiveDrive/OneDrive with Sharepoint - We've narrowed it down to the below;

Dropbox Pros

  • Great to use
  • Simple easy to setup
  • Most people have already used it
  • Great to send client links to documents without them signing in and creating an account
  • Reasonable pricing

Dropbox Cons

  • Security is not great (apparently lots of hacks)
  • I tried asking them questions but did not get any replies so customer service isnt great.
  • I think data is stored in US (correct me if I'm wrong) but they say they are GDPR compliant

 

Sharefile Pros

  • Simple to use (altough not as much as Dropbox)
  • Can send links to clients
  • Comes with client portals
  • Full file audit trail
  • Encryption during file use
  • Never had a breach of security

Sharefile Cons

  • Difficult for clients to use as they have to sign up (in a way)
  • Expensive
  • Not as easy for employees to buy into

Which would you pick and what do you currently use?

Replies (12)

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By schocca
23rd Apr 2019 23:06

The problem with Dropbox is that the files are not encrypted once they arrive at the target PC/Laptop.

This gets more complicated if multiple users access the same PC with different credentials as it's possible to access files for another user and thus sensitive files can be accessed. This is a key point for users who have a laptop at home and a junior/partner has access to it as well.

Additionally the security keys (for data transferred to Dropbox) are controlled by Dropbox (not recommended for GDPR sensitive docs).

These Dropbox security issues can be solved by using an additional encryption product such as Boxcryptor alongside Dropbox to contain this risk.

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So I have discussed Dropbox, but as a technology specialist, I should really ask if you ***need*** a cloud storage solution? Why not consider a solution such as a Synology server + some USB drives for backup? It's a lot cheaper in the long term and the data stays under your control.... Synology have some really cool free software for these servers such as dropbox like syncing with the server and the ability to recover historical changes on backed up files.

I set this up for an accountancy client last month...

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Replying to schocca:
ALISK
By atleastisoundknowledgable...
24th Apr 2019 08:16

schocca wrote:

Why not consider a solution such as a Synology server + some USB drives for backup?

Ease of off-site access for one.

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Replying to atleastisoundknowledgable...:
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By schocca
24th Apr 2019 10:34

Ah yes, but the Synology server can give you this kind of access as well. (google Synology Cloud Station).

Again, this is all inbuilt into the server software for no additional cost. Security setup for this is another matter and I would recommend an IT person go over the setup to make sure that you understand the security profile you end up running with...

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Replying to schocca:
ALISK
By atleastisoundknowledgable...
24th Apr 2019 08:16

Duplicate

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Replying to schocca:
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By daniel_
24th Apr 2019 10:22

Agree about the Synology NAS. Took a bit of setup but very happy with it.

Can set up multiple shared folders to keep some files hidden from staff.
Extremely fast speeds in the office as we don't need to download over the internet.
Has incremental backup to restore accidentally overwritten files.
Don't pay a monthly per user subscription.
With 4TB (2TB with redundancy) we'll probably never run out of space.

My two main concerns were:
Data backup which we solved by setting up backup rules to upload to cloud services, local external hard drives or another spare offsite NAS box (we use all 3).

Offsite access which we solved by running OpenVPN server on the Synology box so we can connect to the server securely when away from the office.

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ALISK
By atleastisoundknowledgable...
24th Apr 2019 08:18

@payrollco - why did you discount Box? Suitefiles? I’m looking at the moment. One of the cons (in my view) of dropbox is client perception. Thoughts?

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Elliott Chandler Picture
By elliottchandler
24th Apr 2019 18:18

Dropbox Business might be a better option with a better level of support. If you want to do it on a budget then look at Resilio with a Netgear ReadyNAS. Alternatively get the familair File Explorer interface with a Hosted Desktop solution.

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By PERMON
25th Apr 2019 09:29

I looked into Dropbox a while back and at the time they were only offering a Data Processor Agreement (GDPR) if you have one of their Business products.

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By payrollco
25th Apr 2019 22:05

I think Dropbox integrates well with other software
We would rather not buy an additional security product on top of dropbox.

Cloud storage gives us instant access wherever we are, its easy simple and learning curve is quick.

Sharefile is really good for security but I am keen to know other companies that have implemented it.

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Replying to payrollco:
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By schocca
27th Apr 2019 18:50

Just remember that you lose the edited shared files "locked" capability with Dropbox/cloud drives vs a local network drive. So you will need to manage reconciliation events if the same file is edited by two different people at the same time (this happens rarely, but still needs to be managed).

Also, I **strongly** recommend Boxcryptor/other encryption toolset for Dropbox data files. Esp with files that are deemed sensitive under GDPR.
- A stolen laptop/home PC with this data and no drive/file encryption is a mandatory ICO reportable event + fine...
- Additionally, you do not need to worry if Dropbox gets hacked as the encryption keys are under your control.

This is what I have set up for a financial firm and an estate agent last year - no major problems reported so far and they also like Dropbox.

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By buttercup books
26th Apr 2019 11:00

I'm a control freak and like data under my control as hinted at by Schocca, I use alternating backup hard drives

But I wondered why the OP had discounted GoogleDrive

what do others think of that?

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By payrollco
07th Dec 2019 19:20

Hi all,

UPDATE:

We have been using Sharefile for about 6 months now,
It's honestly the best decision the business made,

Superfast, always syncs almost instantly, no issues yet and we managed to get it for $9 per user per month and this will scale with us.

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