Emailing documents back and forth prohibits collaboration, creates versioning issues, and is often cumbersome; as such, many companies look to document repositories to help conquer the clutter. Document repositories are storage locations that facilitate the capture, organization, and flow of knowledge. Companies have a few options available to them when they begin researching a document repository solution.
File Transfer Services are the first type of document repositories. These services are often called FTP's as they operate in a very similar manner as a FTP server, however they are upgraded with a few simple options having to do with compliance and privacy (some even have SSL-digital certifications). The pricing for an FTP service is based upon usage and storage, so the more data you host and the more you use it, the more it will cost.
Option number two is a cloud based file transfer service. "Cloud" is a relative new word in the business community and refers to a service that is complete web-based, meaning that it does not require a user to install anything on their computer to function. Cloud based file transfer systems are usually priced the same way as FTP services.
Although certainly better than email, both of these systems have several drawbacks for companies looking to allow telecommuting, telework, or work-from-home scenarios. First, they have little to no technical support. Secondly, they have little to no audit capacities. Third, to access a file you must know its file name, and the systems do not provide robust word-for-word indexing of the files content. Fourth, they have limited security levels, at most consisting of the user being able to access a file or not even know it exists.
The third option is a virtual data room, which is a file and folder based document repository that enables to store, sort, and search for documents in an ordered way. Virtual data rooms are also equipped with online banking level encryption and full search capabilities.
Tracking user and file activity is important, so virtual data rooms develop reports that show administrators who accessed a file, from where, for how long, at what time, and logs and changes they made. They also have more than two security levels which allows administrator to specify whether users can view, change, print, or download files. Some virtual data rooms also feature customizable watermarks that can be enabled which show a user's name, ip address, date, and login info so that users can print a file but be able to be tracked should they distribute it.
In summary, file transfer vendors are ill prepared to tackle the intricate nature of document repositories for corporate communications. For a more robust solution, consider a virtual data room.
File Transfer Services are the first type of document repositories. These services are often called FTP's as they operate in a very similar manner as a FTP server, however they are upgraded with a few simple options having to do with compliance and privacy (some even have SSL-digital certifications). The pricing for an FTP service is based upon usage and storage, so the more data you host and the more you use it, the more it will cost.
Option number two is a cloud based file transfer service. "Cloud" is a relative new word in the business community and refers to a service that is complete web-based, meaning that it does not require a user to install anything on their computer to function. Cloud based file transfer systems are usually priced the same way as FTP services.
Although certainly better than email, both of these systems have several drawbacks for companies looking to allow telecommuting, telework, or work-from-home scenarios. First, they have little to no technical support. Secondly, they have little to no audit capacities. Third, to access a file you must know its file name, and the systems do not provide robust word-for-word indexing of the files content. Fourth, they have limited security levels, at most consisting of the user being able to access a file or not even know it exists.
The third option is a virtual data room, which is a file and folder based document repository that enables to store, sort, and search for documents in an ordered way. Virtual data rooms are also equipped with online banking level encryption and full search capabilities.
Tracking user and file activity is important, so virtual data rooms develop reports that show administrators who accessed a file, from where, for how long, at what time, and logs and changes they made. They also have more than two security levels which allows administrator to specify whether users can view, change, print, or download files. Some virtual data rooms also feature customizable watermarks that can be enabled which show a user's name, ip address, date, and login info so that users can print a file but be able to be tracked should they distribute it.
In summary, file transfer vendors are ill prepared to tackle the intricate nature of document repositories for corporate communications. For a more robust solution, consider a virtual data room.
About the Author:
This article has been prepared by V-Rooms.com. V-Rooms has been providing secure document management systems and document repositories for mergers and acquisitionss for the last 5 years.
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