Yet Dropbox has limited encryption and security features, which leaves data exposed and at risk of being corrupted or landing in the wrong hands. Limited data security.Īll employees know that it’s important to protect sensitive files such as financial data or intellectual property documents. Because Dropbox is not equipped with secure file regulation capabilities, there is an increased risk that employees are unknowingly violating their company’s compliance requirements. Many industries have compliance regulations which dictate that certain files have limited access or remain encrypted during transfer. Data loss.ĭropbox has been known to lose customer files – or fail to back them up at all – meaning that employees run the risk of permanently losing company files, with no way for the IT department to recover them. Potential for data theft.ĭropbox has limited security features, and because companies aren’t able to monitor what files are synced to what device, it’s impossible to know whether data has been shared with or accessed by the wrong party, which increases risk of insider threats and data theft. As a result, IT departments are unable to track how files have been modified, determine who has viewed files if sensitive information is leaked, or remotely wipe Dropbox if an employee’s device is stolen. This practice, often called “shadow IT,” effectively locks the IT department out of the file-sharing activities of employees.

Operating in the shadows.Ĭompanies’ IT departments aren’t able to track when an employee accesses Dropbox to share files and are unable to control which employee devices are able to sync with a corporate computer. Organizations must do a better job of warning employees that using online file sharing tools to share sensitive files at work can result in serious penalties, and even termination. More and more employees use Dropbox to share corporate files, and don’t fully understand the risk. While beneficial to consumers, these applications are problematic for IT departments.

The popularity of consumer file-sync-and-share solutions such as Dropbox continues to grow, as consumers appreciate the ease with which they’re able to transfer large files, such as photos and videos, to family and friends.

How to transfer files to dropbox