Dropbox has introduced a new tool called “Smart Workspace“. The platform is designed to improve networked working in the company. Is this feature an innovation and a smart concept?
Smart Workspace: The goal is better collaboration
Dropbox introduced a digital environment with new features in the fall of 2019 – the “Smart Workspace”. This tool is a smart workspace. It enables employees in a company to work together with their colleagues in a team. The workspace makes it possible to store and share folders with other employees. In addition, common tasks can be created as a team. A glance at the colleagues’ diaries provides an overview of who is available when.
Dropbox offers with the Workspace the possibility that folders and contents within a company department are more easily accessible for everyone. In addition, Dropbox has announced a new desktop app that is also available as a virtual workspace for users. Dropbox uses existing tools like Slack or Microsoft Office for this purpose. In the workspace these apps are bundled on a virtual drive. This should make workflows more efficient and also increase productivity. The goal of Dropbox is more overview and order for the flood of information that working life provides on a daily basis.
The concept aims to reduce communication channels and the constant switching between different tools. Dropbox sees the advantage of its new cloud solution in the fact that employees are kept up to date in real time when they work together as a team. In the next section, we’ll take a closer look at the features and take a look at the Dropbox app.
How the Dropbox Smart Workspace works
For the digital workplace, Dropbox has developed the application “Spaces”. It is also available to users in the new desktop app. The contents of individual employees or teams are stored in folders, which in turn are integrated into existing and already networked workspaces. This makes it possible to exchange appointments, project histories and individual files – within seconds.
Dropbox’s app is the central environment that brings together all other platforms and communication channels. This has the advantage that each individual user can continue to work with his or her preferred applications. In the workspace, all employees have simultaneous access to all information on current meetings, edited documents and an overview of team activities. Dropbox also offers an integrated search for images that other users can store and share in the cloud.
Application possibilities of the Dropbox innovation
The workspace of Dropbox is supplemented by an additional tab function. Users can access their personal data here and receive recommendations and suggestions for the current work process. However, this automatic summary can only be used if this area of the platform is used frequently.
The console for companies
Another part of Dropbox-Business is the console for companies. This gives them the possibility to have a better overview of their own files in the long run. They can monitor the content in accordance with current data protection guidelines. The application of Dropbox supports the strategic data management in companies and secure compliance requirements. These include, for example, the storage and management of files over very long periods of time.
Dropbox Paper
Additionally, Dropbox integrates a tool to document knowledge. With “Dropbox Paper“, users can create their documents directly on the Dropbox platform and save them automatically. In principle, the application is similar to the cloud solution Google Drive.
HelloSign
“HelloSign” is another application in the Dropbox software. It allows users to provide documents with a digital signature. Dropbox’s new workspace also has direct access to programs for video conferencing. Employees can use the app to make an appointment together and start a video session within seconds with just a few clicks. As an employee in a digital work environment, you are probably familiar with many of the alternatives presented here. Cloud computing as a prerequisite for remote work, collaborative working or paperless offices is shaping our everyday working lives more than ever before. Systems like Dropbox often combine several tools in one software.
Data security and data protection play an important role here. In a company, employees work on countless files every day, some of which have sensitive content. They must always be able to send and store these contents in an encrypted form. That’s why we look at whether the security of data in cloud storage is guaranteed and whether Dropbox Business applications can prevent access by strangers.
Is the new Dropbox with cloud storage secure?
There are a number of cloud services that offer different services for data exchange. In addition to the tools from Google (Google Drive) and Microsoft OneDrive, the Dropbox app has been one of the most widespread providers for many years. Many users save their private data on the free storage space in the Dropbox.
The demands on the security of the data are very different. By default, many cloud providers unfortunately do not offer sufficient encryption like end-to-end encryption. In most cases, the cloud services encrypt their data themselves and could in certain cases release it to third parties. This is because the keys are in the hands of the providers, who also decide on them.
Many Dropbox servers are located in the USA. The legal “cloud act” makes it possible for the respective cloud providers to release personal data of users to third parties if, for example, criminal prosecution is underway. This obligation always exists as soon as the storage space of a cloud provider is located in the United States. In this case, it does not matter whether the files are encrypted or not. In the event of a query from the authorities, Dropbox is no longer able to fully protect this data.
Security is more than just encrypting files
Only after a certain level of usage does Dropbox offer the opportunity to move the storage location for the encrypted data to a European data center. This is not a standardized function of the tool. If personal data is located outside the European Union, it becomes critical. The high security requirements of the GDPR then no longer apply completely. Unauthorized third parties have an easy time accessing these files and personal content.
In addition, there is a further security risk from hacker attacks. It is well known that Dropbox has already been chosen as a target for cybercrime on several occasions. The extent of the damage has only gradually become known. Thousands of data such as email addresses and associated passwords of a large number of Dropbox customers were stolen, even though they believed that a secure password would protect their own data.
Data protection in cloud storage as a decision criterion
Data protection in teamwork must have the highest priority. New work platforms and tools are often very attractive. Departments want to exchange files faster and access them from anywhere. It is therefore not surprising that offers for cloud storage services are increasing on the market.
The most important function of these programs is data security. It’s not just about storing all data with a password and encrypted. Online storage should include end-to-end encryption and a two-step check at login. This is especially relevant for projects that are implemented with other companies. After all, sensitive data must not fall into the wrong hands, otherwise there is a risk of economic and personal damage.
Conclusion
Security is a very multifaceted challenge. Dropbox does not meet the European requirements for storing personal data in many respects. You should therefore carefully consider what data you store in Dropbox.
TeamDrive is therefore a dropbox alternative where security is a top priority. End-to-end encryption and the storage of cloud data on German servers guarantee all the requirements of the GDPR. Further advantages such as comprehensive protection against viruses, automatic data backups and GoBD-compliant archiving ensure the security of your corporate data. And all this at an unbeatable price!
